For the Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life

by Albert Demeo, Andrew J. Andersen (Reader), Mary Jane Ross (Contributor)

Al DeMeo will never forget the day in 1992 when a coworker taunted him with a copy of the hot new book Murder Machine , chronicling the horrific criminal life of DeMeo's father, Roy, the head of the most deadly gang in organized crime. The moment sent DeMeo into a psychological How could he have spent his life looking up to, and loving, a vicious killer? For the Sins of My Father recounts the chilling rise and fall of the man who led the Gambino family's most fearsome killers and thieves, through the eyes of a son who had never known any other kind of life. Coming of age in an opulent Long Island house where money is abundant but its source is unclear, Al becomes Roy's confidant, sent to call in loans at age fourteen and gradually coming to understand his father's job description--loan shark, car thief, porn purveyor and, above all, murderer. But when Al is seventeen, Roy's body is found in the trunk of a car, a gangland slaying that places Al between federal prosecutors seeking his testimony and a mob crew determined to keep him quiet. With the implacable narrative drive of a thriller and the power of a painfully honest memoir, For the Sins of My Father presents a startling and unprecedented perspective on the underworld of organized crime, exposing for the first time the cruel legacy of a Mafia life.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Family

Audio CD

First published August 20, 2002

Reviews

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from a girl who loves The Godfather (not Godfather 3 so much) and Goodfellows, I really enjoyed diving into this book. I can't imagine what it must have been like living with such a father. This is a brutally honest, raw account of life inside the mafia. I love how the author pointed out the hypocrisy of the so-called morally superior people they encountered. The corruption amidst the powers that be in the law enforcement community really didn't shock me, just his candid way of writing about it.
He does not romanticize his father's sins, and there were many, but this really does touch on the 'shades of grey' (between what is right and wrong) reality of the world we exist in. As much as this book holds the horrors of the criminal underworld, it too has captured tenderness between father and son.
If killers are just evil monsters, how can they be such loving fathers; genuine in their affection?
Many reviewers wondered what Albert DeMeo was miserable about, since he lived a charmed childhood and what I say in his defense is our adulthood certainly clears the childlike cobwebs from our eyes and paints our parents as human beings with feelings and fears and sins of their own. Now apply that knowledge to a person whose father was in the mafia. I am sure there are many inner struggles between right and wrong, as the mafia has been famous for helping people who have been turned away by the police just as much as they've been nightmarishly devilsome in their dealings against people. It is likely such memories of the just and unjust actions of his father plague DeMeo as he walks with his memories today, so I believe he is deserving of a little complaining.
I found this book fascinating, frightening, eye-opening and tenderally sweet. I highly recommmend it.

[Rob S · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We are each responsible for our own sins, he for his, and I for mine. We are not intended to bear each other's. No one can survive that burden."

For the Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life is the powerful autobiography of Albert DeMeo, who was forced to grow up quickly due to the events surrounding his father, the infamous Roy DeMeo. Roy DeMeo is best known in mafia history circles as having one of the top murder counts as a hit man and later Capo of the Gambino Crime Family. Albert's autobiography gives us a unique look at someone involved in a high level in the mafia, the perspective from a child. Reading crime books about the various killers, hitmen, and other mobsters makes you sometimes forget that these people have families, and in this case we get to see the ups and downs of a father being a mobster.

Albert also becomes entangled in his father's business as he becomes older, eventually being asked by his father to do various things for him. Although while doing so, his father, who at this point was increasingly desperate, vocally expressed his regret about having to involve a son who he never wanted in his business. We get to see another side of Roy DeMeo that the history books don't paint in between paragraphs about his grisly murders, the story of a father who did everything right by his kids and wife. The book often reads like the perspective of Michael Corleone if he were in Goodfellas.

Albert himself is entirely straightforward about the crimes that his father committed, even going as far to admit his father's own morality about going to hell when he was dead. He doesn't try to deny that his father murdered people, including in one case an innocent college kid who was mistaken as a Columbian hit man. Albert also speaks frankly about the mafia itself and what he was aware that his father went through towards the end. It's also startling but in retrospect makes sense about what the events of having to quickly grow up with a father who could have been murdered any night and eventually was would have on his psyche. Although there may not have been many physical scars from what he went through, Albert received plenty of emotional and mental scars, as if he were a war veteran. In a way though, he did go through a war.

Overall, For the Sins of My Father offers a unique perspective about an often approached subject matter. For someone who doesn't have a background in writing, Albert's prose is actually really good and he is able to craft an interesting story. Definitely give this book a read if you have a chance.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see many reviews here that treat this memoir as a "novel", which suprised me at first. A lot of Americans choose to believe that the Mafia/Cosa Nostra/Syndicate never existed outside fiction, so any book dealing with it must be a "novel," right. Well, maybe the media image of it didn't, but such people are obviously too young to remember the war between the Five Families of the 1970s that touched even the sleepy Midwestern backwater where I grew up. Also I doubt the government of Italy would spend quite so many millions (or lose quite so many lives) dealing with a "myth".

This is the story of one Mafia "enforcer", the father referenced in the title seen through the eyes of his son. Parts of it are debatable--was an 8-yr-old boy really treated like such a princeling? After all, his dad was an enforcer, not a don. It is true that our childhood memories are often very different from an objective view, as children remember best those things that touched them directly, ignoring or skewing the background. However, it's an interesting book which reminded me of an episode of the ill-fated TV series of the 90s "Have Faith" in which the coadjutor is discovered to be the son of a Mob member who joins the witness protection plan.

The book is not as violent as I feared it might be; the author is not interested in the gory details--details that his father tried to keep from him, all the time he was grooming him to understand "the business." I found the story of Demeo's recovery after his father's death to be short-changed, rushed through in the last 20 pages or so. However, I'm sure that writing the book was an exercise in catharsis for him, an essential part of that recovery.

Interestingly, Demeo mentions the demise of the traditional American mafia, caused in part by the invasion of organised crime at the hands of other ethnic groups who according to the author didn't respect the traditional "rules of engagement" and were much quicker to kill than "the boys." It's worth bearing in mind that organized crime is as old as mankind itself, and each country has its own version. I direct the attention of the interested reader even to the Old Testament, in which the sons of Eli forced people to give them the best parts of their offerings to God (1 Samuel 2).

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to read the perspective of the son of a man involved in more murders than any other mafia crew I have heard of.

[Carlos Filipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not recomend this book only to people who like mob books. I recomend specially to those you don't, or don't care about real life organized crime stories. This is not a mob book, this is a memoir of a victim of child abuse. Not abuse in the usual sense. But still. His father never hurt him once, or his sisters or his mother. He was thought stuff that no child should learn or be tested at, or grow with.

When i found out this book i was intrigued, this would certainly be a diferent perspective of that same story, perhaps the story of Sopranos told by the kids.

I was not sure about what this book was to be about. A lot less violent and descriptive of what the Murder Inc did in the Geminy Lounge. So, what exactly was i here to read.

This one however is not told by a mobster, but his son, spending his childhood doing nothing that a normal child would do, always close to adults that were misterious and talked in weird ways, of nothing that other adults talked. He didn't know how to act like a normal child around others, and he never understood what his dad did for a living. His father never hit him or his sisters or his mother, they loved him, and he loved them.

His father Roy DeMeo and his crew, known as the most most brutal and lucrative soldiers for the Gambino family. Albert DeMeo, before the age of 10 would accompained his father and the crew, way too many times without knowing the true reality of it all.

And epic live story, that it's almost unbelievable and makes an outstanding emotional ride.
If this is adapted to cinema or TV will make you forget about the Godfather or Sopranos, and i have watched them twice.

[Kristina Koznova · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father is filled with so much suspense and detail. I could not stop reading it from the very start! The one thing that got me completely hooked is the fact that it has an interesting perspective of a child that got pulled into a world of fear, violence, and power. Albert goes into so much detail about what his father made him do and how Roy eventually dies. When Albert describes the many times that he has not slept at night until his father came home, I could not help but feel sympathy for him. Throughout his whole life, he worried constantly when he did not know where his father was and if he was even alive. As a child, the only thing he should be worrying about is his school work. But since his father is part of the mob, that is impossible for him. On top of that, Albert later developed depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and he even had a few suicide attempts. At the start of the novel, Albert seems like a normal, happy child. It made my heart break when I read about what he had to go through as he grew up. Although my childhood was nothing like Albert's, it was easy to relate to the different emotions that Albert goes through and has to defeat. Overall, I give this memoir a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. For the Sins of My Father is one of the most captivating and suspenseful books I have ever read!

[Alexis Reynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout the book Albert (the author) became mature at a very young age and acted as if he was years older than he actually was, the situation that he was in needed him to act the way he did. From the time he could walk his father, Roy, taught him his trade and what to do and what not to do, and when his father was taken from him his personality and mind changed for the worse. He became depressed, overly aware as to what was going on around him and wondering what people were thinking about him, when Murder Machine was published his whole facade about his new life was shattered. It was as if he went back in time to when his father first died and was forced to relive how he felt, he ultimately went in a downward spiral and became suicidal. In the end half of the book you can see how he is changing as a person, trying to become healthy and mentally stable.

[Cody J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely a book for mob fanatics. For the Sins of My Father is a book that is written by a Albert DeMeo the son of Roy DeMeo the boss of the biggest car theft ring in the history of New York. The book explains the life of a mobster and the confusion of the family as it deals with the money, police, and reporters. It is also a book that shows the violence of the Mob and the thoughts, ideas, and way of thinking as a "wise guy". Albert DeMeo makes you feel as if you are growing up in the Mob along with him, from the owning his first gun to the first time he set foot in gemini. Every chapter leaves you wanting to know more, so if the mob is your kinda read then this book is a yes and even if your not entertained by the mob this book is a great read as well.

[Hayley Greenhalgh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt that this book was an okay read. It wasn’t complicated and was easy to understand and follow. However I found that it wasn’t extremely interesting and the main character was bland. Even though his story was interesting the way his personality was portrayed gave him a less enticing storyline. The only time I really felt interested in him was when he went after the twins who killed his father. Other than that I felt he was much to cautious for the life he lived.

[Jess Pasquarello · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mob is often glamorized in movies and tv. This book gives the perspective of what happens when that glamor is gone and you realize these are real people with real families committing real acts of violence that have real consequences. It’s an easy read. Not a ton of shocking happenings or revelations, but provides an interesting perspective from a son who sees a man as a father first and mobster second.

[Tiziano Dossena · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all live with some kind of legacy that has molded our minds and directed our actions. Sometimes this legacy is one of honesty and respect for other people’s lives, sometimes it’s just a series of material things and very little else. Most of us, though, are lucky and can look back to our early years with a smile and find, among the many recollections, many fond memories of our parents, relatives, friends and neighborhood. Not everyone has that luck, though. There are people who have only horrible memories and fight all their life to forget the past and to avoid the trap of insanity. There are also people that have mostly good memories of their early years because life had masked the reality of the world around them. Albert DeMeo is one of them. In his For the Sins of My Father, he examines his life and shows us how his father was capable to be a loving parent, husband and son while running a series of illegal enterprises. What really surfaces is the conflict between the love for the father, and the attempt to rationalize his actions, and the realization that his father was not the man he thought he knew.

It is the story of a Mob child who thought “no one could have asked for a better father” than his because “he spent more time with me [him] than any of the other fathers in the neighborhood spent with their children”. He soon discovers, though, that not everything is what seems. He starts wondering about the strange conversations between his father and the numerous “uncles” that pervade his life. His father never avoids the questions and tells it to him as it is. Albert then tries to make sense of the newly discovered facts: “Uncle Vinny a thief? But he seemed so nice, and I could tell my father liked him. If my father liked him, he must be all right.”

The doubts grow with the years, but the justifications are ready made, as expected from a very young boy: “Did this envelope have money in it? A small knot grew in the pit of my stomach. I ignored it. If my father was doing it, it must be all right.” and “In spite of the things I heard and saw on my outings with him, the line between legal and illegal was blurry…” Little by little, however, the pressure builds up and the knowledge becomes involvement. He learns about guns at the age of six, owns one by nine years old and starts collecting his father’s loan payments by the tender age of fourteen. He is a criminal without the full realization of being one. He has been so absorbed in attempting to justify his father’s life and actions, and to be like him, just as most children do, that he has erased in his mind the line between right and wrong. His conscience works nevertheless and he develops an ulcer and the inability to sleep through a whole night.

The story progresses steadily and mercilessly through his adolescence, reaching the apparent apex at the kid’s seventeenth birthday, when his father gets murdered. The reality becomes at this time of his life more fantastic than fiction. The book covers many topics regarding the life of the infamous Roy DeMeo and his “Murder Machine”, but most of all shows us that “Bad guys are not bad guys twenty-four hours a day” and that even bad guys have their own apparent set of rules: “My father taught me to have respect for old people” and to “always treat a woman with respect, for she is somebody’s daughter, mother, or sister.”

A world of pretense, a “glass bubble” that eventually shatters and leaves everyone traumatized and outraged at the deception. The survivors will have to reconstruct their lives, trying to overcome the mental confusion that a revelation such as the one from this book carries.

I thought that the author said it all when he states that “Whatever else he had done, whoever else he had been, he had been my father, and I loved him more than my own life. And he had loved me. Whatever the world thought of either one of us, I had to hold on to that truth. I also had to grasp a new truth. I was not my father. I never had been.”

The book is available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sins-My-Father-... the sins of my father

and on Kindle:http://www.amazon.com/Sins-My-Father-...

[Griffin Dool · Rating 4 out of 5]

For The Sins of My Father is a thrilling page turner that often left me with the thought "how could this story possible be a true tale". The pure absurdity and danger presented in many of the situations kept me extremely engaged in the DeMeo family story. The most captivating person, and arguably the person who shares the role of main character, is none other than the titular, sinful father, Roy DeMeo. If we boil down all the events and conflicts which unfold in the pages of this memoir, they all have an undeniable origin from Roy's actions or lack thereof. Roy was a person who subjected me to a wide range of emotions since he can be argued as both the hero and the villain. Roy is painted as a terrific father by the actions he does to help his family. However he also dragged his family, mainly Albert, into the lethal mess that is the mafia which makes the reader question his thoughts and actions as a whole

[Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father was an incredible memoir to read which I really enjoyed from start to finish. Albert DeMeo the son of a mafia killer Roy DeMeo, never failed to keep me captivated and intrigued emotionally and suspense-fully. To grow with characters is really important for myself as a reader, to see Albert grow as an individual once finding out his father was apart of the mob pushed himself to fight through all obstacles thrown at him. But while life continued to take a turn for him he became weak and experienced depression as well as, post traumatic stress disorder. Likewise to myself, Albert had a cloak of hidden emotions that were revealed when he was at his lowest point in life once Roy passed.

[Shayla Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this novel. I found it to be a very interesting and intriguing. I am not a huge, huge reader, but I'd have to say that I loved reading every page in this book. It was easy to enjoy, from the characters to the setting, it left me completely speechless. This novel really made me question every kind, gentle, caring person I have ever met. Literally anyone can be in the mob. Anyone can be a murderer, you truly can not judge a book by its cover: physically and metaphorically. After fully reading and having a true grasp on Alberts story, it's easy to understand why he was and is so miserable, and why he wrote and published his story. I find that I really connected with Albert, being both on the quiet side of things and sort of out of the loop, it was easy to understand where he was coming from. I am truly thankful for having the opportunity to read not just a book like this, but this particular novel, it gave me so much to think about and gave me the courage to be aware.

[Jennifer Coovert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exceptional. I don't normally read non-fiction but this book draws you in and doesn't let go.

[Lea]

After reading For the Sins of my Father by Robert DeMeo I can say my views on the mafia and the lives these mobsters lived has been altered drastically. This book was filled with emotion suspense and above all I think it was a book of love. The genuine love Robert had for his father was truly something I admired about the book.

Now although this book was quite well written there are only two problems I had with it, the first being the multitude of characters presented to us at the beginning of the book and the person Albert depicted as his father. In the beginning of the book it was extremely hard to keep track of all the gang members Roy was introducing to young Albert. It took away from the overall feel of the book because I was so busy trying to keep track of the characters that I didn't have time to react all that was happening in the story. The second problem I had with this book was the person Albert depicted as his father. It is extremely difficult for me to identify my dislike or admiration of Roy simply because of his extremely violent career versus his loving nature towards those he loved. I truly fell in love with the family man Roy was, half the time I didn't even think of him as a mobster because he was just so caring and loving towards his family and friends. Reality did resurface every time for me however when Roy would take his son into the city to run "errands". Even now as I write this review I am still in shock about the circumstances Albert is placed under and as a result of this I can only view Roy DeMeo in a negative way because he was the reason for practically all of the things Albert is exposed to.

I definitely empathized with Albert as I felt he was thrown into the life he lived, not really given much of a choice on what he was and wasn't exposed to (another reason why I can not view Roy in a positive light). Albert's writing was extremely polished and I felt engrossed in every emotion he experienced. In my opinion Albert was extremely strong and was willing to do anything to keep his family and friends safe and happy.For example when Albert is in the process of attempting suicide and he waits until his wife leaves him so she doesn't have to see his dead body, or when he places towels on the floor to prevent people form having to clean up his bloody remains, he was always looking out for other people, always completely selfless and compassionate.In conclusion the novel was a wonderful piece, it was filled with questionable and complex characters, a suspenseful plot and beautiful ending, which I think are all elements of a fantastic story.

[Matthew McGo🅱️ern]

Unlike other kids at school who's father's were policeman, firefighters, or lawyers Albert DeMeo had no idea what his father did. A devoted family man, Roy DeMeo loved and cared for Al, his two sisters, his mother, and his extended family; but he didn't dress, talk, or act like any of the other Dad's in the neighborhood. With his tailored suits, silk shirts, impeccably shined loafers, pinky ring, and his gun, Roy would go to work late at night, to do business with Albert's many 'uncles'.

Beginning with Saturday excursions at a young age, Albert was gradually introduced to his father's secretive life. Wishing to emulate the man he and his family adored, Al learned to walk the walk and talk the talk. Unlike other kids in his exclusive Long Island neighborhood Albert spent whatever free time he could learning the tricks of the trade with his Father. From rigging horse races, loan sharking, stealing cars, filming porn, to contract killing; Albert learned how his family's luxury lifestyle was afforded.

At the age of seventeen, following the murder of his father; Albert had no choice but to enlist himself as a soldier in his father's war. To avoid jail time or the same fate as his beloved father, Albert had no choice but to fight battle after battle against both the feds and Roy's other family.

Onto adulthood the reader is introduced to an Albert who drove the car, wore the watch, lived in the house, and had the wife. But with the release of a new book and documentary, about his father's escapades as the most infamous killer and earner in New York's notorious Gambino crime family, the past Albert worked so hard to forget and escape came back to haunt him.

This book really comes full circle and through reading about the experience of a young man, in search of truth and reconciliation, the reader gets to see what is left out of movies like the Godfather. While the book shines some light on the secretive life of power and wealth so many are intrigued by, the true consequences of cosa nostra are put into the spotlight. Unlike any other book on the American Mob; For the Sins of My Father, delves into the parts of 'the life' Hollywood and publishers miss. A heart-wrenching yet wholesome narrative this book is really about one man's journey to fill his father's shoes. Only to find he must wear his own.

[Sheena Dube · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Sins of my Father was a book that I was instantly hooked on! Although, at the beginning of the book there was like twenty characters Albert, who was also the author, was someone that stood out. I loved how he was truthful about his father, and how anyone at his age can relate to him. Aside from the fact that he was the son of a mafia member, he was just like an ordinary kid that had a family and did normal things a kid would do. For instance, he went to school every morning, and pulled pranks on his family members just to have fun! His actions throughout the book were acceptable considering the circumstances. Any kid at his age would obviously be confused and only do things that he was taught to do. For example, when Roy told Albert to only kill someone when he had a good reason, he instantly pulled out a gun when he was put to the "test" by his father and Uncle Joe. This was expected because he trusts his father's judgment and believes in whatever he told him to do. Albert in my opinion, was someone who I have so much sympathy for because he seemed to miss out on a happy, healthy childhood. Even though his family was really rich and could buy almost anything, he was restless almost every night, worrying his father would not make it back home. Albert had made so many sacrifices and to me is the best person in the book, due to his personality and characteristics.

[Muska · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father was a great read, filled with action from start to end. The book kicked off with a great beginning and in my opinion never reached a low point where I could not bear to read it. This book is based on a true story and that makes it even crazier; seeing what the main character went through and his life. I find it interesting how Albert DeMeo fits in with his dad from the start and develops traits suitable for being in the mobster life as a young child (even though he is never in the Mafia). As a child, he realizes he is the man of the house when his father is on business and takes initiative by protecting his family. He accepted his dads job and never questioned it and always did as his father told him to, which I admire because most kids would not just keep their mouth shut and accept it. As I read on I saw the development of Albert DeMeo throughout the book and just how much his dads job affected his life during childhood and adulthood, in both positive and negative ways. This book is one of the first Mafia based books I have read and a great one at that; it only heightens my urges to read another one alike to it. Overall, it is a well deserving 4 out of 5 stars. :)

[Nayema Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any regular outsider, Albert's childhood would not seem normal, but for Albert, he was enjoying himself. Since he grew up with his dad releasing to him bits of information about the mafia from a young age, it really influenced his views on things. For example, young Albert would have a gun in his pocket and would be watching over his sister in the playground instead of playing with his own classmates. I think it's great that Albert was accepting and supportive, though a bit hesitant, about his father's lifestyle. For him to give up a childhood and spend his time dealing with mafia related events with his best friend, his father, is not something kids his age would often do. Normal kids usually just want to play with toys, or even technology these days. Throughout the book, he follows his dad around, doing what he is told with no real opinion of what he thinks. I think that Albert made the right choice to leave the mafia life behind after Roy's death, though he was left with PTSD at the end. Overall, this was an amazing book. A memoir full of ups and down, a memoir of the mafia life from a little innocent boy's point of view. This was really eye opening to the outside world away from the everyday norm.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being the son of notorious mobster Roy DeMeo, and growing up in his father shadow Albert DeMeo quickly learned the mob life. Spending weekends with his father was what Albert grew up with, however when it came time to share what your Dad did in class Albert was at a loss. He learned that his dad didn't have a normal job and he had to figure out what is was that he did for a living. Then the gripping tale of growing up as the son of an honorary Gambino crime family member begins. Albert is forced to grow up from a young age and learn the mafia life. Whether that means carrying a gun around everywhere even to school, or keeping an eye on his sister's to make sure they are safe, or even collecting cash from strip clubs his father owned. A young kid learned the not so glamorous life style of the mafia which will only creep up on you in life. As it did with Roy's death. Albert began to realize that life wasn't as peachy as he once thought and began to feel the effects. suffering from trauma and PTSD Albert contemplates suicide and see's at as his only escape. Until he is saved by his childhood friends and begins to recover. The tale of Albert's youth is captivating from start to finish and is a must read.

[Erica M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir really expressed a lot of misery and tough situations. The loving tale between a mobster and his loyal son was so unbelievably good that I could barely put it down. The main characters are detailed within their emotions, actions and thoughts. However the other characters of the memoir are barely discussed. The memoir is following Albert's life, thoughts, feelings and actions. He was a good, well behaved boy who loved his father, but grew up and lost his way. His childhood was ruined because of mafia interference, and his father reached out to him for help. In my opinion, even though Albert didn't have much of a childhood, he still grew up to be a strong man and helped himself through many loses and tragedies. I believe that all his actions had good reasons, even the bad ones. Albert needed to lose himself in money, drugs and women in order to find himself again near the end of the memoir. This is a must read and I think that anyone would be able to enjoy this book. Mobster and mafia books and novels usually don't intrigue me very much, but I really fell in love with this memoir because it had so much emotion and heartache, yet pure bliss and happy moments.

[Samantha Snooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father was an amazing memoir that I recommend to everyone. The entire time I was amazed by how the Mafia works and how Albert had a mediocre part in it. Roy ( Albert's father) completely raised Albert to be exactly like him, which makes him have a wise guy personality. Roy encouraged the mob behaviour, and the more Albert grew up the bigger part in the mob he got. I was completely taken back when Albert was doing his mob tasks such as collecting the money for his father. I believe that Roy should have a done a better job raising his son, especially when he is introduced to hookers, guns and the entire mafia lifestyle. Being raised by a Mafia member was probably not easy. When Albert got diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it really shocked me as I had no idea that he was having a difficult time with the mob life. Overall, I would recommend this memoir to anyone who is interested. I had no idea that the mafia life was so prominent in the United States. It really shows you how some parents can be completely toxic to their child.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the book For The Sins of My Father. I felt a strong connection to the people in the story and felt that I could easily sympathize with all of them, which is something every book strives for. I found that I liked reading about Albert throughout his life. I think that it would be incredibly hard to stay humble and remember all his morals when is growing up as Roy's son. You would assume that growing up in the environment Albert grew up in, he would think it is okay to kill people, steal money, and do anything against the law. Albert didn't think that way, and I found that very refreshing to read about. Albert knew he wanted out of the mafia from a young age, and when his dad died he tried to put that part of his life behind him as best as he could. I found it interesting to learn about how growing up in the mafia affected Alberts life in such an intense way. It was a great perspective to read this story in, to be able to see Albert's average life at school compared to his thrilling life at home.

[Sian Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father was such an intense and suspenseful book that was full of action. The book was a bit slow at the beginning because the author was describing his life but after that point it was hard to put down. Knowing that the book was a memoir made it even more interesting. The Mafia is something that most people aren't familiar with so it fascinating getting to know what really happens. I also loved the relationship between Albert and Roy DeMeo. Even though Roy slowly exposed his son into the crime world, he never failed to be a good father. It's safe to say he had a double life; his wife nor daughters knew what his real job was. Albert develops many traits similar to his father's. He learns the aspects of how to do business, handle money and kill people and you're sure that he will have the same fate as him but it's the opposite. It's engaging to read about how he changes his future so he doesn't go down the same path as his father.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel kept me on my toes all throughout the story, I had trouble being able to put it down especially on the suspense parts. I liked how it was a different perspective, one that was actually involved in the life of a Mafia gang. Rather than being negative like many other Mafia novels, this book demonstrated the family life of one of the most well known members of the Mafia, Roy DeMeo. To me, I see Roy like any other guy, trying to make enough money to support his family for a great life. Though many of his actions are criminal offenses including murder and theft, I still enjoyed reading about him and approve of his actions like teaching his son numerous things to prepare him for his future. It's a shame what Albert had to deal with after his father's death, but I approve of him setting aside his revenge for a better life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially those into mystery, Mafia, and non-fiction novels.

[Dana Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. The book is honestly written and well-paced, and a great read for anyone who likes true crime or the Mafia. Although the amount of characters can be distracting at the beginning of the book, everything is intricately tied together in the end. Albert, the author and protagonist, is honest and relatable. His actions are always understandable and justifiable, so he isn't one of those characters you want to yell at while you read. Albert is the person we’d want to be if we were placed in those situations. Overall I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to anyone, as long as they aren't put off by the brutal reality of the Mafia world.

[Ilmar Kanbergs · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father is a suspenseful memoir written by Albert DeMeo and his youth in a mafia family. Albert at the start of the book is an innocent youth who believes that he has the greatest father in the world, until slowly Albert begins to realize that his father, Roy DeMeo is a mobster. Albert learns much about being part of organized crime and he had to make hard decisions throughout the memoir. Albert has to decide whether to follow in his father's footsteps or live a different life. The decision nearly destroys Albert but in the end he realizes that he did the right thing. This unforgettable memoir looks deep into the life of the mafia and is a book I would recommend to any teenager.

[Abdullah Azam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I usually read fiction books I really loved For the Sins of My Father. There was suspense around every corner and the beginning of the book really opened up how the DeMeo family were like and how close they were. I bad for Albert DeMeo since he had to go through much after his father died and when his father kept disappearing. Albert faced his problems head on and even though he had lonely times where he couldn't think straight he had great friends who helped him though it all. Overall I really loved this book and I found it interesting throughout because there was not one person who bore me throughout the whole book.

[Matthew V · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the Sins of My Father is an extraordinary novel that delves into what appears similar to fiction. Entangling the reader with suspense, disbelief, and drama. Albert Demeo's a remarkable person who is wise beyond his years. Wielding a silver tongue and an observant set of eyes, he's qualified to give brisk judgments regarding a character's personality by their footwear. At a young age, Albert's capable of dealing with the mafia but shows clemency when necessary, much like his father. Albert emerges from a sea of sadness when his father drowns, but remains resolute to honor his father's final request.