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Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia
  

Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia (Paperback)

by Joseph D. (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 415 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Australia; Reissue edition (Dec 1988)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0451157494
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451157492
  • Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 9.7 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,647,659 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Detroit News

'A penetrating look into the inner circle of the Mafia . . . There's no shortage of real-life drama' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


Review

'Courageous and extraordinary' (New York Times Book Review )

'So entertaining you have to remind yourself it's deadly serious' (Boston Globe )

'Compelling and gripping . . . Raw, hard-hitting non-fiction at its best . . . A revealing investigative work' (Toronto Star )

'A penetrating look into the inner circle of the Mafia . . . There's no shortage of real-life drama' (Detroit News ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

39 Reviews
5 star:
 (27)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (39 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars I'm a girl and yet shock horror I still liked it!, 7 May 2007
This ia a really good read for most of the time. It is fascinating true life story of agent Joe Pistone who infiltrated the mafia and helped bring about over 100 convictions, he was so good he was within a whisker of being made a 'made' guy, an actual mafia member. Some reviewers seem confused by this book (see below) and seem to think it's fiction stating that Donnie Brasco wouldn't have survived 2 seconds...ummm...he was undercover for 6 years, it's true story you idiot! Anyway apparently 'one for the lads' but will be enjoyed by anyone who likes reading about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. My few minor quibbles are that after a while the endless scores and neverending list of badguys names becomes confusing and a bit boring but overall the story itself is so strong that it carries it off.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Journey, 24 Sep 2006
By Mr. Jp Sledmere "James Sledmere" (Hertfordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This honest, real and at times touching account of an FBI agent's under-cover life in the most powerful New York mafia family is truly fascinating. Joseph D Pistone leads the reader through his six year investigation as Donnie Brascoe, jewel thief, starting with his first encounters of small time crooks in Manhattan social clubs, manipulating his already street-wise personality to convince his peers of his good fella status all the way through to being lined up as a made man, a "Wise Guy" buy some of the most powerful mafia bosses in history.
If you have seen the movie and think you know the story, think again. Having only used snippets of information and portraying the main characters with some heavy poetic license, Donnie Brascoe the film doesn't even get close to the gritty realism you'll encounter in this book. Pistones' life was permanently changed as a result of his time as an agent and only his quick thinking, sharp wit and tough mentality kept him alive.
An amazing fly on the wall account that the Mafia themselves have, if not approved of, then certainly enjoyed reading. As real and satisfying as Meatballs, sausage and peppers........ Read It!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best Mafia book out there., 23 Jun 2004
If you like your true crime or more specifically Mafia books you're more than likely to enjoy this. Amazingly, Joe Pistone under the alias of Donnie Brasco infiltrated the Bonanno Family in New York posing as a jewel thief for 6 years. Pistone is a hero for the work he has done, his case alone sent away many mobsters to prison and his testimony in later cases such as the Commission case helped in sending some of the top echelon members of the New York Mafia. Some even suffered a fate worse than prison. Sonny 'Black' Napolitano, a Capo, was whacked based on the relationship he had with Donnie because he treated him as a made guy.

From start to finish the book is gripping, much better than the film which is rather innaccurate. But hey, that's Hollywood. From the Colombo's to the Bonanno's to the Wiseguy bosses in Florida and Milwakuee, Pistone gives his account of his undercover life. Not to be missed.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Doing the Business
Considering the amount of time Brasco spent undercover this book deserves to be twice as long as it is. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. D. Mcintosh

5.0 out of 5 stars love it
This book is excellent. If you liek your maifa type books or the godfather etc this is an ideal book. i thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in no time
Published 8 months ago by N. Morrison

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
I like many people have watched the film before reading the book. Like the film this book is excellent and goes into a little more detail. Highly recommended.
Published 16 months ago by Nick

5.0 out of 5 stars Far Better than the Movie
I Came across this story first as a side line in many Mafia/Mob based books and then the Movie. This book far outshines them all. Read more
Published 17 months ago by C. Lambert

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable. He nearly became a made man
The journey of Joseph. D. Pistone aka Brasco is extraordinary. to have been undercover for 6 years and then nearly getting initiated into the mafia must have meant having nerves... Read more
Published 20 months ago by L. M. STOCKLEY

2.0 out of 5 stars Who does he think he is?
This book starts off really well. But the more you read, the more you realise he is only involved with the lower end of the mafia scale. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2007 by Cornisle

4.0 out of 5 stars A truly excellent book!!
From front to back this book is extreemely amazing! One of the very few books that I have read that really make you feel nervous for the character. Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2006 by Mr. Dr. Brock

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing insight
Really good book, professionally written, crisp read and staight to the point, no waffle.

It gives a really amazing insight into the Mafia, and touches on the human... Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2006 by Vince E.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story but long-winded
There can be no doubt that this is a fascinating story of how Pistone infiltrated a notorious group of mafioso, but I found large passages of the book quite dull and hard-going... Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2006 by bloo_toon_red

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to read the book after the film
Donnie Brasco, the film, is a good movie with Al Pacino doing that whole Al Pacino thing and and Johnny Depp, as the undercover FBI guy, falling out with Anne Heche, his wife... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2006 by Kentspur

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