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Mafia Princess
In an autobiography illustrated with family photographs, the daughter of a gangster once the most powerful Mafia boss west of the Mississippi and an award-winning investigative reporter reveal the day-to-day life of a Mafia family
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 26, 2015
2015 Reading Challenge: A memoir
Al Capone is a name most would know, but Sam Giancana is a man whom I’ve never heard of—yet, Giancana essentially took over Capone’s role as a mafia boss. This nonfiction book is told through the eyes of one of Sam’s daughters, and while it took me some time to read, I was absolutely fascinated by it. They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and that certainly holds true here.
It astonishes me how little Antoinette knew about her father’s mafia life as she was growing up. Reading this book with her looking back on her life under knowledge she learned only later, it’s hard to see how she couldn’t have guessed at what was going on much earlier. Yet, at the same time, with the biased view of the world/news that her family taught her, why would you assume it was true your father was a mafia boss?
It was fascinating to see how much Antoinette’s life was influenced by something she didn’t even know was going on. Antoinette mentions in the Epilogue that she wrote this book to help her try to understand and forgive her father, and that is easy to see in how much she pieced together her life and his, making it easy to see why both of them reacted the way they did.
I’m also amazed at how big of an influence the mafia had in the US and the world (or maybe still has, I don’t know). The mafia is talked about in the Roaring Twenties and with Al Capone, but then American history forgets about them. This book really opened my eyes to periods of history I don’t know much about, and it fascinates me how aware the world seemed to be of Sam but yet how long he was able to evade the Government and how they knew all of this stuff about him but yet were never able to pin him down for anything big.
I think it fascinates me so much just because the mafia is usually presented in almost a mysterious way, where anybody who knows anything is silenced. Yet, that really wasn’t the case.
The biggest thing that surprised me was Frank Sinatra. I’ve never heard anything negative against him, but this book really drags him through the mud. It’s almost a little odd that he had such close connections with the mafia, but yet it’s never talked about. Of course, it sounded like it was the norm during that time for famous people to be connected to the mafia in some way, but Frank was the one who was mentioned time and time again.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a bit of a tough read, with government documents that have a lot of censuring and a narrative that could be a little dry at times, but it really opened my eyes to history and to what it’s really like growing up with a mafia boss for a father. I can’t help but wonder how Antoinette was able to publish this book, with how much it reveals about the mafia and how many names are mentioned, but she is still living today. If you’re interested in learning more about the mafia and what it’s really like to grow up in that world, I definitely recommend this book.
Al Capone is a name most would know, but Sam Giancana is a man whom I’ve never heard of—yet, Giancana essentially took over Capone’s role as a mafia boss. This nonfiction book is told through the eyes of one of Sam’s daughters, and while it took me some time to read, I was absolutely fascinated by it. They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and that certainly holds true here.
It astonishes me how little Antoinette knew about her father’s mafia life as she was growing up. Reading this book with her looking back on her life under knowledge she learned only later, it’s hard to see how she couldn’t have guessed at what was going on much earlier. Yet, at the same time, with the biased view of the world/news that her family taught her, why would you assume it was true your father was a mafia boss?
It was fascinating to see how much Antoinette’s life was influenced by something she didn’t even know was going on. Antoinette mentions in the Epilogue that she wrote this book to help her try to understand and forgive her father, and that is easy to see in how much she pieced together her life and his, making it easy to see why both of them reacted the way they did.
I’m also amazed at how big of an influence the mafia had in the US and the world (or maybe still has, I don’t know). The mafia is talked about in the Roaring Twenties and with Al Capone, but then American history forgets about them. This book really opened my eyes to periods of history I don’t know much about, and it fascinates me how aware the world seemed to be of Sam but yet how long he was able to evade the Government and how they knew all of this stuff about him but yet were never able to pin him down for anything big.
I think it fascinates me so much just because the mafia is usually presented in almost a mysterious way, where anybody who knows anything is silenced. Yet, that really wasn’t the case.
The biggest thing that surprised me was Frank Sinatra. I’ve never heard anything negative against him, but this book really drags him through the mud. It’s almost a little odd that he had such close connections with the mafia, but yet it’s never talked about. Of course, it sounded like it was the norm during that time for famous people to be connected to the mafia in some way, but Frank was the one who was mentioned time and time again.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a bit of a tough read, with government documents that have a lot of censuring and a narrative that could be a little dry at times, but it really opened my eyes to history and to what it’s really like growing up with a mafia boss for a father. I can’t help but wonder how Antoinette was able to publish this book, with how much it reveals about the mafia and how many names are mentioned, but she is still living today. If you’re interested in learning more about the mafia and what it’s really like to grow up in that world, I definitely recommend this book.
June 11, 2018
Scattered memoir combines declassified FBI documents with author Antoinette Giancana’s experiences as a notorious crime boss’s daughter. Far too much emphasis is placed on the FBI’s surveillance of Antoinette’s father Sam at the expense of family drama. Many of the most lurid or melodramatic moments in Antoinette’s life are alluded to, but unfortunately never explored in detail.
Still, this was a sordid and, at times, unintentionally hilarious read. Of particular interest to me, was Sam Giancana’s friendship with Frank Sinatra and, especially, his love affair with singer Phyllis McGuire, including descriptions of her lavish Las Vegas estate and pink(!) Rolls Royce.
One odd and incongruous detail of the book is that it contains no vulgar language; all the foul words have been replaced with blanks. Murder, vice, prostitution, kidnapping and racketeering is one thing, but curse words are quite another!
Still, this was a sordid and, at times, unintentionally hilarious read. Of particular interest to me, was Sam Giancana’s friendship with Frank Sinatra and, especially, his love affair with singer Phyllis McGuire, including descriptions of her lavish Las Vegas estate and pink(!) Rolls Royce.
One odd and incongruous detail of the book is that it contains no vulgar language; all the foul words have been replaced with blanks. Murder, vice, prostitution, kidnapping and racketeering is one thing, but curse words are quite another!
June 21, 2009
There is actually history of racist growth/patterns/experiences in Chicago where Sam Giancana bullied his way into the numbers business and stole if from an African American Numbers man.
It shows just how poor and at the bottom of the totem pole Italians were when they arrived in droves in the late 1800's forward.
It shows just how poor and at the bottom of the totem pole Italians were when they arrived in droves in the late 1800's forward.
November 6, 2019
Wow is all I can say! This book was a “really big deal” when published. Nobody ever talked about mob stuff ever! Shocking and bold. You will never forget it once you read it!
December 5, 2024
Some interesting material through a life filled with pain. Not the best writing.
June 17, 2015
My dad had the hardcover edition on his bookshelf. It seemed a bit out of place among the Bibles, health books, encyclopedias, and various histories lining the shelves. One night, I was maybe 14 years old, I was bored and the book seemed mildly interesting. I ended up staying up all night reading it - it was fascinating! Antoinette Giancana is the daughter of Sam Giancana, boss of the Mafia's Chicago Outfit. She details her upbringing as a young woman in the macho world of organized crime, her physically abusive father, and the blood-thirsty enforcers she only knew as a child as gentle "uncles". An utterly remarkable memoir.
March 15, 2011
A very open, honest and sad memoir about the daughter of Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. Proves that money truly cannot buy happiness or love - even the love of your father.
April 6, 2013
very interesting book once started couldent put down till finished
July 2, 2014
loved it
February 7, 2016
Interesting account of Sam Giancana and his family life. Some glaring omissions like the JFK assassination. All in all entertaining if not especially well written.
September 20, 2016
Reading this book has made me think about a few things...Who do we trust?...I mean really trust in our Government? Is it just me? I am glad I didn't have to row up with all that in my life!
April 22, 2010
A rather dull look into the family life of Sam Giancana.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews