In the politically charged years of the early 1980s many immigrants escaped a nightmarish existence under Castro's rule and fled Cuba for America. One immigrant would cut a bloody path of destruction across the Florida landscape in a rampage fueled by drugs, rage and paranoia. In a dark vision of the American Dream gone wrong, Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma created a classic character in Tony Montana in their re-envisioning of the mobster tale Scarface. But Tony Montana's story didn't begin there. In these two new novels from DH Press we will take you inside the life of Montana, going back to the years before his arrival in America to see what events shaped him into the man he became and what dire choices set him on the course of madness that would lead to a carnage-filled conclusion in the streets of Miami. But Tony Montana's story didn't begin there.
L.A. Banks, a native Philadelphian, was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton undergraduate program. With many awards to her credit, Banks also held a masters of fine arts degree in film and media arts from Temple University. She lived in Philadelphia with her family until she passed away on the morning of August 2, 2011.
This must have been one hell of a book to write, Montana being such an iconic character, but it all rings true. From the intelligent pacing to Tony's thought processes, from the political standpoint to the graphic violence, the book works. The book adds to the character's somewhat mythic stature without ever making him seem godly, it's even, realistic and thoughtful. Read the dialogue and you can hear Al Pacino in your head. A huge acomplishment!