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"What I am about to share with you has never been told by anyone who actually attended the Commission meetings. A story that I authorized to be published only after my death". (Bill Bonanno). Born into a powerful mob family and married into another, Salvatore 'Bill' Bonanno was privy to a private world that existed just outside the law for decades in America - a world ruled by the tenets of loyalty, secrecy, brotherhood, and survival at any cost: the Mafia. The son of Joe Bonanno-the Godfather-like head, or Rappresentante, of one of the original five crime families - Bill Bonanno came of age in the Golden Age of the Mafia. As the family's trusted Consigliere, he witnessed the unspeakable. He participated in cloistered acts of initiation. He spoke the language of violence and hierarchy, Sicilian history and familial ties that bind until death. He knew the untold secrets of the Commission meetings - where they were held, who attended, what security was required, how business was conducted, and what issues were discussed - secrets that could never be revealed until now. In his waning years, Bill realized that these secrets, the details, stories, and images - which he had meticulously kept from his own memoir "Bound by Honor" as well as Gay Talese's acclaimed chronicle of the Bonanno family, "Honor Thy Father" - would disappear with his passing. So with the help of author Gary Abromovitz, Bill composed a true last testament, a comprehensive opus that would finally unburden him of years of hidden truths - a project that can only now be published after Bill's death.
About the Author
Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno (1932 -2008) was the son of Joseph Bonanno, the head of the powerful Bonanno crime family. He was appointed by his father to the second most powerful position in the Bonanno crime family in the mid-1960s. He was the author of Bound by Honor, and co-author of the novel The Good Guys with Joseph Pistone and David Fisher. Bonanno also collaborated with Gay Talese on Honor Thy Father, a non-fiction chronicle of the Bonanno family. Bonanno died in 2008 at the age of 75.
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9 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Amazingly engaging and personal
16 Sep 2011
Format:Paperback
It not just another mafia "story", but 1st hand insight on a Sicilian/Italian culture that shaped American history. Amazingly engaging and personal.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Interesting within its inherent limitations
26 Oct 2011
Format:Paperback
Another reviewer has pointed out a variety of mistakes in this book, and people who have read a lot more Mafia books may not find much new or interesting in here. It is of course mostly a self-serving whitewash; Bonanno never mentions the name Don Bolles, the Arizona reporter blown up for looking into Mafia and Bonanno family activity in the area. Nor does he actually admit to any other serious crime.
What I learned from this book is that the Mafia is very much the product of American society and has changed as American society has changed. Bonanno belabors the fact that as Sicilians became Americanized they followed the traditions less. But this was inevitable; the Mafia got established in an environment where immigrants were ignorant and easily intimidated, and law enforcement was very corrupt. The Wagner Act, giving unions real legal status and protection, wasn't passed until the 30's; after that the need for unions to work with gangsters was greatly diminished. The Depression and World War II froze social change for awhile but as people became more sophisticated and mobile the old traditions had less grip on people.
What I learned from this book is that the Mafia is very much the product of American society and has changed as American society has changed. Bonanno belabors the fact that as Sicilians became Americanized they followed the traditions less. But this was inevitable; the Mafia got established in an environment where immigrants were ignorant and easily intimidated, and law enforcement was very corrupt. The Wagner Act, giving unions real legal status and protection, wasn't passed until the 30's; after that the need for unions to work with gangsters was greatly diminished. The Depression and World War II froze social change for awhile but as people became more sophisticated and mobile the old traditions had less grip on people.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Comprehensive history of Mafia
13 Sep 2011
Format:Paperback
To understand American history in the 20th century it is vital to understand the Mafia. In this treatise we look beyond the facade of sensationalism and myth. Before reading this book I had little understanding of the driving forces behind this important part of Americana. I found it fascinating to read about the commission and how it governed the various families. I let a friend read out of the book and he could hardly put it down. He intends to purchased the book as well. This gives an insight into the motivations and driving forces that shaped this history. I found myself reading this book late into the night. In the first of the book it gives this history of how the Mafia started and how it spread into the USA. I recommend this book to someone who wants to get a better understanding of the Mafia and its widespread influence in the 20th century.
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