Shadow of My Father

by John A. Gotti, Peter Lance (Foreword)

For four decades the name Gotti has been synonymous with organized crime in the minds of the public, who were told stories about them with varying degrees of accuracy. But now in Shadow of My Father, the real story of the King of the Volcano is revealed for the first time. John A. Gotti who survived four trials and a parole violation hearing without a guilty verdict, in four years, now takes up his pen to tell the story of his father’s unwavering dedication to the street, and how as his son he entered that life and then with his father’s permission left the life of crime and put the “Family” behind him to live a legitimate life with his real family. It is a saga of betrayal and redemption, and an insider’s view of how at times those who are tasked with upholding the law readily broke it to further their careers. FROM THE As colorful and tragic as Gotti Sr’s life was, the self-told chronicle of his son’s odyssey reads like an epic worthy of Victor Hugo. As far back as 1998 John A. “Junior” Gotti declared himself a “civilian” and with his father’s permission withdrew from the Life. But over the next ten years the Justice Department refused to let that happen.
After he’d served nearly six and a half years and paid millions in fines, the DOJ came after him again with four trials and a tax prosecution—five, not four—attempts to send him away for life. One indictment even included a death penalty eligible crime. But in the end, Gotti Junior proved to be “The Teflon Son.”
To wage their relentless series of prosecutions the Feds used some fifteen Assistant U.S. Attorneys and more than a hundred cooperating witnesses, many of whom were violent felony offenders who had, in the aggregate, committed nearly a hundred murders and hundreds of assaults and robberies. Then, after testifying, those violent criminals soon got their freedom and many of them were released to the streets with the help and support of their government handlers.

Genres: Biography, Memoir, True Crime, Crime

590 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2015

Reviews

[Gerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!! Having grown up in NY State at the time these “gangs” ran things I was really taken with the novel and feel it was well written. I liked that it dealt with and exposed corrupt law enforcement including the FBI as what went on within the Mafia. Don’t get me wrong, the Gotti and many other “families” were not saints but I enjoyed reading how both sides worked and did business from Gotti JR.’s perspective. If you like this type of book and Mafia stories, I highly recommend this one.

[Carlie Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Gotti, Jr. provides an open, upfront look at life as the son of one of America's most famous mobsters as well as his own career in the American Mafia. More than that though, he provides an intimate look at the complicated relationship between he and his father. That relationship caused him to defy his own father's code to stand up for himself and leave the American mafia all so his own children would never have to experience the loss he felt growing up with his father often gone - serving jail time. Although this book is a mob memoir, it also serves as a testament to second chances. Gotti's dad had sent him to military high school, determined that his son would obtain a good education. Junior dropped out, but during his own lengthy stay in a federal penitentary, he finished school, obtaining his GED and taking college courses to become a paralegal. While still in prison, he assisted his own attorneys in building his defense and used his new education to help other inmates. Once released from prison, Gotti Jr. turned to writing as a career. "Shadow of My Father" represents his first book. He also writes screenplays and has said in interviews that he has a second book in the works.

[John Moritz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Junior was a dummy and drug peddler. He and his dad brought drugs big time into the Gambino family. Gotti was known for drugs. He destroyed the Gambino family with drugs. How many lives did he destroy in his neighborhood?

[Tony Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading

This book gives the true workings of corrupt law enforcers and the corrupt government in the USA. The waste of public money in retrials and the brutal life suffered by prisoners in the gaols at the hands of prison authorities is well documented.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the Shadow and Into His Own

Excellent book- a must read! This cautionary tale of the life of John Gotti Jr. is highly informative and well written. I believe he has paid the price for his mistakes and has redeemed himself. My favorite gangster story ever…

[Michael Martino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wouldn't recommend at all!! Reads like a court transcript.

[John Richards · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crook run out of Gambino family

[Keri Partron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why is junior still roaming the streets? Lock him up!

[Shiloh Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good look at a very corrupt system.

[Amanda Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I prefer Victoria Gotti’s book, This Family of Mine.

[Mrs Edith A Rutledge · Rating 1 out of 5]

A slog to read

The telling of a tale in which the 'goodies'appear to be 'baddies' and vice versa. Gottie jnr tries to paint his infamous father as a man of abiding honour and himself as someone who, having made a plea agreement and served the reduced jail term that brought, appears to feel he paid in full for his life of crime, to that point.
This book merely emphasisies that demolishing the Mafia was often as dirty a business by law enforcement as it was for the criminals. Perhaps the end did justify the means but it's hard to see how anybody mentioned in this memoir was anything but soiled and diminished by their involvement in these events

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just Okay!

I have been an avid reader for many, many years but until my early teenage years my mother could not get me to read any book for pleasure. Finally, she told me to just find a topic I found interesting and read whatever I want about it. Taking her advice, I started on my path to being a non-stop reader by choosing to read a slew of biographies of various Mafia figures and about organized crime. To this day, I still read biographies on these figures -- a number of which have been about John Gotti. So, I decided to read John A. Gotti's book because I thought it would be interesting getting a perspective on what it was like being the son of the Godfather, as well as of Junior's own role as the heir apparent to his father.

Overall, John A.Gotti does a very good job during the first third of Shadow Of My Father in conveying his perspective of what "The Life" was like for the senior Gotti, as well as his own while following in the footsteps of his father. To be honest, however, Gotti (not surprisingly) reveals very few specifics about his and his father's exploits in "The Life" that haven't already been written about, and in more detail. Nonetheless, I still found this portion of the books to be interesting.

Where my interest in Shadow Of My Father began to increasingly fade was during the last two-thirds of the book that was heavily dominated by Gotti providing his version of why he and father were haunted -- and very often badly mistreated -- by the government throughout their many courtroom trials and long periods of incarceration. Based on Gotti's perspective, the reader is, at times, likely to agree with Gotti's version. But, then again, remember, whose perspective this is!

Regardless of the veracity of Gotti's perspective on this matter, my own perspective is that the book increasingly read like one long "rant" and, thus, increasingly caused my attention to dissipate. As such, I often found myself skimming through passages of the book.

So, bottom line, while I didn't dislike Shadow Of My Father, it is not a book I'd recommend fans of this genre rush out to read.

[Chris Kasparoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow of My Father came from the heart. It felt real, like John Gotti Jr. was speaking direct to the reader instead of telling them a story. That being said, it was overwritten, but, this was overlooked as he rushed to put this e-book out before the release of Gotti’s Rules which is from an author with a major publisher, editor and public relations team behind him.

Not like it matters, though. Shadow of My Father was touching, especially towards the end when Mr. Gotti goes through his four trials, parole hearing, diesel therapy and all the ways the government tried and failed to break him. Some people will say he was a criminal and deserved it, but those who hear his side of the story will be rooting for him and when this memoir is released in paperback I hope Mr. Gotti adds to it, and maybe one day when the old gang is dead and gone he can come back and tell a fuller tale (without ratting anyone out) as this has the potential to be one of the all-time great autobiographies.

What really hit me was the story of how in his fourth trial, he had several prisoners testify on his behalf, all serving long sentences with nothing to gain and everything to lose by helping him. I won’t spoil the details but their stories shed true light on what it means to be loyal, and a man.

I believe his dad would be proud of him.

[Carlie Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Gotti, Jr. provides an open, upfront look at life as the son of one of America's most famous mobsters as well as his own career in the American Mafia. More than that though, he provides an intimate look at the complicated relationship between he and his father. That relationship caused him to defy his own father's code to stand up for himself and leave the American mafia all so his own children would never have to experience the loss he felt growing up with his father often gone - serving jail time. Although this book is a mob memoir, it also serves as a testament to second chances. Gotti's dad had sent him to military high school, determined that his son would obtain a good education. Junior dropped out, but during his own lengthy stay in a federal penitentiary, he finished school, obtaining his GED and taking college courses to become a paralegal. While still in prison, he assisted his own attorneys in building his defense and used his new education to help other inmates. Once released from prison, Gotti Jr. turned to writing as a career. "Shadow of My Father" represents his first book. He also writes screenplays and has said in interviews that he has a second book in the works.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for those seeking alternate views of the events detailed within this literary account.
As when two individuals view the same coin from opposite ends of a room... one sees 'heads', the other 'tails'.
Whether one trusts the US government, the Mob, or both/neither, this story will paint a rounder picture for the reader.
At 590 pages long, it could have been more concise. A number of quotes & commas missing in the forward.
Read for personal research.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because all I knew about John Gotti was he the head 0f a Mafia family. He finally got convicted and went to prison. His son also went into the life but did not like it. He asked for permission to get and live a real life. Great book.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr. Gotti's book could've been much better and sold many more copies if he'd worked with a co-author, or at least hired an editor. As it stands, it's too long, too disorganized, and too dull. The content is compelling, but under-served by the presentation.

[Richard Armstrong]

This is an excellent book about traditional Organized Crime by the son of John Gotti, Sr. (aka John Joseph Gotti, the deceased "Teflon Don"), in which he gives us an unflinching honest, inside look at "The Life".

[Matthew Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book, really entertaining and quite interesting. It's very clearly written entirely by John A Gotti with possibly minimal help from a co-author but if so, it's an unnamed one. True crime and mafia fans should definitely give this one a read.

[La Pared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff, and from the gut.
Longer than it had to be, but it was great. Heartfelt. Sincere.

[Marcus C Massey Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I couldn't put it down!!!! I wanted to know more about the Gottis and "mob" life. It was the perfect book.

[maria hargaden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cry me a river.

John Alite's book is a lot better.I would rather have Alite watch my back.Junior sounds like the guy who takes credit for the Sun coming up each morning.

[Phil Anastasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely done

Good read, gives you the look from the inside the Gotti family very interesting on how low the government will sink to get what they want

[Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was way better than expected.

[Jordan Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK but hard to follow if you don't really know a lot about the gotti family or the mafia. He skips around a lot which is confusing.

[Kristin Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book talks about John Gotti Jr growing up in the shadow of his famous dad.