Overview

Organized crime--the Italian American kind--has long been a source of popular entertainment and legend. Now Thomas Reppetto provides a balanced history of the Mafia's rise--from the 1880s to the post-World War II era--that is as exciting as it is authoritative. Structuring his narrative around a series of case histories featuring such infamous characters as Lucky Luciano and Al Capone, Reppetto draws on a lifetime of field experience and access to unseen documents to show us a locally grown Mafia. It wasn't until the 1920s, thanks to Prohibition, that the Mafia assumed what we now consider its defining characteristics, especially its octopus-like tendency to infiltrate industry and government. At mid-century the Kefauver Commission declared the Mafia synonymous with Union Siciliana; in the 1960s the FBI finally admitted the Mafia's existence under the name La Cosa Nostra. American Mafia is a fascinating look at America's most compelling criminal subculture from an author who is intimately acquainted with both sides of the street.

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9781665261005

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Reppetto's book earns its place among the best . . . he brings fresh context to a familiar story worth retelling.-- New York Times

"Reppetto's book earns its place among the best . . . he brings fresh context to a familiar story worth retelling.-- ""New York Times"""

Author Information

Thomas Reppetto, a former commander of detectives in the Chicago Police Department, received his doctorate from Harvard and was a professor, dean, and vice president at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. For over a quarter-century he headed the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City. Reppetto's various books look behind the scenes at policing, the American Mafia, and counter terrorist agencies. Paul Costanzo earned both his BA and MA from Juilliard in trumpet performance. As a freelance performer his musical credits range from the Metropolitan to the San Francisco Symphony. He has also been a voice actor for over twenty years and has performed numerous radio commercials, television promos, and narrations for major corporations nationwide. As an audiobook narrator and director, he records regularly for Brilliance Audio, Tantor Media, and Deyan Audio.

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