Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99472 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

Customer Reviews

Great read
Bet Mr B is glad you can't go to prison for telling porkies in an autobiography! Great read, full of misdirection, sterilised of much of the truth and horrors of crime, but the arrogance and power of this man throbs through this book. Read this great book in conjunction with independent information about the Bonnanno family and the full horror of 'crime families' shows through. I really enjoyed this book because it is as much an autobiography as the way Mr B would want to be remembered and every page gives you an insight into this mans thinking and psychological make up.

excellent , honorable and wll respected
This book is well and truly amazing, at first i never knew about the bonanno family but i read his sons book (B.bonanno) which i ordered on accident from amazon but it paid off as it was the best book ever i really could not wait for this one and with the great service amazon provides i got it.
Joseph bonanno goes into detail about alot of his life and about the struggles they had in sicily and then moving he tells about the great respect and honor that they beleived in and what he brought up his children to believe. He goes into detail about family dis-honor from his cousin and how he was one of the peace keepers of the commission. I rate this book with top marks because it was well and truly amazing. i even bought his daughter in lwas after this. I could not beleive that so many attepmts were made on his life and had health problems but still lived till a ripe old age and the u.s government kept him in prison most of his elderly life.i must say as my opinion that he was actually probably keeping new york safer in his generation because no one dared to cause violence in there area of new york . i reccommend this because it makes you thin about alot he has done and how alot of people benefited from him even the government , you will probably read it in a few days like me because you just cannot put the book down, i would definately invest a little more in the hardback like myself because i think this book has a special place on my bookshelf.no messing about you will want to read about all of the falily , the bonanno's had respect , honor unlike the othere bosses like gotti etc. He also goes into detail about al capone , genovese , the apalchin fiasco and all other families and how his son married int the profaci family with whom they were good friends and allies in the commision. i must say i could write all day but i am limited to 1000 words so i will break it down
excellent service from amazon once again
excellent book with heart and passion
and just buy it .
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Disappointing & Egotistical
They say that all auto biographies suffer from the authors attempts t paint themsleves in the perfect light, and this would be the perfect example.

There are good parts to the book detailing the "politics" of the commission and the personality clashes between the respective leaders of the various families.

Bannanno mentions his rise to power but tries to imply that his wealth came form various legitimate interests and that his family contained many businessmen who did not involve crime in their daily lives. He has painted himself into some form of popular living saint in many chapters and I was very disapponited with the book upon completion as it is so vague throughout. I understand that at the time of writing there was great controversy in his circles relaitg to what secrets he would spill but to be honest there is no real purpose for this book and as far as comparing it to other books on the market such as the Valachi Papers this is a pretty poor comparison