The Mafia: The Rise of an Evil Empire

by Al Cimino, Jo Durden-Smith

The Mafia began on a small island in the Mediterranean, Sicily. It grew to become a major political force in Italy, and soon its tentacles penetrated life in the United States. Through drugs, it spread its influence across Britain, Canada and Australia. And through the gangster movies of Hollywood, it now permeates popular culture.

The Mafia is full of blood-chilling characters, from Al Capone, who ran Chicago during Prohibition, and hitmen Louis Lepke and Alberto Anastasia who founded Murder, Inc, to Totò Riina, 'boss of bosses', John Gotti, 'the Teflon don', and Bernardo 'The Tractor' Provenzano, who hid out under cover for 43 years...

They were extraordinary men who lived through extraordinary times. The Mafia tells the story of their lives, their families, their codes, their crimes and their cold-blooded murders. It's a long and enthralling tale, drenched in blood and scored with betrayal.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Rasaxx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informacijos apie mafijos gimimą iki šių dienų pateikta kaip tik tiek kiek pakanka susipažinti su šiuo reiškiniu. Gal kiek paviršutiniškai, bet pilnai užtenka.


Šiurpuliai nukrečia skaitant apie penkias pagrindines šeimas: Marazano, Profacio, Mangano, Luciano, Gagliano. Veikia nuo 1890 m., nuo 1920 m. iki...dabar.

Atskirų knygų tikrai vertos istorijos: Džonas Kenedis ir mafija, Frenkas Sinatra ir mafija.

"Johnas juokaudavo: artėjant rinkimams tėvas kaskart prašydavęs, kad meras nurodytų, kiek tiksliai balsų reikės laimėti, nes nupirkti triuškinamos pergalės neįmanoma - nepakaks pinigų." (Johnas F. Kennedy apie Čikagos merą Richardą Daley).

Gal visgi žodį mafija, reikėjo rašyti iš didžiosios raidės, nes iki šiol vis dar skamba " muzika iš bagažinės"?

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot about this book that I enjoyed, and there was a lot that I found confusing. The book is more anthological than I thought it would be...Once I read about the death of someone, I didn't think I'd hear about them again. But, to my surprise, I'd turn the page and hear more about what that someone was doing 10 years prior. This constant back-and-forth with timing made it challenging to keep the events straight.
The book would've been more successful in its storytelling if it was written more linearly.

Also, names of mafiosi would be rattled off as if we had heard all of the names before. I couldn't keep all of the Giuseppes separate after a while.

I'm not sure if every copy was designed the same way as mine was, but some of the pages had dark blue or gray backgrounds with black type!! I had to pull out my reading light to make out the words clearly.

These minor gripes aside, I thought the information in the book was interesting. I enjoyed learning about the inner workings and politics of organized crime families.

[Bernie Ideker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a little deep into the Sicily mafioso but also did a good job explaining the American mafia characters and history.

[Jeff Jezewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting if not overwhelmingly exciting read. Paired decently well with finishing The Sopranos, but more of an information dump than gripping page turner.

[Adrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this. It’s a historical look at the inception of the mafia in Sicily all they way through to the crack down on organised crime in the U.S. I found the Vegas part intriguing, having been there and seen some of the Casinos myself.