Sins of the Father: The True Story of a Family Running from the Mob

by Nick Taylor

The true story of how Sal Polisi—a member of a New York crime family and author of The Sinatra Club —turned his back on the mob and spoke out against organized crime.

As a wiseguy for some of New York’s biggest crime families, “Crazy Sal” Polisi couldn’t imagine another way of life. Until the day he was busted and faced life behind bars. Then he decided it was time to talk—not so much for himself, but for the sake of his two teenaged sons.

But Polisi discovered a chilling truth—no one squeals on the mob. Forced to assume a new identity moving from town to town in the middle of the night, his sons chose to stand by their father. In exchange for federal protection, Polisi took a huge gamble—he decided to testify against John Gotti, the reputed head of New York’s powerful Gambino family. As packed with shocking insider details as Nicholas Pileggi’s Wiseguy and as gripping as The Godfather —only true—Sal Polisi’s story marks his captivating transformation from ruthless criminal to devoted father and crusader against organized crime.

Genres: True Crime

330 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1989

About the author

born 1945

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A true story about a family that has to put their life on hold..then on fast forward.. on a short stick...no roots at all to put down anymore for the decisions their father has made. It's a good book.

[Dineen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read many books about the Mafia, but never one from the perspective of a child who lived through it. This book alternated between Sal Jr's perspective and a running narrative about what was going on in Sal Sr's life. I felt really bad for Sal Jr & Joe - constantly having to move and pretend they were someone else. I'd love to know what ultimately happened to them.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting but lacking oomph.