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The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
It was a big bestseller when it was originally published in 1969. It became a major motion picture that provided Robert DeNiro with his first film role. Its title has entered into the language as a catch phrase. And it's terrific fun!
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is the story of Papa Baccala, a Brooklyn Mafia boss, and Kid Sally Palumbo, a would-be capo who "couldn't run a gas station at a profit even if he stole the customers' cars". There's also Kid Sally's grandmother, who will go to extravagant lengths to see her boy make his mark. A love interest? Sure. Kid Sally's sister tumbles for an artistic type who rides a bicycle and has recently arrived from Calabria...
The high adventure begins with a six-day bike race that is only partly responsible for a rash of obituary notices "Died. Suddenly". Eventually it all gets worked out in fine Sicilian fashion -- and, in the end, everybody gets his, in a manner of speaking.
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is the story of Papa Baccala, a Brooklyn Mafia boss, and Kid Sally Palumbo, a would-be capo who "couldn't run a gas station at a profit even if he stole the customers' cars". There's also Kid Sally's grandmother, who will go to extravagant lengths to see her boy make his mark. A love interest? Sure. Kid Sally's sister tumbles for an artistic type who rides a bicycle and has recently arrived from Calabria...
The high adventure begins with a six-day bike race that is only partly responsible for a rash of obituary notices "Died. Suddenly". Eventually it all gets worked out in fine Sicilian fashion -- and, in the end, everybody gets his, in a manner of speaking.
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
540 people are currently reading
833 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Breslin
60 books93 followersJimmy Breslin was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American columnist and author. He wrote numerous novels, and pieces of his have appeared regularly in various newspapers in his hometown of New York City. He was a regular columnist for the newspaper Newsday until his retirement on November 2, 2004.
Among his notable columns, perhaps the best known was published the day after John F. Kennedy's funeral, focusing on the man who had dug the president's grave. The column is indicative of Breslin's style, which often highlights how major events or the actions of those considered "newsworthy" affect the "common man."
Among his notable columns, perhaps the best known was published the day after John F. Kennedy's funeral, focusing on the man who had dug the president's grave. The column is indicative of Breslin's style, which often highlights how major events or the actions of those considered "newsworthy" affect the "common man."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
August 17, 2015
Some funny moments. But very uneven. Rambling and incoherent most of the time.
April 29, 2024
"The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight" by Jimmy Breslin is a humorous and entertaining novel that provides a satirical look at organized crime in New York City.
With its colorful characters and witty dialogue, the book offers readers a comedic perspective on the world of mafia antics and bungled criminal schemes. While some may find the narrative lacking in depth or emotional resonance, the novel's comedic charm and clever storytelling make it an enjoyable read for those looking for light-hearted entertainment.
Overall, "The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight" delivers laughs and amusement, making it a solid choice for fans of comedic fiction.
With its colorful characters and witty dialogue, the book offers readers a comedic perspective on the world of mafia antics and bungled criminal schemes. While some may find the narrative lacking in depth or emotional resonance, the novel's comedic charm and clever storytelling make it an enjoyable read for those looking for light-hearted entertainment.
Overall, "The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight" delivers laughs and amusement, making it a solid choice for fans of comedic fiction.
April 8, 2017
GOOMBA-OLOGY 101
“…the Mafia originally became a national success during Prohibition, as evil everywhere flourishes under repression.” (p. 12)
In northern New Jersey in the early 1950s, where I lived at the time, there were only two types of people—especially in my fifth grade class—‘goombas’ and those who wanted to be ‘goombas’. And why not? They were the rock-stars of middle-school. They were the kids that knew how to dress, how to talk, and how to charm any little girl—and her mama—and to get away with practically anything, anywhere, anytime. They got all the respect.
What yankee-New England, WASP, kid wouldn’t have traded it all to be an Arthur Fonzarelli—‘The Fonz.’ Or a rock-star. Even before we had a Fonzarelli, or even had rock-’n-roll, for that matter.
Heck, we didn’t even have Jimmy Breslin’s delightful, madcap of a book, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (first published in 1969) to use as a guide. But, we would have loved it if we had. It would have been nice to know that Brooklyn was so much like northern Jersey. And that the wannabe wise-guys of Brooklyn, in Breslin’s novel, would all have been, intellectually, ‘right at home’ in the fifth-grade.
Recommendation: TGTCSS is a delightful romp through street-life in Brooklyn’s 1950s Marfia-land. You should read it for the laughs (if you don’t have too many qualms at laughing at the impaired).
A Novel Open Road Media. Kindle Edition, 249 pages.
“…the Mafia originally became a national success during Prohibition, as evil everywhere flourishes under repression.” (p. 12)
In northern New Jersey in the early 1950s, where I lived at the time, there were only two types of people—especially in my fifth grade class—‘goombas’ and those who wanted to be ‘goombas’. And why not? They were the rock-stars of middle-school. They were the kids that knew how to dress, how to talk, and how to charm any little girl—and her mama—and to get away with practically anything, anywhere, anytime. They got all the respect.
What yankee-New England, WASP, kid wouldn’t have traded it all to be an Arthur Fonzarelli—‘The Fonz.’ Or a rock-star. Even before we had a Fonzarelli, or even had rock-’n-roll, for that matter.
Heck, we didn’t even have Jimmy Breslin’s delightful, madcap of a book, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (first published in 1969) to use as a guide. But, we would have loved it if we had. It would have been nice to know that Brooklyn was so much like northern Jersey. And that the wannabe wise-guys of Brooklyn, in Breslin’s novel, would all have been, intellectually, ‘right at home’ in the fifth-grade.
Recommendation: TGTCSS is a delightful romp through street-life in Brooklyn’s 1950s Marfia-land. You should read it for the laughs (if you don’t have too many qualms at laughing at the impaired).
A Novel Open Road Media. Kindle Edition, 249 pages.
April 6, 2017
What a hilarious and sad book. The character that I had the most empathy for was the Lion. And I really wanted to know what happened to the lion after they raided Kid Sal's place. I found this book to be as illuminating about the Cosa Nostra in NYC as Mario Puzo's book "The Godfather". The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight was raw and fun, an unlikely juxaposition that worked. To make a wacky book about vicious criminals takes talented writing and Mr. Breslin ably wrote a book of raucous violence. I'll have to reread this again. I look forward to reading more of Jimmy Breslin's writings.
January 1, 2021
This book tells the story of a Mafia lieutenant who wants to become the big boss. So Kid Sally Palumbo gathers together his closest allies and tries to knock off Papa Baccala and take over his gang. As you can tell by the title, things don't go smoothly and there are a lot of funerals for the upstarts.
The most amazing thing about this book is just how well it captures the time it was written. It just reeks of 1960s New York, with bad cops, corrupt officials and Mafia dons. Breslin, of course, followed the maxim of "write what you know" and he knew this turf better than anyone. He had funny swipes at everyone, from the Mayor to newspapers. Every page just drips with small time corruption and grifters trying to grift.
Oh, and it is funny as hell. So many amazingly apt descriptions that make you smile or even break out in laughter. And I am as big a New York City hater as any Boston boy could be, but this was just a delightful read, even today.
The most amazing thing about this book is just how well it captures the time it was written. It just reeks of 1960s New York, with bad cops, corrupt officials and Mafia dons. Breslin, of course, followed the maxim of "write what you know" and he knew this turf better than anyone. He had funny swipes at everyone, from the Mayor to newspapers. Every page just drips with small time corruption and grifters trying to grift.
Oh, and it is funny as hell. So many amazingly apt descriptions that make you smile or even break out in laughter. And I am as big a New York City hater as any Boston boy could be, but this was just a delightful read, even today.
October 28, 2012
Just couldn't get into it. Characters I really couldn't care about and the story was just so all over the place that every time I picked it up I had to remind myself what had happened before.
November 7, 2019
For some reason I found this book delightful. It's quirky, and I just love Jimmy Breslin's style. Fun, fun reading.
March 3, 2023
Not as funny as I thought it would be. It was a bit of a tough read, too....sort of runs on and doesn't always make sense. Glad I tried it, but wouldn't recommend it.
March 21, 2022
Kinda disappointed....can anyone suggest one of his books that was really great and put him on the map to read??? Or was he more held in high esteem for his reporting,and newspaper articles????
Read
June 10, 2009Read the STOP SMILING interview with Jimmy Breslin
GO OUT AND GET A STORY: JIMMY BRESLIN
Interview BY JEREMY SCHAAP
(This interview originally appeared in the 2nd annual STOP SMILING 20 Interviews Issue)
As luxury condos tower over the once-downtrodden Bowery and a billionaire tech mogul reigns over a robust tourist mecca (and toast of the Republican National Convention), the days of the government telling New York City to drop dead are but a footnote to this new, untested era of scorched-earth gentrification. Yet the inequities and injustices of old still persist, even while the voices of dissent in the media are ominously silent (or are preoccupied crafting clever quips in the blogosphere). Then there’s Jimmy Breslin, a torchbearer from the days of big-city print journalism, the quintessential constant in an ever-changing megalopolis. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for multiple outlets, among them the New York Daily News, the same paper responsible for that infamous “Drop Dead” headline in 1977, Breslin earned his readers’ trust — or raised ire — through a time-tested formula: First, the simple dissemination of facts. Then, “somewhere in the middle, rising on strong, steel legs, is an opinion.”
Read the interview...
GO OUT AND GET A STORY: JIMMY BRESLIN
Interview BY JEREMY SCHAAP
(This interview originally appeared in the 2nd annual STOP SMILING 20 Interviews Issue)
As luxury condos tower over the once-downtrodden Bowery and a billionaire tech mogul reigns over a robust tourist mecca (and toast of the Republican National Convention), the days of the government telling New York City to drop dead are but a footnote to this new, untested era of scorched-earth gentrification. Yet the inequities and injustices of old still persist, even while the voices of dissent in the media are ominously silent (or are preoccupied crafting clever quips in the blogosphere). Then there’s Jimmy Breslin, a torchbearer from the days of big-city print journalism, the quintessential constant in an ever-changing megalopolis. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for multiple outlets, among them the New York Daily News, the same paper responsible for that infamous “Drop Dead” headline in 1977, Breslin earned his readers’ trust — or raised ire — through a time-tested formula: First, the simple dissemination of facts. Then, “somewhere in the middle, rising on strong, steel legs, is an opinion.”
Read the interview...
April 21, 2008
It's fiction, so what is the truth contained in the book? I don't know.
Breslin has a fair amount of close knowledge of the mob, and not too high an opinion of it. It's obvious in this fiction, which he says (by way of a recent NPR interview) accurately summarizes the laziness, imprecision, and crass motivations of folks involved in so-called 'organized crime'. If it's organized, according to him, it's organized according to rules of chaos.
The book is a one day read. If you like kind of silly crime novels, and appreciate the lexicon of a true Yankee, this would be a good book to read. In some ways, it's reminiscent of the Foxfire books for hillbillies in that it illustrates some characteristics of lower strata city dwellers and their street smarts.
The book doesn't leave a favorable impression for the mob, but probably paints a reasonably accurate sketch of the majority of its members... mostly average to below-average folks intent on making as easy a living as possible using violence, as necessary to make it happen, and without a lot of concern for the rule of law.
Again, this is a library checkout book, not one to own.
Breslin has a fair amount of close knowledge of the mob, and not too high an opinion of it. It's obvious in this fiction, which he says (by way of a recent NPR interview) accurately summarizes the laziness, imprecision, and crass motivations of folks involved in so-called 'organized crime'. If it's organized, according to him, it's organized according to rules of chaos.
The book is a one day read. If you like kind of silly crime novels, and appreciate the lexicon of a true Yankee, this would be a good book to read. In some ways, it's reminiscent of the Foxfire books for hillbillies in that it illustrates some characteristics of lower strata city dwellers and their street smarts.
The book doesn't leave a favorable impression for the mob, but probably paints a reasonably accurate sketch of the majority of its members... mostly average to below-average folks intent on making as easy a living as possible using violence, as necessary to make it happen, and without a lot of concern for the rule of law.
Again, this is a library checkout book, not one to own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2013
I read this book when it first came out in paperback. A fun, well written comic novel about an inept group of wanna be mafiaosi by a very talented Newspaper writer who knows New York and gangsters deep within the very marrow of his being. These guys are the opposite of the tough guys at the heart of The Godfather saga and rightly so because we can't live in a world where crooks are super smart, super organized and always fatal shots. Breslin tells a tale as true as that of Mario Puzo...and just as delightful.
December 11, 2013
The 1970 saga of two-bit hoods committing the worst crime of all: being dull as dishwater. Kid Sally Palumbo and his gang try (repeatedly) and fail (repeatedly) to take over a rival two-bit hood's hood. A secondary storyline follows Kid Sally's could've-been-interesting-but-ultimately-wasn't sister, Angela, and her inexplicable attraction to a mooch from the Old World. There's also racism, sexism, and animal abuse for those who get their jollies from that.
February 5, 2008
I've read this book at least 7 times.. not sure why (maybe I just like the cover). Mafioso meets the three stooges via Boho-artist styling, set in Brooklyn in the early 80's. With bike racing and lions. funny and comfortable, like that really ugly cardigan you've had for years and wear every winter.
March 3, 2011
This book made me laugh out loud, many times. It puts a whole different perspective on criminals than other books and stories. It repeatedly demonstrates that some people who lead a life of crime are not particularly talented in their vocation. Very funny. I've re-read it in February 2011 and enjoyed it again.
August 29, 2008
Breslin is one of the true all-time heavy weight champions of prose. His fiction reads with the grit and intensity of his journalism. His journalism is an act of tough love for the English language, the human race, and the city he gave everything to.
March 14, 2012
Ditto my comments on Catch 22 - and to add that after the Pastor discovered me reading this on a church sponsored weekend event, it resulted in my suitability for membership being discussed . . . Ahh, such things create memorable moments!
December 16, 2014
An uproarious send-up of the mobster genre and pure bedlam at various points as the rivals try to come to grips, albeit with a little bittersweet ending about the fate of a somewhat honourable man....
December 13, 2008
One of the funniest books I have ever read.
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February 21, 2010 Master columnist Breslin offers another semi fictitious insight into the insane lifestyles of NYC Mafiosi
March 4, 2011
Dated but funny.
May 20, 2011
Fun light read. Less overtly silly than Dave Barry; less concerned with tying every thread together in the same place.
June 4, 2012
It wasn't as funny as I remembered it when I read it back in high school. There are some superior phrase turns, and overall it is a funny (if uneven) story.
October 4, 2012
This is next on my list, I read this book back in the day and i remember laughing out loud on the bus at a lot of spots. Hopefully the Older (and drug free) self will have the same response.
December 19, 2012
A very bitterly funny book.
February 7, 2014
A really fun romp written in a breezy easy style. This is what paperback summer trash reading should be.
June 22, 2021
A fun read filled with laughs. Nothing too heavy or serious but worth a look if you enjoy the gangster genre.
August 2, 2023
Time did not improve this. Stereotypes, sexist, racist, just not funny. DNF.
October 7, 2012
Classic. Love this book.
June 5, 2013
Wacky mafia wiseguys...or not.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews