- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: HarperPerennial (31 Dec 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060930969
- ISBN-13: 978-0060930967
- Product Dimensions: 20.5 x 13.6 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 922,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
‘Centring around family, greed, power and death, the real world of the Mafia is just as brutal and compelling as it seemed in the hugely successful Godfather movies.’
Daily Mirror
‘Brilliantly constructed and grimly fascinating.’
New York Times Book Review
Product Description
The explosive story of Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano’s life in the Mafia
Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano is the highest-ranking member of the Mafia in America to break the blood oath of silence and testify against his boss, John Gotti, leader of the famous organized crime mob, the Gambino family. Gravano’s testimony in March 1992 was critical to the final conviction of Gotti – known up to that point as the ‘Teflon Don’ for his uncanny ability to escape conviction – as well as many other underworld figures. Today, John Gotti is serving life in prison without parole, and as a direct result of Gravano’s testimony, the Mafia was gravely compromised.
In Underboss, Peter Maas takes the reader into the innermost sanctums of organized crime. Quoting extensively from exclusive interviews with Gravano, he documents his colourful life story, growing up in an underworld of power, greed, betrayal and honour, with the spectre of violent death ever present, eventually rising through the ranks to become the Number Two in the notorious Gambino Mafia family.
This is the inside story of the world’s most powerful criminal organization, told from its very heart. Through Gravano’s life story, the book reveals how the Mafia exerted its grip on power in the 1970s and 80s, using racketeering, threats, beatings, murders and executions to achieve control. But the Mafia also worked to its own codes of ‘honour’, codes which Gravano himself was to turn against the organization, providing a compelling twist to his compulsive story.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
"YEAH, YOU COULD SAY I CAME FROM A PRETTY TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD," Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano said. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
"YEAH, YOU COULD SAY I CAME FROM A PRETTY TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD," Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano said. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Peter Maas does an excellent job of intertwining Salvatore Gravano's dialogue with his own informative writing. Every chapter is compelling; the story tells like a "Goodfellas" tale from the eyes of a made guy (Henry Hill was never, and could never be made, since his father was Irish).
"The Bull" makes clear his attraction of "The Life" was the honour, living and dying by the codes of Omerta and yet he broke a large number of these very codes. Most were quite understandable, but the major and most interesting defection perhaps is harder to understand. Thus newspapers at the time reported on how sad it was that Sammy had turned rat. Sammy explains the situations leading to his "change of governments" but does not explain specifically, in his own words, why he did this or what was going through his mind at the time. This, I would have liked to have read more about.
Gravano's tales seem mostly believable and are often enforced by Maas explaining the facts. Gravano does not hesitate in passing on his shortcomings, even situations which could be of embarrassment to him. However, I'm sure much of "The Bull's" supposed dialogue has been reworded by Maas to make the story flow in such a compelling manner. This does not make his accounts any less authenticate.
On the whole, a brilliant piece of work my Maas with Salvatore Gravano being infinitely more truthfully than I first expected. This is a truly compelling story of a gangster rising through the ranks of the Gambino Family.
If you enjoyed the Goodfellas movie, you'll love every page of this. Add it to your shopping basket now!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was lucky enough to have lived in America for a year, and got the chance to read this book! Granvano explains how he met Gotti, turned on him and even killed his brother-in-law. It is a definite read. I never felt so passionately about any other Mafia book. You won't let go! Thats for sure!!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the story of Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano, who was underboss of the notorious Gambino crime family. He became quite close to Paul Castellano when he became boss of the family. It is drawn to the rest of the family that Castellano is not a true Gangster, rather a business man. Together, fronted mainly by John Gotti, the family decide to "get rid" of Castellano. The book also goes into, at times groteque, detail of the hits that Gravano carried out for the family. If you know about the Gambino crime family you will know how the story concludes. Even still this book will make you keep coming back. A must read for mafia fans.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A LOAD OF BULL!!!!
Now I know why he was called 'The bull' because he's full of it!!! This is an example of why you shouldn't let these people write their own books, they make themselves out to be... Read more
Published 1 month ago by N Smith
a class act !
if you love your mafia you will love this
seems to seperate alot of fiction from the Gotti era !
just buy it !
seems to seperate alot of fiction from the Gotti era !
just buy it !
Published 4 months ago by dustert
Underboss
Fantastic read by Peter Maas as he tells the story of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano who was underboss to John "Teflon Don" Gotti in the Gambino family. Read more
Published 7 months ago by craig
Very Good Book!!!!
Very good book i must say, very informative and goes into details about how the mafia works.
I must say half way through the book you do get quite confused with the... Read more
I must say half way through the book you do get quite confused with the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by WorkMad123
A Mafia Hit
A really well written book.
It is perhaps even better simply becuase Gravano, at the time of his defection, was the underboss for the most powerful mafia family in the... Read more
It is perhaps even better simply becuase Gravano, at the time of his defection, was the underboss for the most powerful mafia family in the... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2009 by R. A. Watson
ANOTHER MOB HIT...
This is an interesting look at the mob from someone who was a made member of the Cosa Nostra. Sammy the Bull Gravano is no angel and he pulls no punches, as he regales the reader... Read more
Published on 4 May 2008 by Lawyeraau
Mafia insights
I have always been interested in the mafia lifestyle since i watched the Godfather at an early age. This book was an obvious choice for me to read therefore as it is the true life... Read more
Published on 26 Sep 2004 by D. Prosser
They're bad people, but they're our bad people.
Sammy 'the Bull' Gravano is a rat, if you're reading this, you probably already know the basics on him, at least. But this book offers something new that others can't. Read more
Published on 23 Jun 2004 by "dsheardown2"
very good book! but I'm missing a Gambino family tree..
This is a very good book, cause you see the inside of the mafia. In the mafia movies you see everything on the outside, but not really what they're thinking. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2004
A jurney into the mind of a psychopath
Iwas very surprised by this book, after seeing a documentary on sammy bull i decided to give this book a read, iwas glad i did, this book really lifts the lid on the inside... Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2001
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