Overview
As seen in The New Yorker An unprecedented look inside a deadly and obscenely wealthy branch of the Italian mafia and the electrifying story of the women who risked everything to bring them down. The Calabrian Mafia--known as the 'Ndrangheta--is one of the richest and most ruthless crime syndicates in the world, with branches stretching from America to Australia. It controls seventy percent of the cocaine and heroin supply in Europe, manages billion-dollar extortion rackets, brokers illegal arms deals--supplying weapons to criminals and terrorists--and plunders the treasuries of both Italy and the European Union. The 'Ndrangheta's power derives from a macho mix of violence and silence--omertà. Yet it endures because of family ties: you are born into the syndicate, or you marry in. Loyalty is absolute. Bloodshed is revered. You go to prison or your grave and kill your own father, brother, sister, or mother in cold blood before you betray The Family. Accompanying the 'Ndrangheta's reverence for tradition and history is a violent misogyny among its men. Women are viewed as chattel, bargaining chips for building and maintaining clan alliances and beatings--and worse--are routine. In 2009, after one abused 'Ndrangheta wife was murdered for turning state's evidence, prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti considered a tantalizing possibility: that the 'Ndrangheta's sexism might be its greatest flaw--and her most effective weapon. Approaching two more mafia wives, Alessandra persuaded them to testify in return for a new future for themselves and their children. A feminist saga of true crime and justice, The Good Mothers is the riveting story of a high-stakes battle pitting a brilliant, driven woman fighting to save a nation against ruthless mafiosi fighting for their existence. Caught in the middle are three women fighting for their children and their lives. Not all will survive.
Full Product Details
Author: Alex Perry ,
Matthew Waterson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: HarperCollins
Edition: Library Edition
ISBN: 9781982528560
ISBN 10: 1982528567
Publication Date: 05 June 2018
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
An impossible-to-put-down page-turner revealing the Mafia makeup and three courageous women who bore witness to save others. -- Kikus Reviews (starred review) An enormously significant and compelling look at the modern world of the Italian mafia...This expose about the suffering and resilience of 'good mothers' is a life-changing read. -- Booklist (starred review) Both harrowing and heartening...and told with Alex Perry's usual verve. -- Financial Times (UK) The painful and dangerous process of these women's rebellion against the family makes a gripping and heartbreaking narrative. -- Guardian (London) One female prosecutor in Italy believed that she could recruit mistreated, abused, and discarded mafia women who could help bring down the organization. She was right. This story is bananas. -- New York Times
An enormously significant and compelling look at the modern world of the Italian mafia...This expose about the suffering and resilience of 'good mothers' is a life-changing read. -- ""Booklist (starred review)"" An impossible-to-put-down page-turner revealing the Mafia makeup and three courageous women who bore witness to save others. -- ""Kikus Reviews (starred review)"" Both harrowing and heartening...and told with Alex Perry's usual verve. -- ""Financial Times (UK)"" One female prosecutor in Italy believed that she could recruit mistreated, abused, and discarded mafia women who could help bring down the organization. She was right. This story is bananas. -- ""New York Times"" The painful and dangerous process of these women's rebellion against the family makes a gripping and heartbreaking narrative. -- ""Guardian (London)""
Author Information
Alex Perry has written for the New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, the Daily Beast, Roads & Kingdoms, and others. He is the author of several nonfiction books and e-books including The Rift, Lifeblood, and Falling Off the Edge. He has earned numerous journalism awards, including honors from the Society of Publishers in Asia, the Foreign Press Association in London, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in Washington. A native of Philadelphia, he lives with his family near London. Matthew Waterson was born in Los Angeles. After university in Boston and drama school in London, he now lives in NY where he works in theater and voice over. In voice work he has been heard on ESPN, ABC, Speed Channel, Logo, and inDemand. He is the radio voice of Twinings Tea and the voice of Sabra Dips.
