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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 364
EAN num: 9780061091841
ISBN number: 0061091847
Label: HarperTorch
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 544
Printing Date: June 01, 1994
Publishing house: HarperTorch
Release Date: May 11, 1994
Sale Popularity Level: 47632
Studio: HarperTorch
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Product Description:
The Gambinos--they arrived in America from Sicily when the `20's roared with bootleg liquor.For thirty years they fought a bloody battle for control of New York's underworld to emerge as the nation's richest and most powerful crime family. Now Mafia expert John H. Davis tells their compelling inside story.
Here are the chilling details and deceptions that created a vast criminal empire. Here are six decades of the uncontrolled greed and lust for power of such men as Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky, Vito Genovese, Albert Anastasia, Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano, and John Gotti--men for whom murder and betrayal were business as usual. From the Gambinos' powerful stranglehold on New York's construction, garment, and waterfront industries to the government's onslaught against them in the `80s and `90s, Mafia Dynasty takes you into the mysterious world of blood oaths, shifting alliances, and deadly feuds that will hold you riveted from the very first page to the last.
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Rated by buyers 
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This is a well researched,highly readable book.It was interesting to see the mobsters own confessions via wiretaps by the FBI.The FBI was also able to uncover a mole working for the mob on the NYPD payroll.The language of these mobsters behind closed doors was appalling,not the 4 letter word cursing, but the sociopathic ramblings about murder and extortion.Those wiretaps definitely denied the mob their layer of deniability. the author gives a good account of mob extortion in the building trade,a 1% mark-up which seems scarcely noticeable turns into multi-millions on large scale building contracts.As Mr. Davis points out very coherently,the mob's main method of winning these contracts is violence or even more fearful the "threat of violence " as an option.
It was a real eye opener about "mob charites" or the mob paying a mortgage for an elderly widow.The odds are about the same as winning in a gambling casino.For every widow who had her mortgage paid by a mobster dozens more lost their mortgages due to mob crimes.It was inspiring to see how many Italian-Americans worked overtime to help bring down the Gambino crime family.If nothing else this book gives a real respectful view of hard working honest Americans and I gave kudos to the priest who refused to do a mobster's funeral.I realize however that some of the priests do the masses out of respect for the mobster's families who are often mob victims also.Really this book does not glorify the Gambino's and there is nothing good said about any of their members.Gotti is portrayed as the final deevolution of the Gambino's "family" and ironically it took the US government to straighten out some of the mess which still isn't entirely cleaned up yet.
One thing in this book really impressed me. The mob itself is nothing but a glorified pyramid scheme and actually exploits the underpriveliged instead of helping them.Short term the "worker" may get a new car but long term he gets a "long term" that is if he's lucky.The Gambino's retirement program seemed to be a mob "bodybag" or one other way. That is,having the government pick up the tab by sponsoring a criminal in the "Witness Protection Program" at 5 grand a month(at least in 1990).Gotti spent most of his time as Gambino manager trying to figure out who was going to turn up subsequent as a government witness.That in itself would definitely be a full time job.The book makes me wonder what would have been revealed about Al Capone had the government had wiretaps in the 1930's.
Rated by buyers -
Here is a very insitefull book on a "Man's Man". not saying that being a violation of any crime is I supported by me. But the Man of John Gotti as descibed in this book I can respect.
Rated by buyers -
Author John Davis takes a historical look at New York's Gambino crime family from its earlier days of Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Albert Anastasia, to the Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano, and John Gotti era's that followed. I liked the author's personal look at each of these Godfathers, plus his analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Readers see how the mob derives its income from payoffs in construction, trucking, and garment-making, plus stand-bys like gambling, extortion, pornography and loan sharking. The author also examines the rise and decline of New York City's five families, of which the Gambino's were the most powerful. Not surprisingly, the book focuses more heavily on recent years, particularly the reign of the "Teflon Don" John Gotti (1940-2002) from his takeover in late 1985 until his conviction and life sentence in 1992. Overall, this is a readable and interesting look at the mob/mafia hold on New York City.
Rated by buyers -
Rise and fall of the mafia. Good history on the Gambinos and other mafia. Some typos and a clear violent book. Read the book it's pretty good. I had to use sticky orange paper to write down notes and keep track of the story the book has lots of pages so you might get lost in the story. There's present and past stories that's why I got lost so I had use notes. Interesting book overall life of an outlaw.
Rated by buyers -
This book does more than only focusing on the Gambino Crime Family. It throws light on the history, rise, power, and decline of the big five crime families. Because, out of the five, Gambino Crime Family was the most powerful and organized, so it tells you in detail about the bosses of this family, which includes: Albert Anastasia, Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano, and John Gotti. However, Vincent Mangano, who was the boss of the family before Anastasia, is ignored in this book, which is quiet strange, as he played the most important part in Gambino Crime Family for more than twenty years. Many reviewers have complained that Davis has given too much detail on Gotti, but I think it is because it was Gotti who gave the Gambino Crime Family the face we know.
The book is very well written, and even though it is full of lengthy details and gives so much information (sometimes Davis goes overboard), it still manages to keep the readers glued. I will give four stars to this book.
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