Was Joe Bonanno ever considered a rat for writing his autobiography? He admitted he was the head of one of the 5 families and to the existence of the Mafia commission. I haven't read the whole book but it seems as though he implicated himself and everyone he was involved with by writing it.

He was called as witness in Mafia trial once and his book was used by prosecutors.
In news article of case, it was said some suspected he wrote book as part of secret deal in order to not be prosecuted himself.

He broke Omerta, but I don't think you can consider it ratting in the strictest sense. He never testified and took jail time when the government tried to force him too.

At least he was one of the dons that successfully wrote a book....Luciano died on the way on making a deal,also Frank Costello was convinced by Peter Maas to tell his story,but Frank died 10 days later

Joe didnt snitch, u just have to take ur hat off to rudy gulliani for being smart and creative, joe did a year in jail in his eighties because he would'nt snitch, and after he got chased outvof new york he ran his own small family in arizona, its been said even in old age mobsters went to arizona to seek his advice

I read the book a while ago,and though Bonanno mentions Families and the Commission,a lot of the book is a self serving ego fest. When he refers to Mafia Bosses as "Fathers" and to Mob life as his "Tradition", it's pretty laughable. If you didn't know better,and read his book you would think that most of the time,the Mafia works like this: "My friend Giovanni has a bakery,but the poor man can't get flour because of the war. My friend Vito has a flour mill,but can't deliver because his horse is sick. So i ask my friend Vincenzo,who was a farmer back home, to look at the horse.The horse gets well, Giovanni gets his flour and everyone is happy. Maybe at Christmas I get a loaf of bread from Giovanni,but that would be out of gratitude and certainly not because he felt compelled. Honest,we're just a bunch of Friends who help each other out. And sometimes kill people. Oh shit, did I write that last part down? ummm Non Capisce,arrividerci."

In "Donnie Brasco," Pistone mentions that some of the Bonannos cursed out Joe for writing his book. They didn't exactly call him a snitch, but you could infer that readily. But, he couldn't have envisioned that Giuliani would use the book as the basis of the RICO prosecution in the famous "Commission" case.

The book is a great read as long as you take what he says with about a ton of salt. He provides the best extant account of the Castellemmarese War of 1930-31. But, as Lou said, it's self serving even by autobiography standards. To hear him tell it, he never even jaywalked after Prohibition was repealed--just acted as a "major public benefactor."

you cant say he is a snitch frown upon him for writing the book is pne thing but to be labeled a stoolie is big time he never took the stand did his his time and to his death was well respected frowned upon he may have but still highly respected

When did he go to jail for contempt?

I believe that during the so called Commission Trial,Bonanno was subpoeanaed to testify as to the existence of said Commission,since he wrote about it in his book.He refused,and did some minor time for contempt.

and i think he did 18 months after he got kidnapped and didnt asnwer questions at the grand jury ...yea pretty sure about that

Dam joe.that was wrote perfectly.I could read it so easy compared to some of ur others man lol

When Joe and Bill Bonanno appeared on "60 Minutes" the reactions of several viewers was caught by a hidden microphone. I forgot which crime family these guys were, but they couldn't believe the Bonannos were on TV and did consider it breaking omerta.

Nicely said!

I like when they show Bonanano in the Bioflick on his birthday he's all senile. " I love you all" - Joe Bonanno

Yeee Joe was a great actor!Too bad he wasnt doin the role of Don Vito Corleone,a respected gentleman...

he broke omerta but he ain't a snitch

I doubt he would've wrote his book if he knew they'd use it in court

read the book in his expert explanation he didnt break omerta. just finished it last night. what a read! to get an insight into a godfathers brain. every1 was dead when he brought it out anyways, literally everyone. if u havent read it its silly to make 1 off statements. highly recommended book!!

to a certain extent but he must believe that. the guy was brought up to be a godfather with the name bonnano. and dont forget in Sicily when he was growing the 'fathers' were highly respected as people. the name bonnano was seen as elite. i can see where he makes these statements as he is looking back at his past and what his father taught him. but yeah he definitely forgets to leave out the murders, the drugs he denies and even condemns. this autobiography was for his kids and for people to remember him by. i would leave the shit out too.

Good post. Some few passages in his book are written metaphorically. That´s something to keep in mind before denouncing the book. And yes, he leaves out murders he ordered or commited and he never mentions anybody alive involved with that life by the time the book was released. How can anyone claim that the leaving out of incriminating stuff is not understandable? The existence of the Commission was a known fact before the book came out so the claim of him exposing it, is far fetched.

To fully enjoy the book, you need to understand Bonanno and where Bonanno comes from. If you fail doing this, knowledge about the early Mafia and what it was all supposed to be about, will be lost on you. And that´s a shame if you have a burning interest in the history of the Mafia.

Joe sold drugs and ordered many hits....there's no honor in thouse thins.Yes,Bonanno came from a well known and honored family,but he wasn't.He just used that to write a "Godfather book" and that's that...

"Joe sold drugs and ordered many hits....there's no honor in thouse thins.Yes,Bonanno came from a well known and honored family,but he wasn't.He just used that to write a "Godfather book" and that's that..."

You don´t understand. In a mafioso´s world, if you are a man of honor, if you are a man of respect, NOT killing somebody who has dishonered you is dishonorable. Do you understand now?

Oh really?! So youre a mafioso now?

What the Mafia was supposed to be and what it was are two radically different things. It is generally accepted that the genesis of the "Men of Respect" came in post feudal Sicily when land ownership was taken from the nobility and opened up to the private citizens.

Many newly prosperous landowners found the need to hire men to protect their property during the turbulent transition period that followed. Soon protection became "protection".
within a few years,the newly invigorated economy became a source of money and power for the "Friends".
The real boom came in urban areas such as Palermo.
With so many more farms,ranches,citrus groves,etc.being operated by the new citizen class of owners, new opportunities for crime arose.

Landowners were pressured into hiring men with connections to the Mafia,voting to support candidates that were Mafia friendly (or Mafia themselves),and of course,paying protection. There are accounts of Mafiosi engaging in smuggling,counterfeiting,and various other crimes. This all occurred in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

At some very early point, the Mafia may have been a semi-noble concept,but it took a very divergent path very quickly. Organized crime groups (of any ethnicity),start by preying on their own.The term "Men of Respect" was used by Mafiosi themselves when referring to each other,and I doubt that it was ever used by their victims.

Good post Lou_Para.People need to understand the nature of the mob...especialy "Man of honor"...theres a lot of "fans" around here...

Joe Bonnano has a very, very high opinion of himself and thinks he is a little better than everyone else. He's not. His book is self serving and he is NOT a man of honor to write a self serving book about himself and his Family. No Boss in Chicago would ever do such a thing. It's obvious that the top guys in the Genovese Family and other Families, including Buffalo, hated him. Too bad we never got to hear Stefano Maggadino's side of the Story.

interesting post lou para. toodoped you are a weird argumentative creep that is trying to annoy ppl. and elmwood parker why do you compare everything to chicago. i bet them mafia guys would eat you alive stop "repping" them. havent been on for a while. these idiots need binning trying to start childish arguments. over 18s only please

Take a cup of tea and shut up.