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The First Family
Before the notorious Five Families dominated U.S. organized crime, there was the one-fingered criminal genius Giuseppe Morello and his lethal coterie. Combining first-rate scholarship and pulse-quickening action, Mike Dash brings to life this little-known story, following the rise of the Mafia in America from the 1890s to the 1920s, from the villages of Sicily to the streets of Little Italy. Using an array of primary sources—hitherto untapped Secret Service archives, prison records, and interviews with surviving family members—Dash has written a groundbreaking account of the crucial period when the criminal underworld exploded with fury across the nation.
320 pages, ebook
First published August 4, 2009
151 people are currently reading
3214 people want to read
About the author
Mike Dash
17 books105 followersMike Dash, the author of Tulipomania, Batavia's Graveyard, Thug, Satan's Circus and now The First Family, was born, in 1963, just outside London, and educated at Gatow School, Berlin, Wells Cathedral School, Somerset, and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read history and ran the Cambridge student magazine. From there he moved on to King's College, London, where in 1990 he completed an unusually obscure PhD thesis describing British submarine policy between the Crimean and the First World Wars.
Dash's first job, for which he was thoroughly unqualified, was compiling about a quarter of the entries for Harrap's Dictionary of Business and Finance (1988), a volume that he researched via clandestine meetings in a London Spud-U-Like with a college friend who had gone into banking. From there, he began a six-year career in journalism book-ended by stints as a gossip columnist for Fashion Weekly and a section editor at UK Press Gazette, the journalists' newspaper.
While still at UKPG, Dash took a phone call from John Brown, the maverick publisher of Viz, who asked him to suggest the names of some possible magazine publishers with an editorial background and some knowledge of the newstrade, Unsurprisingly nominating himself, Dash found himself hired to take over the eccentric portfolio of Viz Comic and Gardens Illustrated.
Dash's first book, The Limit (1995), was published by BBC Books and his second, Borderlands (1997) by Heinemann. He has since written five works of historical non fiction, all of them acclaimed for combining detailed original research with a compelling narrative style.
Having written his first three books while still with John Brown Publishing, Dash has been a full-time writer since 2001. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.
'History doesn't get much more readable.'
New York Daily News
'Dash writes with unabashedly cinematic flair, backed by meticulous research.'
New York Times
'Dash captures the reader with narrative based on dogged research, more richly evocative of character and place than any fiction, and so well written he is impossible to put down.'
The Australian
'An indefatigable researcher with a prodigious descriptive flair.'
Sunday Telegraph
'Dash writes the best kind of history: detailed, imaginative storytelling founded on vast knowledge.'
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Dash's first job, for which he was thoroughly unqualified, was compiling about a quarter of the entries for Harrap's Dictionary of Business and Finance (1988), a volume that he researched via clandestine meetings in a London Spud-U-Like with a college friend who had gone into banking. From there, he began a six-year career in journalism book-ended by stints as a gossip columnist for Fashion Weekly and a section editor at UK Press Gazette, the journalists' newspaper.
While still at UKPG, Dash took a phone call from John Brown, the maverick publisher of Viz, who asked him to suggest the names of some possible magazine publishers with an editorial background and some knowledge of the newstrade, Unsurprisingly nominating himself, Dash found himself hired to take over the eccentric portfolio of Viz Comic and Gardens Illustrated.
Dash's first book, The Limit (1995), was published by BBC Books and his second, Borderlands (1997) by Heinemann. He has since written five works of historical non fiction, all of them acclaimed for combining detailed original research with a compelling narrative style.
Having written his first three books while still with John Brown Publishing, Dash has been a full-time writer since 2001. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.
'History doesn't get much more readable.'
New York Daily News
'Dash writes with unabashedly cinematic flair, backed by meticulous research.'
New York Times
'Dash captures the reader with narrative based on dogged research, more richly evocative of character and place than any fiction, and so well written he is impossible to put down.'
The Australian
'An indefatigable researcher with a prodigious descriptive flair.'
Sunday Telegraph
'Dash writes the best kind of history: detailed, imaginative storytelling founded on vast knowledge.'
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
September 29, 2017
The First Family: Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder, and the Birth of the American Mafia
by Mike Dash is a very interesting and sometimes gruesome book but it is also packed full of history. This gives history of the Sicilian life and how and why they moved to America and who and how the American Mafia started here. It also gives great history of early American history of that time. Very, very interesting if you are a history buff like me. This gives great history on not only crime but life in general, poverty, secret service, and more. I really got a lot out of this detailed book.
by Mike Dash is a very interesting and sometimes gruesome book but it is also packed full of history. This gives history of the Sicilian life and how and why they moved to America and who and how the American Mafia started here. It also gives great history of early American history of that time. Very, very interesting if you are a history buff like me. This gives great history on not only crime but life in general, poverty, secret service, and more. I really got a lot out of this detailed book.
October 22, 2014
The author did a great job of researching the origins of the Mafia & this is a great read for anyone who liked The Godfather or The Valachi Papers, which I do (both books & movies). I found a lot of names & situations that I recognized.
Dash has 2 agendas in this history. The first he states from the outset - people think the Mafia started in the 1920's, but it started a generation earlier & he wants to set the record straight. He's done an amazing amount of research to prove his point & does so.
The second agenda is to show that there is nothing romantic about the Mafia. Yes, they came from Sicily, an island people beat into their poor soil by foreign overlords where criminal behavior was often a means of surviving, BUT they preyed on their own & their honor was non-existent. Money, expediency, & power were their prime motives. He shows this through facts, too.
Unfortunately, the weight of all the characters & facts created a morass of them. Dash would pursue one line of reasoning, often taking it far afield in time and space, to good effect, but then he'd go back in logical steps & start over to pursue another, sometimes going sideways into yet another line halfway. Also, the nature of his facts made the narration somewhat uneven. We'd get a lot of information about some things, but just a bare outline & some conjecture on others. This isn't his fault. The information just wasn't there.
I don't know how he could have handled it better & possibly the fault is mine since I couldn't hold all the names & dates in my head properly. The upshot was that I was kind of lost at times, though. It was interesting, but I don't want to listen to it again. Maybe this would have been better as a paper book that I could have flipped back through to make the connections.
Anyway, it was well read & I do recommend it, but bring a notepad.
Dash has 2 agendas in this history. The first he states from the outset - people think the Mafia started in the 1920's, but it started a generation earlier & he wants to set the record straight. He's done an amazing amount of research to prove his point & does so.
The second agenda is to show that there is nothing romantic about the Mafia. Yes, they came from Sicily, an island people beat into their poor soil by foreign overlords where criminal behavior was often a means of surviving, BUT they preyed on their own & their honor was non-existent. Money, expediency, & power were their prime motives. He shows this through facts, too.
Unfortunately, the weight of all the characters & facts created a morass of them. Dash would pursue one line of reasoning, often taking it far afield in time and space, to good effect, but then he'd go back in logical steps & start over to pursue another, sometimes going sideways into yet another line halfway. Also, the nature of his facts made the narration somewhat uneven. We'd get a lot of information about some things, but just a bare outline & some conjecture on others. This isn't his fault. The information just wasn't there.
I don't know how he could have handled it better & possibly the fault is mine since I couldn't hold all the names & dates in my head properly. The upshot was that I was kind of lost at times, though. It was interesting, but I don't want to listen to it again. Maybe this would have been better as a paper book that I could have flipped back through to make the connections.
Anyway, it was well read & I do recommend it, but bring a notepad.
October 25, 2009
The Mafia is one of those organizations that Hollywood and the media have turned into a household name. Its current public face is the fictional Tony Soprano. The closing years of the nineteenth century and the dawning of the twentieth were the halcyon days of Giuseppe Morello, who was known to cop and criminal alike as ‘the Clutch Hand’ because of a deformed arm. The nickname could just as well have derived from his talent for seizing any opportunity to make crime pay.
Mike Dash has written an engrossing account of Morello’s ascendancy from the dusty streets of his native Corleone, Sicily to the saloons and tenements of New York, where he became the much-feared boss of the Italian-dominated rackets. He counterfeited American and Canadian currency, masterminded insurance scams, and unleashed Black Hand terror on his frightened countrymen, all the while building and strengthening a gang that became the first organized crime family. Morello’s vicious rule encompassed some of the most sensational examples of mob violence in the city’s history, such as the Barrel Murder of 1903 and the Masseria-Maranzano war of Sicilian succession. The ageing Clutch Hand served as advisor to Joe ‘the Boss’ Masseria in the latter conflict, and was killed by Maranzano gunmen in August 1930.
As with his previous books, Dash focuses on primary sources, such as the records of the U.S. Secret Service (which tracked Morello during his counterfeiting days) and the memoirs of its New York bureau chief, William Flynn, who pursued the Clutch Hand’s gang as doggedly as another legendary mob-buster, NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino (whose war with the Mafia and brutal murder are both covered in detail). Chilling anecdotes mingle with archival evidence to tell a story that rivals the best crime fiction.
The First Family is one of the finest accounts of the Mafia’s shady and bloody beginnings. Those who enjoyed this book are advised to also read Thomas Hunt and Martha Machecha Sheldon’s Deep Water, which is a similarly authoritative and original treatment of the 1890 assassination of New Orleans police chief David Hennessy, which was America’s first widely publicized Mafia hit.
Mike Dash has written an engrossing account of Morello’s ascendancy from the dusty streets of his native Corleone, Sicily to the saloons and tenements of New York, where he became the much-feared boss of the Italian-dominated rackets. He counterfeited American and Canadian currency, masterminded insurance scams, and unleashed Black Hand terror on his frightened countrymen, all the while building and strengthening a gang that became the first organized crime family. Morello’s vicious rule encompassed some of the most sensational examples of mob violence in the city’s history, such as the Barrel Murder of 1903 and the Masseria-Maranzano war of Sicilian succession. The ageing Clutch Hand served as advisor to Joe ‘the Boss’ Masseria in the latter conflict, and was killed by Maranzano gunmen in August 1930.
As with his previous books, Dash focuses on primary sources, such as the records of the U.S. Secret Service (which tracked Morello during his counterfeiting days) and the memoirs of its New York bureau chief, William Flynn, who pursued the Clutch Hand’s gang as doggedly as another legendary mob-buster, NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino (whose war with the Mafia and brutal murder are both covered in detail). Chilling anecdotes mingle with archival evidence to tell a story that rivals the best crime fiction.
The First Family is one of the finest accounts of the Mafia’s shady and bloody beginnings. Those who enjoyed this book are advised to also read Thomas Hunt and Martha Machecha Sheldon’s Deep Water, which is a similarly authoritative and original treatment of the 1890 assassination of New Orleans police chief David Hennessy, which was America’s first widely publicized Mafia hit.
February 19, 2011
There have been many stories written concerning "The Mafia". Most of these books pick up the story of the Mafia around the 1920's to the present day.
Mike Dash has put together the story of the Mafia from its very beginnings around 1890 thru 1920's. The story begins with the formation of lawless groups on the island of Sicily. These groups migrated to the United States for one of two reasons. The living conditions were so bad on Sicily that the United States looked like a paradise, or the Italian Police were getting close to an arrest and flight to the United States was the best option.
The first "Don" or "a capo di tutti capi" was Giuseppe Morello. One would not believe in looking at Giuseppe that he personally committed two murders and ordered (at least) sixty more. Giuseppe had a deformed hand that gave him the nickname of "The Clutch Hand".
The early crimes committed by the Mafia were small scams from the protection racket to counterfeiting. Dash also points out that these crimes were mostly committed against their fellow Italians. It was only in the later years of Morello's life that they became involved in bigger crimminal enterprises.
The book, although it does concentrate on the Mafia, does tell they story of those who attempted to bring them to justice. There is the heartbreaking story of Joe Petrosimo who bravely fought the Mafia in New York for years, only to be killed by them in Sicily where he was putting together a list of Italian criminals that moved to the United States.
Most of the book takes place in "Little Italy" in New York. However, to show the outreaching tentacles of the Mafia tells of their involvement in cities such as: Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago, and Kansas City.
"The First Family" is an excellent read and deals with a little known part of our history and the history of the Mafia. Dash has used an array of primary souces to substantiate his story that he has indicated in his "notes" at the end of the book.
Mike Dash has put together the story of the Mafia from its very beginnings around 1890 thru 1920's. The story begins with the formation of lawless groups on the island of Sicily. These groups migrated to the United States for one of two reasons. The living conditions were so bad on Sicily that the United States looked like a paradise, or the Italian Police were getting close to an arrest and flight to the United States was the best option.
The first "Don" or "a capo di tutti capi" was Giuseppe Morello. One would not believe in looking at Giuseppe that he personally committed two murders and ordered (at least) sixty more. Giuseppe had a deformed hand that gave him the nickname of "The Clutch Hand".
The early crimes committed by the Mafia were small scams from the protection racket to counterfeiting. Dash also points out that these crimes were mostly committed against their fellow Italians. It was only in the later years of Morello's life that they became involved in bigger crimminal enterprises.
The book, although it does concentrate on the Mafia, does tell they story of those who attempted to bring them to justice. There is the heartbreaking story of Joe Petrosimo who bravely fought the Mafia in New York for years, only to be killed by them in Sicily where he was putting together a list of Italian criminals that moved to the United States.
Most of the book takes place in "Little Italy" in New York. However, to show the outreaching tentacles of the Mafia tells of their involvement in cities such as: Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago, and Kansas City.
"The First Family" is an excellent read and deals with a little known part of our history and the history of the Mafia. Dash has used an array of primary souces to substantiate his story that he has indicated in his "notes" at the end of the book.
August 25, 2017
Fairly interesting book about the history of the Mafia in the United States. At times it was hard to keep track of all the characters and how they were inter-related, and I still do not take to the writing style of the author (this is the second book in a row I've read by him). But some of the stories related in the book are fascinating. One interesting "tidbit" I learned was that the beginnings of the Mafia can be traced to the city of Corleone in Sicily, and Corleone was the name of the family in "The Godfather."
October 24, 2019
This book exceeded my expectations. It was very well researched and it brings some people who have always been depicted in a rather one dimensional way into sharper focus. People like Giuseppe Morello and Ignazio Lupo. You get a sense of their
lives, thinking, motives and emotions. Dash also eliminates mob mythology, the myths that seem to recur in many earlier books, often presented as fact, when in fact they are suppositions, suspicions, deductions, or simply there to sensationalize. Thus we find (for one example) that there is no basis for placing Charles Luciano at the scene of the Masseria murder. No Ace of Spades in Masseria's hand. The book goes back much further than that, beginning in the late 1800s and the first wave of Italian immigration, particulary in New York and New Orleans.
lives, thinking, motives and emotions. Dash also eliminates mob mythology, the myths that seem to recur in many earlier books, often presented as fact, when in fact they are suppositions, suspicions, deductions, or simply there to sensationalize. Thus we find (for one example) that there is no basis for placing Charles Luciano at the scene of the Masseria murder. No Ace of Spades in Masseria's hand. The book goes back much further than that, beginning in the late 1800s and the first wave of Italian immigration, particulary in New York and New Orleans.
August 27, 2009
This was a pretty slow read, but I really enjoyed this book and can see myself going back to is as a reference in the future.
I found it peculiar towards the end of the book, when I found myself almost rooting for the original boss of bosses "Clutch Hand" Morello. I even felt sorry for some of the impoverished endings that some of the bosses lived to see.
All in all, Mike Dash did a wonderful job, and I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the first authoratative book on the less-known about history of American mafia!
I found it peculiar towards the end of the book, when I found myself almost rooting for the original boss of bosses "Clutch Hand" Morello. I even felt sorry for some of the impoverished endings that some of the bosses lived to see.
All in all, Mike Dash did a wonderful job, and I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the first authoratative book on the less-known about history of American mafia!
August 15, 2011
This book was really interesting and reads at some points like a novel, almost like Mario Puzo. You can see how fictional material like Puzo's derives from real life. I find it interesting how leaders are made in all walks of life, and with this book, you can see that certain qualities like determination and ruthlessness are needed for success.
November 1, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this one. It covered a period in mafia history I knew almost nothing about. I also liked all the little insights the author included from Joe Bonanno. I was surprised to learn that a "commission" existed in some form decades before the 1930s. Lots of information to process but well worth it in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2021
Kinda boring tbh
December 20, 2010
Really enjoyed this book. I did not have much knowledge about the early days of the Mafia in America and much of what I know and have heard of the Mafia comes from fiction and Hollywood. However, this book discusses the very real saga of the Mafia in the early 20th century, and how the first real Mafia Boss make his impact in America. Guseippe Morello is not necessarily a household name now, but a century ago, he was as powerful a criminal as there was in the States. While he is not quite the real-life personification of the Godfather, he was no less powerful or ruthless. What also struck me about this book is just how powerful the Mafia was in Sciliy and in some respect, how the Mafia has impacted Sciliy might be a vision of how the current drug bosses impact Mexico. Still, for anyone that likes history or even fictional novels about the mob, I would highly recommend this book
October 7, 2009
This is a remarkable and highly readable history of the Mafia's arrival on these shores. Think 1900 and forget all the Five Families --that's much, much later. The author, who is a historian, did an incredible job of actually building a narrative. There was even a heroic detective who relentlessly tracked down the bad guys. Why don't we think of the Mafia starting this early? Because it only existed in the Little Italy's of cities and preyed on its own. The first don/godfather or whatever you want to call him did come from Corleone and made sure his lieutenants did too. Incredibly thorough and well-researched. The author takes great care to let us know how and when all the players (cops too) died. What a treat not to be left hanging.
July 11, 2009
I found this book to be extrodinarily revealing about the initial family of organized crime: The American Mafia. I certainly took this book seriously from the first few pages to the thrilling end. The books gruesome but in-your-face cover certainly grabs my attention automatically. This book is exciting but definately not for the faint hearted. Happy reading!
February 10, 2010
Very, very detailed history of the very first, "First Family" of the Mafia. Fascinating.
December 31, 2009
This is a great read about the history of the Mafia, beginning with it's origins in Sicily. It documents the first crime families from the late 1800's to the history well know.
September 25, 2010
Very interesting book, especially as it was based all on primary sources.
May 8, 2024
🎶dying by the hand of a foreign man, happily🎶 sorry there were like 500 different dudes names Salvatore in this book so I’ve had this song stuck in my head for weeks.
Anyway this was an interesting overview of the birth of the American Mafia, so if that interests you I’d check it out (if you are a lover of mafia romance I’d check it out, it might ruin them for you lol!). It also talks about immigration and NYC life in the turn of the century, which I found super interesting as well. Immigration had always been a hot mess in the US then, huh.
also I didn’t know how the mafia started originally, and the fact that it was originally created kinda of in the same vein as the KKK and other now infamous organizations as a way to fight oppression and help the little guy, but then evolved into a crime filled murderous nightmare is unsurprising. I will forever be convinced that poverty is the root of most crime, if people don’t feel that they have opportunities, then they will seek other means of making money!
Though on a serious note, fuck the mafia and the majority of these men. Like, was it even worth it? Killing and threatening people into giving you their hard earned money, only to meet a violent or obscure end yourself? When you could’ve just gotten a normal job? One where you don’t have to worry if you’ll get “whacked” the next day? These dudes got what was coming to them, imho.
Rant ahead:
People like to accuse readers of said mafia romances of “romanticizing” orgs like the mob, biker gangs, etc. but the people I see truly “romanticizing” or “glorifying” them are those dumbass alpha male dudes I see on TT and Instagram. They take what is supposed to be an incredibly nuanced but overall bad person character like Tony Soprano or Walter White and put them on a pedestal like they’re some badasses and completely miss the writer’s points with these characters. These dudes do this with Goodfellas, the Godfather, Peaky Blinders, Sons of Anarchy, etc, all of which are media that anyone with two brain cells can tell that these are not men to be emulated. Yet female readers get so much shit online for enjoying a mafia or another bad boy romance novel every now and then, which the way I see it, is just enjoying a fantasy. Sure we all think Jax Teller is hot, but would we want to actually date someone like that irl? I wouldn’t lol!
Anyway my point is I hate people who assume a romance novel = romanticize, and mafia bad IRL but also if you enjoy mafia romances, that doesn’t equal glorifying the real life org!
Anyway this was an interesting overview of the birth of the American Mafia, so if that interests you I’d check it out (if you are a lover of mafia romance I’d check it out, it might ruin them for you lol!). It also talks about immigration and NYC life in the turn of the century, which I found super interesting as well. Immigration had always been a hot mess in the US then, huh.
also I didn’t know how the mafia started originally, and the fact that it was originally created kinda of in the same vein as the KKK and other now infamous organizations as a way to fight oppression and help the little guy, but then evolved into a crime filled murderous nightmare is unsurprising. I will forever be convinced that poverty is the root of most crime, if people don’t feel that they have opportunities, then they will seek other means of making money!
Though on a serious note, fuck the mafia and the majority of these men. Like, was it even worth it? Killing and threatening people into giving you their hard earned money, only to meet a violent or obscure end yourself? When you could’ve just gotten a normal job? One where you don’t have to worry if you’ll get “whacked” the next day? These dudes got what was coming to them, imho.
Rant ahead:
People like to accuse readers of said mafia romances of “romanticizing” orgs like the mob, biker gangs, etc. but the people I see truly “romanticizing” or “glorifying” them are those dumbass alpha male dudes I see on TT and Instagram. They take what is supposed to be an incredibly nuanced but overall bad person character like Tony Soprano or Walter White and put them on a pedestal like they’re some badasses and completely miss the writer’s points with these characters. These dudes do this with Goodfellas, the Godfather, Peaky Blinders, Sons of Anarchy, etc, all of which are media that anyone with two brain cells can tell that these are not men to be emulated. Yet female readers get so much shit online for enjoying a mafia or another bad boy romance novel every now and then, which the way I see it, is just enjoying a fantasy. Sure we all think Jax Teller is hot, but would we want to actually date someone like that irl? I wouldn’t lol!
Anyway my point is I hate people who assume a romance novel = romanticize, and mafia bad IRL but also if you enjoy mafia romances, that doesn’t equal glorifying the real life org!
November 29, 2016
Dash traces the history of the Mafia in New York from its early beginning in Sicily to the 1890's through the 1930's. Dash's book is an authoritative piece, and debunks the myth that the rise of gangs and mafiosos started during Prohibition. The Morello family in particular is the focus of this book and the supposed originators of organized crime in the United States. The book details the lives of Guiseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello, Ignazio "the Wolf" Lupo, Nicolo Terranova, and Joseph Perriano and their rather humble beginnings of counterfeiting and the Italian lottery to the more sinister crimes of racketeering (everything from ice to coal to artichokes), murder, and extortion. Dash is sure to include the biographies of the intrepid Secret Service agent Peter Flynn who helped bring the mobsters down and the unfortunate if at times bumbling NYPD detective Joseph Petrosino who met his fate in Sicily while trying to take on the Mafia. This book also covers the rise of the other Five Families and the Castellammarese War. While this is authoritative and a solid history of organized crime in New York and the United States, this book has a ton of moving parts and characters. The Sicilian characters with difficult names/nicknames were frequent and were just as quickly killed off leaving the reader a little lost sometimes about what was going on. The Epilogue is ridiculously long and actually detracts from the history in a lot of ways, detailing other mobsters and families that appeared later and only barely tied in to the Morello story. While it's nice to know the aftermath of several of the key players, there is a lot of unneeded fluff to, what I believe, impress upon the reader that Dash knows the history of all of the Mafia families and not just the Morello family syndicate. Thus, for the reasons of it being a bit of a jumbled mess at times and for the rather long ending that is at times questionably related, I can only give this book 3 stars.
January 20, 2024
Here's a subject I had never investigated before. Though of course I've seen movies and TV shows about the famous crime families, Dash's book fills in a lot of the history, with a heavy concentration on the first two decades of the 20th Century.
The Mafia itself started sometime in the 19th Century in Sicily, and may have begun as a fraternal organization that turned to crime as it became available and practical for its members. One Giuseppe Morello was involved in the criminal aspects in the 1880s and 90s, and he skipped to America when he was involved in a murder. In New York City, he wound up rising to become the Boss of Bosses, and was the first American to really organize crime, though it was almost always Italians preying on Italians at the time.
This book crossed over with Empire of Sin by Gary Krist, which I read last month. The murder of a New Orleans police commissioner was orchestrated by Mafia figures, and led to a large-scale lynching of people suspected of being involved. This was the first time most Americans heard anything about the Mafia, but it was still operating at a much lower level than the crime families that would become familiar.
Extortion, counterfeiting and gambling seemed to be the biggest rackets in the early years of the 20th Century - artichokes were a primary source of income. Murders became more and more common after the famous Barrel Murder in 1903 - as the book goes on, it becomes more and more obvious that everybody involved in these families was likely to be bumped off sooner or later. It's not easy to keep all the names straight, but Dash's research into a subject which, by its nature, was largely secretive is exhaustive. He follows the evolving Mafia until the death of Morello in 1930, and has an epilogue detailing the fates of all the other figures who had survived to that point.
The Mafia itself started sometime in the 19th Century in Sicily, and may have begun as a fraternal organization that turned to crime as it became available and practical for its members. One Giuseppe Morello was involved in the criminal aspects in the 1880s and 90s, and he skipped to America when he was involved in a murder. In New York City, he wound up rising to become the Boss of Bosses, and was the first American to really organize crime, though it was almost always Italians preying on Italians at the time.
This book crossed over with Empire of Sin by Gary Krist, which I read last month. The murder of a New Orleans police commissioner was orchestrated by Mafia figures, and led to a large-scale lynching of people suspected of being involved. This was the first time most Americans heard anything about the Mafia, but it was still operating at a much lower level than the crime families that would become familiar.
Extortion, counterfeiting and gambling seemed to be the biggest rackets in the early years of the 20th Century - artichokes were a primary source of income. Murders became more and more common after the famous Barrel Murder in 1903 - as the book goes on, it becomes more and more obvious that everybody involved in these families was likely to be bumped off sooner or later. It's not easy to keep all the names straight, but Dash's research into a subject which, by its nature, was largely secretive is exhaustive. He follows the evolving Mafia until the death of Morello in 1930, and has an epilogue detailing the fates of all the other figures who had survived to that point.
September 29, 2024
A good book, providing a detailed history of the first known instances of the Mafia in America. The author, journalist and historian Mike Dash, delivers a meticulously researched account of Giuseppe Morello, the leader of a Sicilian mafia family in the early 20th century, and offers a comprehensive look at the origins and evolution of the Mafia in America. Dash begins by tracing the roots of the Mafia in Sicily, providing context for its emergence and the cultural and social factors that shaped its development. He then follows the migration of these criminal elements to America, detailing how Morello and his associates established their operations in New York City. Dash highlights the efforts of police and legal authorities to dismantle Morello’s operations, showcasing both their successes and the limitations they encountered. The book concludes with an insightful analysis of the transformation of the Mafia from its Sicilian and southern Italian roots to the more structured and widespread organized crime syndicates familiar today. Dash explains how the Mafia adapted to changing social and economic conditions, expanding its influence and operations across the United States. A good book for understanding how criminal elements can flow from one country to another. Highly recommended for those seeking to understand the origins and evolution of the American Mafia.
August 21, 2025
Encontré este libro entre las cosas de mi hermano mayor y me llamó la atención su portada: explícita, aterradora y real (un hombre asesinado sobre una mesa).
La obra narra la trayectoria de la familia Morello–Terranova, en paralelo con la formación de la Mafia en la ciudad de Nueva York. Me resultó interesante y sumamente enriquecedor conocer la historia detrás de una figura tan problemática y discutida como Giuseppe Morello, así como entender la genealogía de la violencia desde Sicilia y su traslado a Estados Unidos.
También me permitió comprender la problemática de la falsificación y el trasfondo de la extorsión, y cómo, en una sociedad profundamente desigual, la justicia es ejercida por actores ilegales a través de la violencia.
Disfruté la lectura; aunque el libro está poblado de cientos de personajes, ofrece un valioso retrato de la ciudad construida por los propios migrantes.
PD: el libro inicia con un proverbio siciliano que resume, en gran parte, lo que expone el autor: «Entre la ley y la Mafia, no es a la ley a la que más hay que temer». 🔪🛢️
La obra narra la trayectoria de la familia Morello–Terranova, en paralelo con la formación de la Mafia en la ciudad de Nueva York. Me resultó interesante y sumamente enriquecedor conocer la historia detrás de una figura tan problemática y discutida como Giuseppe Morello, así como entender la genealogía de la violencia desde Sicilia y su traslado a Estados Unidos.
También me permitió comprender la problemática de la falsificación y el trasfondo de la extorsión, y cómo, en una sociedad profundamente desigual, la justicia es ejercida por actores ilegales a través de la violencia.
Disfruté la lectura; aunque el libro está poblado de cientos de personajes, ofrece un valioso retrato de la ciudad construida por los propios migrantes.
PD: el libro inicia con un proverbio siciliano que resume, en gran parte, lo que expone el autor: «Entre la ley y la Mafia, no es a la ley a la que más hay que temer». 🔪🛢️
May 14, 2025
The author did a solid job of showing that the roots of the American Mafia go back considerably deeper than popularly thought--it didn't just spring up in the Thirties. I found his tracing of Sicilian life, poverty and general culture brought about such deep suspicion and resentment of authority figures fascinating. He also traces how the harsh repression and poverty experienced by Sicilians encouraged a lawbreaking culture.
At times I felt this lingered overly long on specific people and delved deeply into their lives. There are as one reviewer noted, a large cast of characters and you do have to keep abreast of who's being discussed.
Overall, interesting and best in the early background information.
At times I felt this lingered overly long on specific people and delved deeply into their lives. There are as one reviewer noted, a large cast of characters and you do have to keep abreast of who's being discussed.
Overall, interesting and best in the early background information.
April 11, 2018
Very interesting book, and, I would like to believe, very factual (I didn't research the sources; I am deducing this from how well the story is presented).
My issues with it are personal. There are so many characters (as there should be) and the majority are Italian names. I am older, and this was definitely a memory and pronunciation test. I think that due to the layout of the book (the beginning pages are lists of characters with a short text after each name), I freaked, thinking I needed to remember what I was reading to enjoy the rest of the book. A new reader may want to skip the name lists and consult it after reading the book. I don't think it would take away from the enjoyment.
My issues with it are personal. There are so many characters (as there should be) and the majority are Italian names. I am older, and this was definitely a memory and pronunciation test. I think that due to the layout of the book (the beginning pages are lists of characters with a short text after each name), I freaked, thinking I needed to remember what I was reading to enjoy the rest of the book. A new reader may want to skip the name lists and consult it after reading the book. I don't think it would take away from the enjoyment.
January 7, 2018
One of the best books on the subject. The author took painstaking lengths to uncover information that, to my knowledge, isn’t available anywhere else. As an example, he collaborated with record holders in Sicily to discover Giuseppe Morello’s birthdate, which was beforehand unknown to both his family and American law enforcement. This book is an example of exemplary research and journalism, but it really does read as entertaining as a novel. “The First Family” was a consent resource for me as I was researching my next book, and I will continue to use it in the future.
April 10, 2019
It was hard to keep track of certain people in the book, partly because they had such similar names, and partly because there was such little introduction to characters. I also felt like the last few chapters were very rushed. I did really enjoy how thoroughly the detectives were written about, I felt like they got the introductions and details that were lacking in some others. The book was full of interesting information that I had no idea about so I came away feeling like I learned something.
August 11, 2019
Well researched and well-written.
Things I found interesting:
• newspaper quotes from the turn of the 20th century characterizing Sicilians as uniformly nefarious brown criminals (sounds familiar)
• you can dress it up in as much gold-toned cinema as you like, but Mafiosi preyed on chiefly their own community and there’s nothing noble about it
• the author succeeds in making “this mafia boss was killed, his killer replaced him, his killer was then killed, and then that guy also died horribly soon thereafter” actually engaging
Things I found interesting:
• newspaper quotes from the turn of the 20th century characterizing Sicilians as uniformly nefarious brown criminals (sounds familiar)
• you can dress it up in as much gold-toned cinema as you like, but Mafiosi preyed on chiefly their own community and there’s nothing noble about it
• the author succeeds in making “this mafia boss was killed, his killer replaced him, his killer was then killed, and then that guy also died horribly soon thereafter” actually engaging
June 11, 2025
I applaud the massive effort needed to bring the story of pre-Prohibition mafia to light. However, like a number of historians before him, Dash misses the forest for the trees. There are a number of compelling stories in this book, and it would have been greatly improved if Dash could have stayed focus on just two or three. Instead, we drown in names, dates, backstories, real estate developments, how to make a barrel, etc. There are still some very exciting moments in this history, but the vast majority of the reading felt too much like a chore.
October 15, 2018
This narrative history of the birth of the American branch of the Mafia during the years between 1892 and 1930 reveals the rise of a criminal organization that made its way from the lawless villages of Sicily to the streets of Little Italy in New York, and eventually seeped it way across America. The leader behind this criminal empire: Giuseppe "The Clutch Hand" Morello, and his horde of brutal and ruthless, sworn in the blood, followers.
November 10, 2016
History of initial Mafia activities in the US, told a little too much like a novel - some details he presents from the late 1800's can't possibly be based on fact. However, there is no question that organized crime was indeed introduced by Sicilian Italians, and it was interesting that New Orleans was a significant early major center for criminal activity.
February 24, 2018
Good history of the start of the Mafia in America
Very interesting history of the start of the Mafia at the turn of the century. I could see where The Godfather and movies like Goodfellas got there inspiration. Found it interesting that the first groups that organized came from Corleone a town in Sicily. Worth the read
Very interesting history of the start of the Mafia at the turn of the century. I could see where The Godfather and movies like Goodfellas got there inspiration. Found it interesting that the first groups that organized came from Corleone a town in Sicily. Worth the read
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