What do you think?
Rate this book
The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia
This true crime memoir of 1950s Brooklyn shares a revealing look at life inside the Mafia at the height of its power. Frank Dimatteo was born into a family of mob hitmen. His father and godfather were shooters and bodyguards for infamous Mafia legends the Gallo brothers. His uncle was a capo in the Genovese crime family and bodyguard to Frank Costello. With family connections like those, Frank knew everybody in the neighborhood—and they knew him. After dropping out of high school, Frank lived gangster-style with the boys on President Street. In this lively memoir, Frank tells it like it really was growing up in the mob. He shares wild stories about everyone from the old-school Mafia dons and infamous “five families” to the new-breed “independents” who didn’t answer to nobody. He had a front row seat as the Gallo gang waged war against wiseguys with more power, more money, and more guns. And he reveals the shocking deathbed confessions that will blow the lid off the sordid deeds, stunning betrayals, and all-too-secret history of the American Mafia. The President Street Boys was originally self-published as Lion in the Basement.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2016
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 19, 2018
So, I love mob books. I'm not super picky - I like the real life accounts, the embellished, the fictional - real, romance, thriller, whatever. I like the loyalty, the culture, the banter. This book is a real life "tell-all" according to Frank DiMatteo. It has about 5000 stories about 500 different mob figures and the 500 different little things they did....in business, on the street, in jail, in the car. I couldn't keep anybody straight, it was pretty disorganized in it's telling and didn't have a real story to it....more like this is what we did, and how I grew up - but it was slightly entertaining! 2.5 stars!
January 23, 2019
A great view from the trenches
Dimatteo’s writing will never be mistaken for Mario Puzo’s but life isn’t fiction either. Dimatteo tells it like it was: a dark and self-indulgent life where only a few got rich at the expense of others as well as their own souls and the unsettling knowledge that any day could be their last.
I can’t review this book objectively because I know this neighborhood, both now and then, as well as a few of the characters that Dimatteo wrote about. I believe I even met Dimatteo at a waterfront district bar. I was a regular at Steve G’s bar on Hicks Street in the 90s too and this book pretty much confirmed my observations about The Life — that it was an extended family of guys who lived and died based on the Score, which was rarely as glamorous or as profitable as the Lufthansa heist in the 60s but were mostly chump change schemes to carry one over to the next opportunity. In this respect they were like feral animals in the big city looking for tonight’s meal with no guarantee that they would find the next one before the consequences of the feral life found them first. This book is an honest telling of what I believed I knew.
Dimatteo wrote about how some cops were schoolyard bullies but I’ve long thought that they were both cut from the same cloth: predator vs. predator, although I have a lot more respect for those who at least did it “honestly” and not cowering behind a badge of authority, or the power of wealth, politics and respectability either for that matter.
If nothing else this is a good “stay in school, apply yourself and keep your nose clean” read.
Dimatteo’s writing will never be mistaken for Mario Puzo’s but life isn’t fiction either. Dimatteo tells it like it was: a dark and self-indulgent life where only a few got rich at the expense of others as well as their own souls and the unsettling knowledge that any day could be their last.
I can’t review this book objectively because I know this neighborhood, both now and then, as well as a few of the characters that Dimatteo wrote about. I believe I even met Dimatteo at a waterfront district bar. I was a regular at Steve G’s bar on Hicks Street in the 90s too and this book pretty much confirmed my observations about The Life — that it was an extended family of guys who lived and died based on the Score, which was rarely as glamorous or as profitable as the Lufthansa heist in the 60s but were mostly chump change schemes to carry one over to the next opportunity. In this respect they were like feral animals in the big city looking for tonight’s meal with no guarantee that they would find the next one before the consequences of the feral life found them first. This book is an honest telling of what I believed I knew.
Dimatteo wrote about how some cops were schoolyard bullies but I’ve long thought that they were both cut from the same cloth: predator vs. predator, although I have a lot more respect for those who at least did it “honestly” and not cowering behind a badge of authority, or the power of wealth, politics and respectability either for that matter.
If nothing else this is a good “stay in school, apply yourself and keep your nose clean” read.
August 30, 2021
Language is very bad
The book written pretty well. He covers in detail different members of the mob. He names the people he was associated with and having read other books on the different people he mentioned I can honestly believe the stories within the book. If that is the case why did I only give the book three stars? It is very simple. I did not care for the use of cuss words. It was not just here and there but constant throughout the book. He could have easily emphasized a sentence by using other words instead of using cuss words. I can not recommend this book to a young reader because of this. The book would have been just as good by the selection of different words. I will, however, try to find his other book he mentioned. I hope he will clean up the language in his future books.
The book written pretty well. He covers in detail different members of the mob. He names the people he was associated with and having read other books on the different people he mentioned I can honestly believe the stories within the book. If that is the case why did I only give the book three stars? It is very simple. I did not care for the use of cuss words. It was not just here and there but constant throughout the book. He could have easily emphasized a sentence by using other words instead of using cuss words. I can not recommend this book to a young reader because of this. The book would have been just as good by the selection of different words. I will, however, try to find his other book he mentioned. I hope he will clean up the language in his future books.
July 20, 2020
Eh Nothing Special
Other than talking about drinking and fighting a lot, I'm struggling to recall any stories of him actually doing anything. This book is more about where places were located back in the day and what other people did or had happen to them. He felt important and thought he was a big shot, but it was only because of who his "dad" was. He didn't do anything relevant.
Other than talking about drinking and fighting a lot, I'm struggling to recall any stories of him actually doing anything. This book is more about where places were located back in the day and what other people did or had happen to them. He felt important and thought he was a big shot, but it was only because of who his "dad" was. He didn't do anything relevant.
August 23, 2020
Book Summary: Glorification of mob life...here is all the cool people we knew...guys in the mob are nice guys they are just misunderstood...big surprise everyone is dead. Of all the crimes Diamatteo committed over the years the worst crime has to be this auditory assault on the English language.
August 15, 2022
Frank Dimatteo who grew up in and around the Italian family of mobsters gives us a look into the way it was. At least from his point of view, we all have different views of how we see things. Here in this book, you get to see that the life that these men lived was not all as glamorous as the movies and T.V. shows made them out to be. Yes, some made money but not all a lot worked for the top men and some did not make it to the top to ever collect their share of the top dollar. Others would always be the soldiers or street players and nothing more yet with all of the people and stories here in this book you do get a good sense of what life was like growing up in the mob and really where your family name is, is where you are in the peeking order and whether more people will be wanting to take your place. The stories are interesting and though I had heard some of them before they are told from a different point of few. I like reading these books and this is one of the better ones and very much worth the read. I received this book from Netgalley.com
August 1, 2019
NicePerspective
if you're interested in the life × of the next generation of gangsters, following the
legendary Lucky, Meyer, Bugsy, et. al, this is your book.
Firsthand told by young Frankie who grew up seeing it all.
if you're interested in the life × of the next generation of gangsters, following the
legendary Lucky, Meyer, Bugsy, et. al, this is your book.
Firsthand told by young Frankie who grew up seeing it all.
November 27, 2019
Very Good Book!
Frank Dimatteo tells a great story about the Life he lived. Very entertaining, sometimes humorous, but deep down disturbing. A chance for readers like myself to see and experience the Life, but thankfully from a long distance away.
Frank Dimatteo tells a great story about the Life he lived. Very entertaining, sometimes humorous, but deep down disturbing. A chance for readers like myself to see and experience the Life, but thankfully from a long distance away.
July 13, 2022
I was looking for some inside information about gangs for research purposes and this book provided a great deal of inspiration. Frank DiMatteo is very honest and clear about the life and helps to recreate how was living in New York during that time. Very useful.
October 29, 2017
Good read
I've read plenty of mob books and I really enjoyed this one
Tells a lot of stories that I haven't seen in other books.
I've read plenty of mob books and I really enjoyed this one
Tells a lot of stories that I haven't seen in other books.
January 31, 2020
How the mafia has been portrayed in movies, and much more.
September 24, 2020
Endlessly intriguing, I'm always fascinated by stories about the mafia, but could've used an editor. But maybe the rough language is part of the story. Quick fun read
September 15, 2021
Frank Dimatteo’s life as he lived it
Well written, engaging book based on someone born into the Life. Can’t wait for the next book! Well done sir.
Well written, engaging book based on someone born into the Life. Can’t wait for the next book! Well done sir.
January 19, 2023
Poorly written, lacks direction and depth. The book is snippets of information in no particular order and whatever 'tale' is being told is done over a single sentence.
October 9, 2025
I enjoyed this book a lot. The perspective of the life coming from someone who was deeply involved made this book so enjoyable. I hope there’s a
Sequel.
Sequel.
January 6, 2017
This is truly a difficult book to evaluate. DiMatteo writes with all of the emotion and profanity of an uneducated street thug. The book appeared to scream 'I am a bad ass, and I like to party.' The book was a glorification of bad ass-ery with no apologies or holding back punches. Into this soup of expletives is a front row seat to the Gallo revolt. Unlike Diapolous' Sixth Family or Folsom's Mad Ones, DiMatteo talks about the feudists and the general feeling of worry in an otherwise wild and crazy ride.
DiMatteo initially published the book privately as "The Lion in the Basement." Admittedly, he had little use for proper schooling, and this book shows it. Each chapter is broken into various tangents and memory fragments. There is a loosely chronological framework to the book; but time is relative and DiMatteo blurs memories. There are glimpses of raw writing talent in the book. In a couple of places the writing was actually really good, and I thought maybe he will drop the bad ass-ery and get to telling his story. Nope.
The front row seat to the Gallos was interesting and fresh. "Sixth Family" and "Joey" were good reads; but really glossed over the Gallo Gang, its activities, and violence. "The Mad Ones" makes more of an effort; but DiMatteo really adds color to the group. He was too young to really remember the Gallo-Profaci Feud; but he offers his few memories of Joey and some victims. DiMatteo never loses sight of the gang. Although the point of the book is to prove DiMatteo is a tough guy and Casanova, he always brings the story back to the gang (and avoiding any admissions of crime). Like I said earlier, there is talent in the author. It just never matured.
Overall, readers will undoubtedly weary on the useless profanity. However, that is the way the hoodlums talk. If anything, the written, edited, revised, and re-published book remains an unscripted, open-mike, stroll down memory lane for a guy who was connected to the Gallos. Neither DiMatteo nor his father appear in other works on the Gallos, this book appears to be more authentic in the story-telling than better written books.
DiMatteo initially published the book privately as "The Lion in the Basement." Admittedly, he had little use for proper schooling, and this book shows it. Each chapter is broken into various tangents and memory fragments. There is a loosely chronological framework to the book; but time is relative and DiMatteo blurs memories. There are glimpses of raw writing talent in the book. In a couple of places the writing was actually really good, and I thought maybe he will drop the bad ass-ery and get to telling his story. Nope.
The front row seat to the Gallos was interesting and fresh. "Sixth Family" and "Joey" were good reads; but really glossed over the Gallo Gang, its activities, and violence. "The Mad Ones" makes more of an effort; but DiMatteo really adds color to the group. He was too young to really remember the Gallo-Profaci Feud; but he offers his few memories of Joey and some victims. DiMatteo never loses sight of the gang. Although the point of the book is to prove DiMatteo is a tough guy and Casanova, he always brings the story back to the gang (and avoiding any admissions of crime). Like I said earlier, there is talent in the author. It just never matured.
Overall, readers will undoubtedly weary on the useless profanity. However, that is the way the hoodlums talk. If anything, the written, edited, revised, and re-published book remains an unscripted, open-mike, stroll down memory lane for a guy who was connected to the Gallos. Neither DiMatteo nor his father appear in other works on the Gallos, this book appears to be more authentic in the story-telling than better written books.
July 8, 2018
Just An Okay Read!
My interest in reading started after reading a series of biographies about a variety of Mafia figures; and while my reading interests have expanded over the years into a variety of other genres, "mob" books (both fiction and non-fiction) still remain one of my favorites. So, when I heard about The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia I started reading it immediately, especially since I have number of friends who grew up near President Street and knew or heard of a number of the people cited in this book.
Overall, the book, for the most part, held my general interest but it is not a book I'd recommend highly to anyone other than those who lived on or near President Street during and shortly after the Gallo Brothers lived there, and thus would likely have a personal familiarity with the people and events described in the book. Others, like me, are likely to, at best, find it to be just an okay read because:
... Most of the President Street Boys other than the Gallo Brothers are just going to be "names" to them due to virtually no development into their backgrounds, making it very difficult for the reader to feel any sort of connection (positive or negative) to "The Boys"; and
...The book authored by Frank DiMatteo is really a memoir of a series of many disjointed stories of people and experiences he had or heard about throughout his life as a child and during a period of his adult life when his father was a key player during the Gallo Era and he, himself, was actively involved in 'the life', resulting in his "Growing Up Mafia."
Hope this review is helpful in deciding if this book is one you'll want to read.
My interest in reading started after reading a series of biographies about a variety of Mafia figures; and while my reading interests have expanded over the years into a variety of other genres, "mob" books (both fiction and non-fiction) still remain one of my favorites. So, when I heard about The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia I started reading it immediately, especially since I have number of friends who grew up near President Street and knew or heard of a number of the people cited in this book.
Overall, the book, for the most part, held my general interest but it is not a book I'd recommend highly to anyone other than those who lived on or near President Street during and shortly after the Gallo Brothers lived there, and thus would likely have a personal familiarity with the people and events described in the book. Others, like me, are likely to, at best, find it to be just an okay read because:
... Most of the President Street Boys other than the Gallo Brothers are just going to be "names" to them due to virtually no development into their backgrounds, making it very difficult for the reader to feel any sort of connection (positive or negative) to "The Boys"; and
...The book authored by Frank DiMatteo is really a memoir of a series of many disjointed stories of people and experiences he had or heard about throughout his life as a child and during a period of his adult life when his father was a key player during the Gallo Era and he, himself, was actively involved in 'the life', resulting in his "Growing Up Mafia."
Hope this review is helpful in deciding if this book is one you'll want to read.
August 7, 2016
I love mob books. I have read a lot of them. On the positive side this is surely an authentic voice. However, the authenticity cannot overcome the sheer sporadic movement of the book. There is no story connecting throughout, but instead many small tails that can be interesting at times, but try to make you remember the endless characters that have been introduced. The author would have been better served to find one major story line and stick to it. As mob books go it just did not live up to its peers.
May 4, 2016
The book was meant to read like a street mobster was speaking my story, unlike the typical author. it even kept my attention and even made me tear up once. And, I wrote it, haha.
People needed to hear a different side of what made the Gallo brothers who they were. I am putting The President Street Boys on the true crime map.
Great book.Read it.
People needed to hear a different side of what made the Gallo brothers who they were. I am putting The President Street Boys on the true crime map.
Great book.Read it.
August 3, 2017
Giving this a 4 because I lived in the President Street neighborhood for 15 years and it was fun to learn about its sordid history. Now it is completely gentrified. I hope Mr. DiMatteo bought some real estate back in the day!
I don't see eye to eye with the author's glorification and romanticizing of mafia life but it is an interesting life story.
I don't see eye to eye with the author's glorification and romanticizing of mafia life but it is an interesting life story.
October 30, 2019
An interesting look at a life "in the life." Was interested to learn about the various aspects of how money was made, both legitimately and illegally. Frank is very direct about what happened and why. There is no flowery prose. If anything, I could have read another hundred pages with more fleshed out details. Interested to read about his time with the DeCavalcante crew.
January 19, 2017
This book was so-so, if you want a cohesive story it isn't for you though. If you are ok with many (and not always joined) stories you will enjoy it, it gets better towards the end but I kept waiting for the book to "take off" and it just never did. 3 stars is accurate in my book
October 7, 2016
Very interesting and enjoyed hearing about done events and people and places that as a little kid growing up in Brooklyn I heard about. Some of those places still exist.
November 8, 2016
I guess I felt that this is just not written as the usual mobster's book. Too many characters which became much too confusing and I couldn't keep them straight. I felt like I had to keep notes.
September 3, 2019
an amazing book if you are into mobster movies.
July 4, 2020
Not particularly well written but entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews