Overview

"A groundbreaking major bestseller in Italy, Gomorrah is Roberto Saviano's gripping nonfiction account of the decline of Naples under the rule of the Camorra, an organized crime network with a large international reach and stakes in construction, high fashion, illicit drugs, and toxic-waste disposal. Known by insiders as ""the System,"" the Camorra affects cities and villages along the Neapolitan coast and is the deciding factor in why Campania, for instance, has the highest murder rate in all of Europe and why cancer levels there have skyrocketed in recent years. Saviano tells of huge cargoes of Chinese goods that are shipped to Naples and then quickly distributed unchecked across Europe. He investigates the Camorra's control of thousands of Chinese factories contracted to manufacture fashion goods, legally and illegally, for distribution around the world, and relates the chilling details of how the abusive handling of toxic waste is causing devastating pollution not only for Naples but also China and Somalia. In pursuit of his subject, Saviano worked as an assistant at a Chinese textile manufacturer, as a waiter at a Camorra wedding, and on a construction site. A native of the region, he recalls seeing his first murder at the age of fourteen and how his own father, a doctor, suffered a brutal beating for trying to aid an eighteen-year-old victim who had been left for dead in the street. Gomorrah is a bold and important work of investigative writing that holds global significance, one heroic young man's impassioned story of a place under the rule of a murderous organization."

Full Product Details

9798200139552

Table of Contents

Reviews

"A perfectly realized, morally compelling journey through the brutal world of contemporary Italian mob life.... A stunning achievement, this is a must-read.-- ""Publishers Weekly Starred Review"" ""A perfectly realized, morally compelling journey through the brutal world of contemporary Italian mob life...A stunning achievement, this is a must-read."" -- ""Publishers Weekly (starred review)"" ""A sinfully fine crime epic."" -- ""Wall Street Journal"" ""A stunner of a book, as accessible to American audiences, through its searing style and timely investigation, as it is to Italians."" -- ""Booklist (starred review)"" ""It's brilliant...A wake-up call that means to shake you, and does."" -- ""Rolling Stone"" ""Michael Kramer narrates with a steady technique. His calm approach to the material, much like that of an unflappable news anchor, magnifies the horror of the incidents being related."" -- ""AudioFile"" ""The emotional truth of Saviano's account is unassailable. I could not get this brave book out of my head."" -- ""New York Times"""

Author Information

"Roberto Saviano was born in Naples and studied philosophy at the University of Naples. Gomorrah, his first book, won the 2006 Viareggio Literary Prize. Michael Kramer has narrated over 100 audiobooks for many bestselling authors. He read all of Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time fantasy-adventure series as well as Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive series. He received AudioFile magazine's Earphones Award for the Kent Family series by John Jakes and for Alan Fulsom's The Day After Tomorrow. Known for his ""spot-on character portraits and accents, and his resonant, well-tempered voice"" (AudioFile), his work includes recording books for the Library of Congress's Talking Books program for the blind and physically handicapped. Kramer also works as an actor in the Washington, D.C. area, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer Mendenhall (a.k.a. Kate Reading), and their two children. He has appeared as Lord Rivers in Richard III at The Shakespeare Theatre, Howie/Merlin in The Kennedy Center's production of The Light of Excalibur, Sam Riggs and Frederick Savage in Woody Allen's Central Park West/Riverside Drive, and Dr. Qari Shah in Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul at Theatre J."

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available