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Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia
The riveting, often bloody account of how the fifty-year attack by the federal government virtually extinguished the nation's most powerful crime syndicate
In the critically acclaimed American Mafia , Thomas Reppetto narrated the ferocious ascendancy of organized crime in America. In this fascinating sequel, he follows the mob from its peak into a shadowy period of decline as the government, no longer able to deny its existence, made subduing the Mafia a matter of national priority.
Reppetto draws on a lifetime of field experience to tell the stories of the Mafia's twentieth-century leadership, showing how men such as Sam Giancana and John Gotti became household names. Crusaders like Robert Kennedy led concerted—if sometimes sporadic—attacks against organized crime. As the battles between the feds and the Mafia moved from the streets to the courtrooms, Reppetto describes how it came to resemble a conflict between sovereign powers.
In direct, shoot-from-the-hip prose, Reppetto chronicles a turning point in American Mafia history, and offers the provocative theory that, given the right formula of connections and shrewd business, a new generation of multinational criminals may be poised to take up the Mafia's mantle.
In the critically acclaimed American Mafia , Thomas Reppetto narrated the ferocious ascendancy of organized crime in America. In this fascinating sequel, he follows the mob from its peak into a shadowy period of decline as the government, no longer able to deny its existence, made subduing the Mafia a matter of national priority.
Reppetto draws on a lifetime of field experience to tell the stories of the Mafia's twentieth-century leadership, showing how men such as Sam Giancana and John Gotti became household names. Crusaders like Robert Kennedy led concerted—if sometimes sporadic—attacks against organized crime. As the battles between the feds and the Mafia moved from the streets to the courtrooms, Reppetto describes how it came to resemble a conflict between sovereign powers.
In direct, shoot-from-the-hip prose, Reppetto chronicles a turning point in American Mafia history, and offers the provocative theory that, given the right formula of connections and shrewd business, a new generation of multinational criminals may be poised to take up the Mafia's mantle.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 21, 2013
Dry, but informative.
To cut to the chase, this book covers a lot of ground from the 1950s - present. It covers a plethora of mob history, giving readers more of a brief overview on the cases and legal actions taken to knock down organized crime across the country. Unfortunately, it sacrifices depth into various mob figureheads or organizations in order to achieve this end, resulting in more of a sampler platter of mob history, just barely grazing some of the big names we've heard before. It's still decent though, particularly for those jumping into the wealth of mob history out there. This can be a great starting point.
Reppetto, as a writer, doesn't beat about the bush either. He gets right into it and forgoes artistic liberties others may use to intensify this history. He's a "just the facts, ma'am" kind of guy, and he can come off as a bit dry at times. Still, he knows his stuff and compiles his information well. Then again, what else should we expect from a man who lived this war against the mob?
To cut to the chase, this book covers a lot of ground from the 1950s - present. It covers a plethora of mob history, giving readers more of a brief overview on the cases and legal actions taken to knock down organized crime across the country. Unfortunately, it sacrifices depth into various mob figureheads or organizations in order to achieve this end, resulting in more of a sampler platter of mob history, just barely grazing some of the big names we've heard before. It's still decent though, particularly for those jumping into the wealth of mob history out there. This can be a great starting point.
Reppetto, as a writer, doesn't beat about the bush either. He gets right into it and forgoes artistic liberties others may use to intensify this history. He's a "just the facts, ma'am" kind of guy, and he can come off as a bit dry at times. Still, he knows his stuff and compiles his information well. Then again, what else should we expect from a man who lived this war against the mob?
July 31, 2018
Very dry but extremely jammed pack with all the right info. I read it for research for my fiction WIP which is a mob story. It will help greatly with atmospheric detail, historic accurracy, and character details.
August 5, 2023
Excellent
Very informative and easy to read. Tells everything you need to know both from the days past the nineteen nineties.
Very informative and easy to read. Tells everything you need to know both from the days past the nineteen nineties.
June 27, 2008
Reppetto follows up "American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power" with this survey of post-Apalachin Mob history. Once again, he does a good job summarizing a massive subject, moving from the Apalachin conclave revelations through the exposures of underworld influence in Las Vegas gambling and the Teamsters union to the breakups of international drug conspiracies and the Mafia Commission. Reppetto writes with authority and in a fast-paced style, made necessary by the vastness of his subject.
While this is a fine introductory level primer on the past half-century of American Mafia history, it holds little of value to those better acquainted with Mafia history and it generally leaves less of an impression on the reader than its prequel.
Part of the problem seems to be Reppetto's repeated loss of focus. The thesis of "Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia," expressed in that title and in the book's introduction, is that law enforcement has had successes against organized crime over the past 50 years. But that message is undetectable through several chapters of the book. Its absence in the book's final pages is particularly bothersome, as Reppetto allocates that space to recommendations for greater Mob (not law enforcement) success in the future. It is possible that the book wasn't initially written with that "Bringing Down the Mob" thesis in mind. Readers would be better off ignoring it and approaching this as "American Mafia - Book 2."
Reading is also complicated by some story backtracking, but such things must be expected when a broad and multifaceted subject is dealt with in 300 pages.
All things considered, "Bringing Down the Mob" is a suitable companion volume for Reppetto's earlier work and a good reference for newcomers to the subject.
While this is a fine introductory level primer on the past half-century of American Mafia history, it holds little of value to those better acquainted with Mafia history and it generally leaves less of an impression on the reader than its prequel.
Part of the problem seems to be Reppetto's repeated loss of focus. The thesis of "Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia," expressed in that title and in the book's introduction, is that law enforcement has had successes against organized crime over the past 50 years. But that message is undetectable through several chapters of the book. Its absence in the book's final pages is particularly bothersome, as Reppetto allocates that space to recommendations for greater Mob (not law enforcement) success in the future. It is possible that the book wasn't initially written with that "Bringing Down the Mob" thesis in mind. Readers would be better off ignoring it and approaching this as "American Mafia - Book 2."
Reading is also complicated by some story backtracking, but such things must be expected when a broad and multifaceted subject is dealt with in 300 pages.
All things considered, "Bringing Down the Mob" is a suitable companion volume for Reppetto's earlier work and a good reference for newcomers to the subject.
January 13, 2015
This book had great information, no doubt about that, but it was dry and sometimes difficult to follow, as Repetto would introduce several names and then immediately nicknames for the same people or places in a separate clause without linking them, and then move right along. I guess I would have to say that this is not the place to start unless you are already somewhat acquainted with historical Mafia characters and wish to see the complete broad picture of their downfall.
July 10, 2009
I found it to be a little dry and slow, but then I guess an undercover op to bust the mob is a little slow. And judging from all the paperwork probably a little dry too.
January 15, 2011
Fascinating subject but pretty dry. Reads more like a textbook.
June 24, 2011
Beginning with Appalachin (the beginning of the end, some say, for the mob), this book seeks to chronicle law enforcement's battles with organized crime.
February 5, 2013
great stories depicting how multiple new strategies etc. has weakened the mafia grip, and imprisoned many of its heads
January 18, 2016
It's a bit dry but gives a nice look into the history of how the mob worked and how they got caught.
February 6, 2014
Great study on the efforts to fight organised crime in America.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews