Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia

by Peter Maas

"Brilliantly constructed and grimly fascinating. . . . The result is a terrific and important book. . . . It's important because it is a morality play on the subject of loyalty. To whom are you loyal, and from who should you be able to expect loyalty?" —  New York Times Book Review Sammy the Bull Gravano is the highest-ranking member of the Mafia in America ever to defect. In telling Gravano's story, Peter Maas brings us as never before into the innermost sanctums of the Cosa Nostra as if we were there ourselves—a secret underworld of power, lust, greed, betrayal, and deception, with the specter of violent death always waiting in the wings.

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

308 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

Peter Maas was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University.

He was the biographer of Frank Serpico, a New York City Police officer who testified against police corruption. He is also the author of the number one New York Times bestseller, Underboss, about the life and times of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.

His other notable bestsellers include The Valachi Papers, Manhunt, and In a Child's Name, recipient of the 1991 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime book. The Valachi Papers, which told the story of Mafia turncoat Joseph Valachi, is widely considered to be a seminal work, as it spawned an entire genre of books written by or about former Mafiosi.

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

Reviews

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my continuing study (obsession) of gangsters/mafia/organized crime, I chose to read this book. I really enjoyed it! It starts out pretty much like any other mafia story. It ends up being so much more than that. Sammy the bull was most definitely the real deal! He always made sure to uphold all the old traditions of the mafia. I actually started to feel bad for him towards the end. That was the life he chose and I understand that. At the same time, it was hard and sad to read about when he had to say goodbye to his wife and kids when he was getting ready to go into the witness protection program. On the surface gangster life seems so great. In reality it's the farthest thing from great. It can really only end one of two ways: prison or death. I think Sammy realized what a huge mistake he made when he pledged his life to Cosa Nostra. This was a really good book and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in organized crime/mafia.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have "personal experience" with sammy the bull! this is rather INCREDIBLE; but it is the truth -- i was on the grand jury that indicted sammy the bull in arizona about eight years ago. i was never supposed to tell that fact; it was supposed to remain confidential information; the Court told me that; but it was so long ago now, that i don't think it really matters if i spill those beans. besides, how many people are going to find this out about me because of this goodreads review? maybe only one, my niece, rachel. (i HOPE rachel is not unsuspectingly "connected"!) anyway, the book was totally fascinating to me because I had been on the jury that indicted him!! also, peter maas is an excellent writer; he was one of my dad's favorites. i also have been a little fascinated with The Mob EVEN BEFORE i was on the grand jury that had sammy gravano as a defendant. i mean, The Mob, . . . . . although not folks i want to hang out with, certainly, are an interesting bunch!

[Katie Tilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of mafia books and always felt that Gravano was a snitch and a traitor. Reading this book has shown me the "glory" of the mafia is all an illusion. Omerta is a joke and there is very little loyalty, its about greed, selfishness and excess. I no longer blame Sammy for what he did by cooperating and do not view him as a "rat" anymore. I'm surprised to learn how inflated and exaggerated John Gotti was; a gluttonous degenerate gambler, wow! I feel bad for Gravanos family and I am saddened by the waste of talent and intelligence he possesed. What an amazing man who just wound up going down the wrong path.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

S the BG, what a saint.....if one can believe his account of a couple of deacades of NY mob activity, one may come away with a sense of, well, he's wasn't such a bad guy. Right? The teflon don however was, by his account, a megalomaniac who got what he deserved. I would have to agree to that point, how 'bout you?

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took most of a lifetime for Sam Gravano to work out what most of us learn more quickly - that criminals are not to be trusted, are not nice people, and that greed is usually their downfall. In this fascinating account - based on many hours of taped conversations with Gravano - Peter Maas shows us how the Gambino crime family operated in New York during the 1970s through to the early 1990s.

In many ways Gravano's early life was that of an archetypal gangster: growing up on the mean streets of Bensonhurst, the dyslexic Gravano did not do well at school and after a short time in the army took up with a street gang.

While Gravano is the first to say he wasn't an educated man, he was not stupid, and soon realised that if he wanted to ever become more than a street punk he needed to ally himself with the local Cosa Nostra crew.

The book is a simple re-telling of his adventures in crime, including the murders, betrayals, stand-over tactics, scheming and all that goes with being a made man in the mafia.

A good portion of the book is taken up with Gravano's dealings with Paul Castellano and John Gotti. Gravano was involved in the murder of Castellano, and eventually turned states witness against Gotti.

Gravano saw himself as an old school mafioso, avoiding publicity, and living a relatively modest life. He grew increasingly disgusted with Castellano's distance from the on-the-ground workings of his crew, and at Gotti's public displays of wealth.

Maas does a good job of making sense of all the ins and outs of the alliances and enmities between and within families, which makes this book an easy read.

There is much in here that is not surprising - the lack of self-awareness and empathy of these gangsters for example. What is more interesting are the descriptions of how Gravano and his crew went about planning operations, and how the byzantine workings of Cosa Nostra played out on a day-to-day basis.

If you have an interest in organized crime and its history, this book is well worth reading.

Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I don't think I'm Robin Hood. I think I'm a gangster. I think I'm somebody with a very, very limited education, and I fought and kicked and punched and did the best I could to get ahead. I dealt with the reality that someday I will probably be killed or go to fucking jail, and I lived with that reality all my life. That's the life I chose. That's the road I took." ---Sammy "the Bull" Gravano

Although I am intrigued by the Mafia ("Goodfellas" is my favorite movie, after all), I am by no means an expert, and it's not a subject I seek out to study, as I do say, the Marx Brothers or the Manson family (to name two). So I have to admit the only reason I finally picked up this book some 14 years after its release is the recent VH1 "reality" series "Mob Wives." "Mob Wives" features two trophy mob wives, Drita and Carla, and two mob daughters, Renee and Karen. Karen is Karen Gravano, Sammy's daughter. He must hate, HATE her participation in the show, since he claims that John Gotti's love of the limelight, a betrayal of the Cosa Nostra ideal of a secret brotherhood, is the main reason he (Gravano) decided to turn FBI informant.

This book will feel pleasingly familiar to anyone who's ever watched "Goodfellas" or any mafia movie. Gravano makes for an engaging thug of a storyteller, and Peter Maas fleshes out the details and shapes the narrative very well. So many events relating to this story have occurred since its publication--the death of John Gotti in prison, Sammy's re-incarceration (for running an ecstasy ring), the further glorification/glamorization/exploitation of mafia life on television in the form of shows such as "Mob Wives" and "Growing Up Gotti" (I loved that one, too)--that it begs for an update. I would gladly read one.

[TCPils · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeez, what an evil bastard this guy is. Murdered several of his friends, a bunch of strangers and even his brother in law just because somebody told him to. Claims it was to honor his oath to the Cosa Nostra. Seems he had a change of heart when it came time for him to face life in prison. Worked out okay though because it got John Gotti and a bunch of other bad guys out of circulation. I wouldn't put much faith in the veracity of his story but it is still a fascinating read.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read. Maas writes very well, and it has a very authentic feel. Unfortunately, Gravano didn’t end up quite like the book thought he would

[Rob Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is an American gangster. He became the underboss of the Gambino crime family. In this book The Bull relates the events leading up to his helping with the prosecution sentence John Gotti, the crime family's boss. He agreed to testify as a government witness against him. Along with other mobsters in a deal in which he confessed to involvement in 19 murders.

Sammy the Bull has an unbelievable memory. He can recall names and facts about many parts of his life. Which suggests it was Sammy and not Gotti, who was the brains of the Gambino family. He tried running things, quietly and in the ways of Cosa Nostra.

Gravano frequently returns to the theme of living his life based on the rules of Cosa Nostra. You may ask, isn’t Gravano hypocritical for talking about Cosa Nostra when he turned into a rat against John Gotti?

One of the best books about the Mafia I've read.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course Sammy is going to paint himself in the best light. Even taking that into account, you can hardly call the guy a rat. Rolling on someone who already sold you out isn’t snitching. As my mom would say, Gotti ‘got too big for his britches’ & Sammy outsmarted him. He’s no hero and he’s no rat. He played the game and thru winning, he still lost. Great read. I recommend Sammy’s YouTube channel, he sits & tells stories. It’s fascinating.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it's already been posted 100 times (at least) in the other reviews - if you like the Goodfellas, you'll also like this book. It's just people's opinions, but I have to completely agree.

The story doesn't include everything Sammy did, every hit he carried out, or every mobster he rubbed elbows with. This is a story of how he got into the Mafia, how he survived and flourished in a cut-throat environment, and ultimate why he felt that turning government witness what the right thing to do.

Throughout the book, Sammy never apologizes for getting in the Mafia. He accepts his decision from the very beginning. He makes it clear that there are two ways out of the mob life: dying in jail or getting taken out by another mobster. He accepted that fate from the beginning. He even lauds mobsters who "die like a man" - those that don't plea or beg their way out of jail or the inevitable contract on their heads.

The author does a great job illustrating how the mob core values changed over the decades 1970, 1980, and 1990. Sammy saw the "old school" mobsters as men of honor and more level-headed. You don't kill a man for petty reasons, and you definitely don't hurt women or children. If a problem can be solved with talking, then resort to that first. Towards the end of his mob career, Sammy sees a new breed of "celebrity gangster" coming into power. He sees mob leaders flaunt their Mafia ties and build public "Robin Hood" personas. Instead of hiding in the shadows, the new mobsters wear the latest fashions, eat at the popular restaurants, and throw lavish public parties. Sammy sees the old Mafia leaders as being aligned with "our thing", but the new leaders as being concerned only with "me, me, me". If you're not looking out for the best interests of the family, then you're only thinking of yourself. You can never trust a person like that.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, the story about the family having to eat pasta with ricotta every night before Sammy made it big damn near broke my heart. Unfortunately, it was also the most memorable thing about this book.

[Colin Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly an outstanding book and grimly fascinating. I really enjoyed every part of it and truly felt like I was in the room for every sequence of events that happened all the way from chapter 1 to the very closing. Sammy The Bull has a talent to really tell a good story, and Peter Maas did a great job as the ghost writer. The only thing that’s part of Sammy’s life that’s not in this book is the drug charges in the early 2000s where he pleads guilty and gets sentenced to prison for 20 years and serves 17 of those years I believe. Either way, if you like true crime, autobiography’s, mafia etc… give this a read!

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very revealing mafia memoir.

[Brooklyn Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down.

[Tarek Omran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book exposes you to a different world almost like a parallel universe, I found my self sucked into the stories. It’s a biography of one of the mafia members and his upbringing up until his…can’t spoil the ending.

What struck me was not what I expected from a book about the mafia. It’s not the violence nor the crime, but the contradiction of human nature. The philosophy. The structure. The strange humanity operating underneath it all. There is so much here about loyalty and betrayal, about codes upheld and codes broken, about men who saw themselves as soldiers in a shadow kingdom with its own rules of honor. And then there is Sammy himself: unflinching, self-aware, refusing to play the victim even as he describes becoming a killer. It is scary and grandiose all at once. What a book. What a brilliant biography.

A Country Within a Country

What makes this book remarkable is not the violence—it’s the structure. Cosa Nostra operated as a parallel state: hierarchies of soldiers and captains, families waging territorial wars, and a code of conduct that governed everything from conflict resolution to acceptable methods of killing. They had agreed, across decades, that bombs were off-limits. Women and children were untouchable. Drugs were forbidden. These were criminals, yes—but criminals who fought clean.

The organizational discipline is startling. During Sammy’s induction, Paul Castellano made the terms explicit:

"There is no God. We don't have allegiance to any country. Our immediate family, like our wives and children, is secondary. Our Thing—'this thing of ours'—is first, the only thing in your life above everything."

Sammy bought this completely. He believed he had entered a brotherhood with honor and respect. Only later did he recognize the contradiction: “There’s a hundred rules. We broke ninety-nine of them. This was the last rule. It wasn’t that hard anymore.”

The First Kill

And then there is the moment Sammy becomes a killer. The details are seared into the page with an almost hallucinatory clarity. He is in a car. The radio is on. A Beatles song is playing. Think about the absurdity of that—the cosmic randomness. Of all the songs, of all the moments, this is the soundtrack to his transformation. The cheerful pop melody threading through what is about to happen.

"As that Beatles song played, I became a killer... Everything went into slow motion. I could almost feel the bullet leaving the gun and entering his skull. It was strange. I didn't hear the first shot. I didn't seem to see any blood. His head didn't seem to move, like it was a blank instead of a real bullet... I felt like I was a million miles away, like this was all a dream."

The dissociation is terrifying. No sound. No blood. Time stretching. And then the second shot snaps everything back—the flash, the gunpowder smell, the deafening noise, the convulsion. The dream becomes real.

But the rollercoaster does not end there. What comes after is perhaps more unsettling:

"We were all scared, not like afraid, but excited. I can't really describe it. But then I felt a surge of power. I realized that I had taken a human life, that I had the power over life and death. I was a predator. I was an animal. I was Cosa Nostra."

That three-beat ending reads like a dark baptism—predator, animal, Cosa Nostra. He is naming what he has become. The full arc of that night moves from dissociation to exhilaration to transformation. Sammy narrates his own psychological fracture in real time, remembering everything: the seating arrangement, the music getting louder, the rage, the silence after, and then this terrible clarity about what crossing that line actually means. It is one of the most visceral accounts of violence you will ever read—not because of gore, but because of the emotional architecture surrounding it.

The Evil Within the Evil

The philosophical core of this book emerges from a paradox: even within organized crime, there are gradations of corruption. You have bosses who genuinely care for their captains, who look after their soldiers—kingdoms run with a certain integrity. Then you have the tyrant who becomes evil not just in the eyes of the law, but in the eyes of his own family.

Pride and ego eventually override every stated value. Men who swore loyalty, who claimed they would die for their cause, stepped on those exact principles when ambition demanded it. The code existed—until someone decided it didn’t apply to them.

This produces a strange taxonomy: good evil guys and bad evil guys. The distinction sounds absurd until you watch it play out across decades of Gambino family politics.

Sammy’s Radical Self-Awareness

What separates Sammy Gravano from the mythology of the mobster is his refusal to play victim. He knew he was a criminal. He knew the consequences. He accepted them with a clarity that reads almost like stoicism: if I go to jail, I go to jail; if I die, I die. This is the life I chose.

He spoke his mind in situations that should have gotten him killed—and people respected him for it. Straight dealing, paradoxically, became a survival mechanism in a world built on deception.

His mentor Toddo offered wisdom that transcends the criminal context:

"You know those things attached to the sides of your head? Those ears? Use them. Listen to one story. Listen to the other one. Someplace in the middle is the truth. Don't ever react to anything in life—legitimate or illegitimate—by listening just to one side."

Dying With Dignity

One scene crystallizes the entire ethos. Johnny Keys, marked for death, is being pulled from a van. He kicks out at his captors and says: “I’ll walk out on my own. Let me die like a man.” He takes five or six steps, lowers his head quietly, and is shot. “He died without pain. He died with dignity. He died Cosa Nostra.”

This is humanity operating under a different moral framework—not absent morality, but an alternative architecture of honor and consequence. Whether you find it repellent or fascinating, it demands examination.

The Verdict

Read this book. Not for the violence or the sensationalism, but for the philosophy embedded in its pages—the tension between loyalty and self-interest, the fragility of codes when tested by ego, the strange dignity possible even among those society designates as savages. It is humanity at its most contradictory, and therefore at its most revealing.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. In a nutshell, it's a book about the real power of the Gambino family. His rise and subsequent short ass fall, the inner workings of the mob, and plenty of crazy stories.

For those that don't know, in the mafia there's two types of gangsters...earners and muscle. Sammy Gravano was one of the only ones that was both. And incredibly good at both it would seem. Involved in 19 murders (many of which were carried out with enough finesse that the FBI wasn't even aware of his involvement) and earning millions upon millions in the construction business, not to shabby for a guy about 5'5" and dropping out a year into high school. Then joining the Army and doing very well and eventually coming back to the streets of his home to begin his rise in the criminal world. Sammy's life is incredibly entertaining and he seems to be a very endearing guy, which considering everything he's done I don't know if thats good or bad.

If you have any kind of interest in criminal factions or just want to read a batshit crazy story about a dude that killed a ton of people (almost all other mobsters), found out his boss was gonna blame him for all, and then pulled the reverse uno and sent his boss and dozens of others to prison, capping it off with his own prison sentence of a whopping 5 years (again, for 19 murders),then you cant go wrong with Underboss. Quite frankly Sammy seems about a thousand times more interesting than his boss Gotti ever was.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy Gravano is a member of the Cosa Nostra, which is the Mafia. Underboss tells many stories of him growing up, becoming a member of the Gambino family, and what it is like being in the mob. These stories include what Sammy was like growing up Bensonhurst, meeting his wife, and raising his two children. Other stories told would be about Sammy and his friends in the mob, and some of the things he was ordered to do.
The types of books that I usually read are “young adult” that I personally can relate to and “girly” books that have a love story. But this novel isn’t one of those at all. It is a combination of a memoir and a crime, so it was something totally different from what I usually read. I decided to read this novel because for some reason I find these topics to be really interesting and fascinating. What I liked about this book was that the author didn’t make everything hard to understand. He had written the entire text in a way that can be easily read by anybody that decides to read this, and it doesn’t matter if this was the first crime book the reader has ever read. But the only thing that I personally didn’t really like was that at some points it felt a little slow.

[Stiv_Matters · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about the mafia during the 70's and 80's that I've ever read. The book tells the story of Sammy The Bull Gravano and much of it is first person narrative. Author Peter Maas provides the historical context, explains who the players are, details the efforts of law enforcement and shapes the story into a powerhouse book. Many of the stories told here seem incredible. Murder after murder after murder is committed in the name of Cosa Nostra. Gravano explains exactly how the mafia controlled the unions and construction industries in New York. These are very bad people but makes for fascinating reading. If you enjoy "The Sopranos" or "Goodfellas" you will really enjoy this book. My only complaint is that there isn't a Cast Of Characters section either at the back or front of the book. There are so many people in the book that it's easy to lose track of who's who. Most of them end up getting whacked so it's not that big a deal.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ignorance can co-exist with a keen intellect and innate business savvy. Combine those traits with hubris and a predilection for savage brutality, and you have the explosive personality of Sammy Gravano. In a world characterized by fear as a constant, he instilled it and inspired it. And no threat from Sammy was ever made idly. Not for the faint of heart, this book is highly recommended for the morbidly curious.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes into detail, in true Peter Maas fashion, about the life, times, and crimes of Sammy The Bull Gravano. It gives a really interesting and detailed account of the amounts of crimes that Sammy got up to, as well as his associates. It is wild how many things that organized crime has a hand in. This book also goes into detail about the circumstances surrounding Sammy's turning informant. I thought this was a very interesting read.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would have been great if not for Sammy's gigantic ego inflating on each page. That guy is a tool. This could've been a great book about the inner workings of the mafia under John Gotti, instead it reads like smorgasborg of crap, ego and entitlement

[Randall Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining, if not exactly unbiased, account of the life of a fairly dangerous criminal. You do get the feeling that the principal character slants things pretty much in his favor, but it's still entertaining if you like this sort of thing.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life story of the highest ranking mobster ever to testify for the government. I find it ironic, that when someone else commits a murder it just makes this guy sick, but his murders all sound like justifiable homicide. Seriously evil people.

[Noah Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously a pretty well known story so I wasn’t expecting to learn anything knew. But Sammy Gravano is very much up his own ass and it shows in this book. I almost can’t tell what’s real and what’s BS.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the nicest guy on the block. He is quite full of himself, shrugging off the couple of dozen murders he committed, acting put off by the deeds of his mob pals. Fun stuff.

[Dave Peticolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this in an airport, OK? I didn't have anything else to read. What would you have done, smarty-pants? Fine, I admit it, I loved it.

[Stacy Helton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1997 I was working part-time at a bookstore in Atlanta, and when you walked in the store the first thing you would see was the New York Times Top 20 fiction and non-fiction books. My job, when I arrived on Sunday, was to bring in the Sunday New York Times (our store received ten of the bulging papers for our store) and rearrange the display to reflect the updated Top 20. At the tail end of summer, around the time of Princess Diana’s death, the book Underboss seemed to live in the Top 20 non-fiction rotation. I meant to read it then, but life interfered. I have always loved gangster stories, and, like everyone else, loves what Scorsese and others have done to the modern gangster drama. In the book, author Maas argues that after the release of the film The Godfather the gangster genre was so popular that eyeing a sagebrush show up in a story became passé. Underboss is about the life and times, though the early 1990s, of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, and Maas uses Gravano’s own words to document Gravano’s rise from 1950s juvenile delinquent to his starring role in the 1991 prosecution of boss John Gotti. Gravano muses in a distinct New York patter about the life of a mobster in the 1970s and 1980s as, first, a foot soldier under boss Paul Castellano, then as a co-conspirator with Gotti in the 1985 Spark’s Steakhouse murder of Castellano and the consolidation of power in the Gambino family. There are lots of detail in the book, and Maas is at hand to tie what could be a dense narrative with definitions and facts that aid the reader in the byzantine discussion of the history of Cosa Nostra. Those of you familiar with the story of Sammy the Bull from cable docs know that there is a great second act that comes after the events of the Maas book, but, unfortunately, the family meth ring is not included, to this reader’s dismay.

[Brendan Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, what a treat this one was. As someone who’s a huge fan of mafia/mob movies and tv shows. This one was a treat. Throughout the book I couldn’t help but think of so many scenes in The Sopranos, The Godfather, GoodFellas. I had to keep reminding myself that Salvatore Gravano was a real man who really did all these things. Who actually took the stand against John Gotti and the New York crime families.

I never imagined feeling sympathy or cheering for a guy like Sammy, particularly when I started the book. I thought it would be a collection of rough and tumble beatings and bruisings mixed in with exaggerated and flashy stories about John Gotti.

What I got instead, was a strangely heartwarming tale of a young man’s quiet and swift rise through the ranks of the Cosa Nostra of NY. The journey from street thug to underboss was incredible to follow along with.

Although Sammy may have left a trail of death, violence, and crime behind him, he lived every second of it with more honesty and integrity than most of (if not all) of the men and women who govern my country. I have a great deal of respect for the way Sammy took care to keep his children away from the life he chose. I have even more respect for Sammy for standing up in court and admitting to his crimes. It takes a real man to admit when you’re wrong and accept the consequences of your actions. What a great book!

[scorpionwoman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

nothing but scheming, double crossing & lying. it seems everyone in this story was a hypocrite and a lot of them were very petty. for as much as they all pretended to be a tight knit family they were all such snakes!

that being said i loved it lmao. the only part that didn’t catch me was the johnny keys situation. i ended up skimming through that. my main issue with this book was all of the names to keep up with! i started losing track after the fifth guy named frank. i feel like some of the smaller players could’ve been left out. of course, the best part of the whole thing is gravano’s retelling of events. i could really appreciate his no nonsense attitude about everything. he wasn’t loud & flashy and was relatively honest (as honest as any mob guy could be). i completely understood why he became an informant. he was also pretty funny, especially the story about his younger days working with the women at the beauty school. the boring parts were the construction bits.

it’s a good read if you’re really into the mafia.