Tough Guy: A Memoir by Louis Ferrante

by Louis Ferrante

Louis Ferrante was a young rogue who made his reputation on the streets of New York and later hooked up with the infamous John Gotti Jr and the Gambino crime family. He pulled off some of the most lucrative robberies in US history, many of which are still unsolved. For Lou, life was sweet, and most of the time he had fun wisecracking his way around town and staying one step ahead of the law. When the law finally caught up with Louis, he faced a long stretch in some of the most notoriously dangerous penitentiaries and ended up living amongst the most violent, not to mention insane, criminals incarcerated in the US prison system.But life became more tolerable when, almost by accident, Louis read his first book and quite unexpectedly a new world opened up to him - a world which offered him a sanctuary from the brutal chaos of his everyday existence. During the course of his eight years in prison, he read everything from Danielle Steel to Caesar's Gallic Wars; he learned the art of writing and studied the major religions, eventually choosing to become an Orthodox Jew. And with only limited access to law books, he somehow managed to successfully appeal his own conviction and win his freedom. Gritty, hard-hitting, and yet so often hilarious, Louis Ferrante's memoir is a poignant and incredibly moving slice of life from the insider's point of view, written in the bestselling tradition of Nicholas Pileggi's Goodfellas, Wiseguys and The Sopranos.

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2008

Reviews

[Erik Surewaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because it includes also the prison years of this mob boss.

The part of the book in which the mob activities are described, during his years in the ‘free world’, is a nice read. Sometimes it is even funny to see some crimes develop.

The part where the prison years are described, are not so interesting in my opinion.

What was remarkable about his book, is that chapters can be very short. Regularly, a chapter is only half a page long. As such, there is quite some ‘whitespace’ in this book.

All-in-all, I rate this book three stars. Nice to read, but not so special to have it on a ‘must-read’-list.

[Stuart Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the life of a mobster, from childhood through jail time and turning his back on the lifestyle.

I actually met him at a book signing and found him to be brutally honest & frank about everything he did & the mentality of the people he associated with and the things he did.

I appreciate that this kind of book isn't going to be for everybody but it was a real eye opener for me

[Martin Sidgreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having watched several of Louis Ferrante's TV programs I was interested to read the autobiography of this fascinating individual.

Without spoiling anything, the book follows Mr Ferrante’s rise through the ranks of the Gambino Mafia family and eventual imprisonment. It’s during his time inside that he starts reading and self-educating with his passion, almost obsession, for books and knowledge growing every day.

I found this book to be truly inspiring, albeit a little cheesy at times (it got a little ‘Goodfellas’ in places). It’s an amazing insight into the murky world of organised crime and the dark places that a life on that track ultimately leads to.

[Isaac Alderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read that took a matter of days to complete.

I would recommend the book to anyone who is interested in the mafia/ underworld crime. It served equally as a memoir that came from the author's mind but I felt that this was quite disjointed at times because I would lose track of whether the character had been introduced.

Without giving too much away the book is split into two sections: one of the author in the mafia, and the second in prison.

[Micky Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice easy read very interesting

[Kate Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The true story of an ex New York mafiosi who was changed by reading while in prison