Unlocked: A Journey from Prison to Proust

by Louis Ferrante

From Louis Ferrante, a one-time mafia thug and federal prison inmate, comes this remarkable and moving memoir of his journey from a life of crime to that of a promising writer Up until his incarceration, Louis Ferrante led the life of a mobster. As a young ruffian, he made his reputation by leading a street gang and shooting a neighborhood bully. Later, he became connected with John Gotti Jr. and the Gambino crime family. During his time with the mob, Ferrante committed the most lucrative robberies in US history, many of which are still unsolved. But soon enough, the law caught up to him. Indictments came from the Secret Service, the Nassau County Organized Crime Force, and the FBI (twice) and Louis found himself behind bars. In jail, Louis read his first book and a new world was opened up to him. During the course of his 8 years he read everything from Caesar’s Gallic Wars to Danielle Steele and everything in between. With only what he could teach himself, Louis successfully appealed his own conviction, a landmark case that now appears in textbooks. In addition to law, Ferrante studied the three major faiths, including Buddhism. He eventually chose to become an Orthodox Jew. Free from prison, Ferrante’s memoir retells his meteoric rise to the upper-echelon of the mafia hierarchy, his time in prison, and the astonishing turn around his life has made. After spending most of his life involved with crime or in jail, Louis Ferrante has reinvented himself as a writer. With a crisp yet harsh writing style similar to Charles Bukowski, Ferrante’s stories of crime with the mob and his time spent in prison are sure to captivate audiences.

Genres: Crime, Nonfiction, Memoir, True Crime, Autobiography, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 2008

Reviews

[Angelique Paiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good book. I had bought it for a $1 at the Dollar store so I was not expecting much. I thought the book was a lot better than the $1 makes it seem.

The writing is basic and not elaborate, but brings the point across well.

He seems to make no excuses or apologies for his criminal behavior, but explains it well and in a raw way. You feel as though you understand and gain some insight to a criminal's life.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been one for reading memoirs, biographies, or autobiographies. I don't particularly enjoy sitting around and reading about someone's life unless I am inexplicably interested in them. I read, mainly, just for my enjoyment, but there is also that element of escape. Escape from what exactly doesn't matter. Just that I can get a little while by myself, away from the so-called real world. Because of this, I probably never would have picked up Unlocked on a whim; I tend to avoid the biography and nonfiction sections in the store. However, I won a copy of Louis Ferrante's other book, Mob Rules: What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman, from Goodreads and I just recently read it. While I was reading Mob Rules, I became fascinated by Ferrante. Not in the creepy stalker way (I hope ;), but in the "Wow, he's pretty damn interesting. I'd love to learn more about him" way. With that thought in mind, I bought myself a copy of this book and was antsy as hell waiting for Amazon to deliver it a few days later. I read Unlocked in one day. I hate to use a word that isn't an actual word, but it was virtually unputdownable. I was interested from the first page to the last. Louis Ferrante has lived quite a life.


One thing I appreciated about Unlocked was that it was honest. It's not politically correct and he doesn't pull punches. He uses swear words and makes no apologies. Louis Ferrante says what he means and, I believe, means what he says. There's no bullshit in his writing.


So, at the end of this book, I've come to realize something: While I'm still no lover of memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies, I believe I'm more amenable to reading them. I can only hope that other ones are as honest as Unlocked. Although, I'm not holding my breath. Also, should Mr. Ferrante write other books, I feel quite confident that I will fork over the precious money for them.



Favorite Quotes:
The guy I beat up must've told Joe, "I got jumped by a bunch of goons." I guess it sounds better than, "I got my ass kicked trying to bully a kid half my size."
(Ferrante, page 18)


*~*~*


Prison is designed to break the individual. It outright destroyed me, the old me. I was building someone better.
(Ferrante, page 225)


*~*~*


When I pushed away thoughts of sex, I started to crave women in a different way. I longed to touch a woman, to run my fingers through her hair and listen to her soft voice.

Neat or disheveled, even asleep, snoring from a stuffed nose and drooling from the corner of her mouth, a woman is beautiful.

I had to be deprived of women to realize just how precious they are.
(Ferrante, page 244)

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half of this book is all about the author's time as a criminal in New York. The second half is what happens after he gets caught and ends up doing time - where he goes from thug to victim himself. I no longer speed on the freeway or run stop signs and will do my best to avoid New York! This book is scary!

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “A CLASSIC! FROM THE MAFIA, TO PRISON, TO BECOMING AN ORTHODOX JEW!”
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This book is the no-holds barred true story of Louis “Lou” Ferrante’s life, which started out as a seventeen-year-old hijacker of trucks in New York. It traces his rise (or dissent, depending on your point of view.) from a teenage criminal who slowly built his own “crew”, pulling enough successful jobs and creating enough mayhem to come to the attention of famed Gambino mob leader John Gotti. His connection with Gotti then helped elevate his scores from trucks full of bra’s, electronics and garments, to million-dollar armored truck heists. Numerous state and federal convictions including credit card fraud and armed robbery were aided by the lowest form of a criminal organism, the totally despised “RAT”! The words penned in this book are straight from Lou’s gut and soul, with no “ivy-league” filtering to “pretty up” the words. I was born in New York and fifteen minutes into this book it was as if I was back on the streets “talkin” with the people I grew up with.
After one of Lou’s first big hijackings which was a truckload of tools and toolboxes worth over a $100,000.00 he summed up his view on life at the time: “I was seventeen-years-old, I liked girls. I liked fist fighting; I liked to drive fast cars. I liked hamburgers and French fries. I liked playing stickball in the school yard. And I’d just realized that I liked to hijack trucks.” The author describes everyday mob life down to the smallest detail and shares insights with the reader such as ways of “respect” that don’t include a gun: “Jimmy the Jeweler” ran alone, didn’t need a Mob to make him tough. He took no orders, gave none, and reported to no one. In a world in which fear and muscle rule, Jimmy never even threatened anyone. He was respected because of his word. And everyone liked him.” As Lou pulled bigger and better jobs, “Mafia Rats” a heretofore unheard of trend due to the code of “OMERTA” was starting to become a growing phenomenon. At this point in time Lou was so “wrapped up in his “bullsh*t life that he didn’t realize that he was rising in the Mafia at the same time the Mafia was in decline.”
The “life” that Lou was in, included as many “sit-downs” to settle disputes between different families and “made men” and associates, as it did actual crime. One particularly poetic dispute over a difference of opinion regarded a brother of one of Lou’s friends beating up a mob associate, as a retaliation for his having been beaten up by that same mob associate. (Understand?) Then the associate ratted to the police. So a meeting between Lou and a representative for the rat went like this: Lou asked: “You sticking up for a rat?” “He ain’t no rat!” “He called the cops on my friend.” “Yea but he dropped the charges.” “So he ain’t a rat no more? Is that like I’m only gay on weekends? He dropped im cause I threatened his life, he’s still a rat.” “It only matters that he dropped im.” ”Really? Why not take this upstairs.” I was referring to John Gotti. “See what he thinks about defendin’ a cop-caller, besides somebody going against his own for an outsider.” “Listen, between you an’ me, your guy hit im wit’ a tire iron, that ain’t right” “WHATTA WE, IN THE FLOWER BUSINESS? HE’S LUCKY HE DIDN’T SHOOT IM DEAD.”
Lou winds up spending almost a decade in prison on multiple charges. Midway through his sentences after simply existing in the daily depravity of a living hell, he is accused of an offense and gets put in solitary confinement for two months. He has an epiphany that gives him the impetus to save and change his life. “When you’re released from a concrete box after so long, you feel free, even though you’re still in prison. You’ve been changed forever. In solitary, you talk to yourself. I always had all the answers. For the first time, I had a million questions, and no answers.” Lou decides to self-educate himself. After reading everything from Shakespeare to books on Winston Churchill he then read the Gospels, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, and studied Buddhism. But the Old Testament (the Torah) was the book for him. “He decided to take a close look at the Jewish people, the Torah’s trustees. They were the first to receive the Bible. After all, could G-d have picked the wrong horse?” “He read the history of the Jews, their philosophers, and the Torah over and over; each time it spoke to him anew.” Lou converted to Judaism and became an Orthodox Jew. It is not possible to recommend this book any higher than I do! It has it all! And it is truly invigorating after the wild criminal ride that the author takes the reader on, to be able to finish with an emotional aura filled with the beautiful feel of hope and redemption.

[kaitziez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. Just...wow.

The beginning and middle of the book was so slow, it dragged on and on -- and Ferrante had no remorse, talked bad, treated people bad; hard to connect to and feel sympathy for. Until the last half. When he got in prison, got into reading and educating himself, I began to feel sympathy for him -- not in a forgive all his crimes and so on, but made me see him as human, relatable. While the way he formed this memoir, there is still clear signs of that animalistic-aggressive behavior (and there always will be, it is part of being human/the life he lived/genetics and so on), but to read how he has changed is quite moving. It is shocking, since it is seemingly so unexpected, but I was inspired. I never committed crimes, been part of gangs and Mafia and so on, but trying to understand the meaning of life, I can relate to -- to see how he has changed in prison is inspiring, since prison is absolutely terrible.

This memoir is rated two stars because the first two halves of the book was a bore and I felt disconnected and was avoiding finishing this (and began to hate reading it) and was going to rate it one star, but then it got better in the end. While this is something I would not re-read, at least not for a long time, I would recommend it. It is a different memoir for sure. I feel the first two halves of the book was hard to read because I am assuming the memoires of these events weren't as clear as his life in prison, which the writing changed dramatically and was a lot more intriguing, and so, since the events were fuzzy, it is harder to write with precise accuracy and, well, entertainment.

"Sometimes the heart is good, but the mind is mixed up. Good people usually come around, and everyone deserves a chance. That's why life isn't lived in a day. If there's one thing you learn in prison, it's that everything takes time."

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book by a Mafioso

Ferrante has written a very good book. A decade in prison got him questioning himself for the first time in his life. He read shelves of books, listened to audio lectures, wrote a novel, and converted to Judaism. It's believable and interesting.

The book covers his life of crime, the trials, and then time in prison. It's graphic and readable, and I recommend it to people who like memoirs and true crime.

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was terrible.
when i bought it , i though it would be good.
it is about a man from new york who starts hijacking cars at the age of 17 and then become part of the mafia at the age of 21 and then starts his criminal activities.
he goes to prison and becomes a changed person.
he spends around 8 years in prison.
and starts reading books and becomes religous.
i dont want to get in to the details here.

[Maria Smallwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!!!

[Dierdra McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not sure what to expect when I picked up this book and thought it looked interesting enough but I was blown away when I started reading! This is an amazing and moving story! I hear some people say that skipped over parts that were to hard to read and this actually bothers me because I think we all need to read this book. This second half of this book tells about his life in prison and he does not sugar coat the bad parts he tells it the way it happened. This book in many ways is a reality check!
Parts of this book were moving, some disturbing but needed to be told and Louis a an amazing man who turned his life around! He is a very strong man and I hope he finds happiness for the rest of his life.
One of the best books I have read I could not put it down until I finished it.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louis Ferrante has a fascinating story to tell. From mobster to author - he has done something most people try to: Change. His time in prison led him to realize his life of crime was wrong, he distanced himself from his former colleagues and reinvented himself.

On the technical side I had some issues with his writing. Some of the book is disjointed - chapters jumping around, recollection upon recollection makes it sometimes confusing. Getting past that, it's the message that matter most. You can change to road you're on.

I've read his other book, Mob Rules, and recommend that as I do this.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Have Realy Enjoyed Reading This Book I Purches 2 Copies 1 For My Self And My Daugther To Read ,And 1 For My Older Sister And Her Family To Read And Passed Down We All Have Enjoyed , Rigth Now My Doctor Is Reading It ,And Enjoying Every Bit Of It Going Two Buy 1 More Copy For Other Family Menbers To Read Thank You For Coming About Some Of The Families God Bless You Louis ,From 1 Ferrante Family To Another TY Ty Ty.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it because all of the descriptions and PR stuff talk about how the author was in the mafia, went to prison and while there became an Orthodox Jew. The change from one extreme to another was really what interested me, but basically the book just talked about his life in crime. Not a bad book, but I certainly wouldn't call it good.

[Leigh Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the beginning of the book to be interesting, up until midway into his prison term. It just became to brutal for me. I was happy to read that he redeemed himself, and I read 99% of the book. I just had to skip a few of the more lurid details. I liked it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I felt like the story jumped around too much. The author was telling a story and then go start another story in the middle. But it seemed to get better towards the end. Was this suppose to mimic his life story??? Very sad stories about prison life.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read with plenty of anecdotes about Ferrante's criminal accomplishments... ultimately falls flat with his cliched and tired jail stories where he is usually the riotous hero.

[Heather(Gibby) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published 2008
310 Pages

A very interesting read, told from an honest no holds barred first person memoir.

I couldn't read it fast enough.
Louis Ferrante's story would make a great movie.

[Thomas Ciccone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, more like sitting with on old high school buddy and telling stories then reading a bio.

[Michelle Whitfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely an honest and brutal look at the life being a criminal and going to jail. A fantastic read about a man who had done bad but through shear determination of his own turned his life around.