Carneglia used to dye his hair purple and other crazy colors too, he must have been heavy with the drink and drugs then.

Goddamn you crack me up Vinny.

Anyhoo... Five Families. Awsesome book. & Idiots Guide to the Mafia.
I try to get books on as many of the Family's as i can, & to that extant, The Last Mafioso i get into, really for the sheer number of West Coast & Mid Western mobsters identified. I get into Scott Deitch's work on Trafficante & Tampa, a little different from aloth of others in that its mainly a history with there being such little activity for so long. Sadly the only Anastasia Ive got is The Last Gangster, which i thought was great; i think its about time Blood & Honour made its way into my library.

Ive got Family Secrets & Motor City Mafia coming in the mail seriously cant wait. That one on Dallas sounds great, can anyone suggest something on KC? & if there's anything written on Pittsburgh, Buffalo & Rochester etc?

Oh & The Sixth Family. The only thing that sucks about that is when it went to the presses, Rizzuto had just been jailed & they were still in their nadir. Then everything changed so fast!

Ack sorry for the long post but there are so many i really dug, like I Heard You Paint Houses & Gamorra. Midnight in Sicily is not a typical true crime work in that it instead focuses on the nature of Italian politics & how the mafia fitted into it.

There being too many "worst" ones to name, ill say that the majority are, which makes the good ones that much better.

My two favorites are Blood & Honor and Murder Machine. Couple other favorites are Donnie Brasco and The Goodfella Tapes.

Anything by Philip Carlo is garbage...but even with that said I might check out his book on Tommy Pitera.

I wonder if Joey and Anthony have read "Murder Machine" in jail?

Best: I agree with TB/PB--"Five Families," by Selwyn Raab, and "Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life," by Robert Lacey.

Recommendations-Gangs Of New York-by Herbert Asbury, Accardo: The Genuine Godfather by William F. Roemer Jr.

I doubt it, most max federal joints do not have any books related to "true crime". I saw that on an episode MSNBC lockup where they interviewed some low level wanna be wiseguy.

yeah but they let them watch stuff on tv about themselves. i was watching msnbc about bernie madoff and it was saying how he gets a hardon and brags about everytime he gets to see himself on tv

Sonny,

I will have to disagree. Luciano died at the airport trying to sell the movie rights to the book/manuscript. The book is written in Lucianos voice according to his living step brother.

You wonder if Joey and Anthony read Murder Machine? Where do you think Capeci/Mustain got half their info from? According to Roy DeMeo's son, Albert, the Gemini Twins were a major resource for Capeci/Mustain on that book, as was Henry Borelli. Al's argument: They made his father the fall guy -- made him the evil serial killer who hacked up his victims, while giving themselves all lesser roles. Their strategy wasn't a total success, but the biggest spotlight was on Roy, as the leader....Do I know this for certain? Of course not -- but that is what Al wrote in his not-bad book, "For the Sins of My Father." It has the ring of truth if you have read the book. There is info that had to have come from the "inner circle" and not just cokehead Montiglio...

Five Families, I think is the best all-encompassing history of the American Mafia.

No offense, but I prefer the oppinions of Jerry Capeci and other organized crime expert above yours.

The best for me is my first book I read about the Mafia:

The Sicilian Mafia by John Dickie. It explains its origins and what the Mafia is. It has in depth information.

For the worst? I don't have any. Like them all. Every book has certain qualities. And I didn't read any book where info was completely wrong. If that happens then that book will be my worst

There is a footnote in Carlo's new book (reading it...reads like garbage so far) when he is referring to the Galante murder.


*It should be noted here that Richard Kuklinski, aka the Ice Man, would later claim to be involved in the Galante murder, which turned out to be untrue.



You think Phil?

Best.
Quote.
Ever.