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Is the author's ethnicity the only basis for picking him?

Put bluntly, Italian-Americans know more about Italian-American culture than other people and can therefore write about it better.

Everything else being equal, I think Italian Americans should write about Italian American life. But that is seldom the case, and we shall never know for sure...

If you got the talent and an extremely good documentation about what you're going to write, you cant write on what you want, IMO. For example, Emilio Salgari was a most popular Italian writer, he wrote many books about Sandokan, a Malaysian hero having lots of adventures in the jungle, with pirates and tigers and stuff like that. He had not a single Malaysian blood tear and never moved from Turin. He got what every good author should have: an endless imagination and a real talent.

No need to say that being Italian American would be an extra-bonus ("la ciliegina sulla torta", we say---the cherry on top of the cake)

That's right, the most important thing is talent, not nationality. What gets me, is MW's phrase that he's OK because he's German-Irish, like Tom. As if Tom's only qualification was his descent! He was brought up in Sicilian family, knew their ways, worked 10 years with Vito before becoming his Consigliere, Vito himself once said "I made you a Sicilian", and STILL Tom didn't "Do pretty well in this world", he had many problems because of his non-Sicilian roots. And still he was no war-time Consigliere... :rolleyes:

Concerning the GFR, the issue is not the heritage of the author, but rather his skills and the choices he made in designing this story. Sure, someone who was submerged in the culture could color the story with sensitivity, but a bad book is not a result of culture or DNA.

Sonny Corleone was pure Sicilian, but his heritage could not control his brain. As MLK once suggested, somethings are based on the content of character and beyond genotype and phenotype.

Let's just take a deep breath, assume the Lotus position and accept the fact - either you have it or you don't. If it is wrong to use heritage as an excuse for failure sociologically, then the same is true for literary efforts. GFR is (as of this second) #96 on the Amazon list. It has 3 1/2 stars and the price is on 34% off instead of 40% off, but it there for a reason. The author, regardless of his background, did not have the skills to pay the bills on this one.

GFR should have been written by someone who cares weither of not they were butchering popular book and movie adaptations, no matter it they were Italian or from the Moon. :rolleyes:

Italians are probably best qualified but theere are exceptions. IMO MW is trying to live vicariously through Fausto Dominick “Nick” Geraci, Jr.. On this issue, MW makes race an issue himself. He says he could pass for German or Irish, whatever pass means and that hes fair haired, like MW. He makes him a well educated, street smart guy who looks like MW, and is also a really tough fighter. I dont think Puzo ever put himself in the story.

I agree with Don Provalone and Don Sonny Corleone.

The problem with this book was not the inaccuracy or lack of detail about Italian culture.

The problem was the plot, which was boring, the inaccuracies in the story, which were quite annoying, and the writing itself, which was mediocre.

Something doesn't sound right though, with a Godfather story by a "Winegardner," instead of a Puzo or Coppola.

So we finally get to the heart of the matter.

You could say the same thing about "Romeo and Juliet" being written by a Shakespeare. Oh, wait, never mind.....Shakespeare ends in a vowel. :rolleyes:

And that's another big issue I have with the novel (you know.. aside from everything else! lol); Winegardner is obviously trying to make "his" character a badass version of himself, hence all the hype about Geraci being "Michael's deadliest foe yet". To which I say bollocks, of course

Also notice what happens in the end with this supposed "deadliest foe"; I won't post details because they're spoilers (lame as it might be) but notice that the circumstances have NEVER applied at any other time in the book or the movies (PM me if you can't figure out what I'm talking about ), or to any other character.

*sigh* Just another in the long list of complaints about GFR.

But it is so easy! You write: SPOILER WARNING!!!! SPOILER WARNING!!!!
And then post everything with peace of mind. Because if you don't, trying, as you do, not to be cruel to those who avoid spoilers, you are being very cruel to those who are looking for them...
:rolleyes:

Okay I'm gonna put it in the Spoilers topic. So check that out

Romeo and Juliet was Shakespeare's invention. The Godfather story is Puzo's, hence an Italian name sounds better attached to an expansion of that Italian story.

What in the world does his name have to do with his ability to write this book?
The book was boring not because of his possible lack of knowledge of the Italian heritage, but it was boring on the basis of his not knowing anything about the characters themselves.
If what you are saying is true than he would have had a best seller on his hands had he written a book about Hyman Roth! :rolleyes:

Don Cardi

I don't care if the guy is italian or not. I just wished he'd read the original novel and watched the movies, that's all. Surely I book as rutterless as this one had to be put together with summaries provided by FSU students. This guy's an idiot - and that transcends culture.

no offense to Mark Winegardner, his book was good but it sucked too. Anyways Fredos story and Mike and Johnny f. story were great but they led to nowhere. But the most important thing is that Mike corl leaves someone alive who would not be if PUZO had written it. Mark shouldve written PART FOUR better, instead of Godfather 33 and a third, or whatever it was, it was like an anthropoligical study done by an outsider. Godfather One the Book is a Classic...but PART FOUR IS WHAT WE WANT...

heehee

CDL:

Welcome to the Boards - I just wanted to let you know how much I like your board image!

Not true. Not all Italian-Americans are members of the mafia, so not all Italian-American writers would know more about it. For example, Mario Puzo was not a member of the mafia, but used his imagination to create one of the best novels ever written. Winegardner could so the same.

Oh, no, you are not correct. This book costed him 3 years of writing, and he made a thorough research about the Mafia (At least he learned as much as they could let him.) He became so close to them personally that he even got into FBI reports, as their archives show.

But the main thing is HE WAS NOT A MEMBER. Jimmy Caan hung around wiseguys during the filming of The Godfather so much they opened a file up on him too, doesnt mean he was inducted into the Mafia. His point was that Winegardener could have researched The Godfathers already in existance, but chose not to.

Of course he was not a member! I meant to say that it was not only his imagination that helped him creating this book. MW undoubtedly did some research about Mafia, but that is not my point. His writing manner, in the first chapter at least, shocks me with vulgarity and distaste when describing simple things, where no special research is necessary at all.

Sorry about that I must have misunderstood you, and I hope I am misunderstanding the "MW researched" anything part of your post :p

Saying that he "researched" I didn't mean that he researched the original novel or characters. I read enough to doubt it. But he includes in his book such details of criminal business that he couldn't invent himself. That made me think that he read something about organized crime, maybe only popular - I don't know. Nothing else implied.
It didn't make him so much more believeable expert as he thought, though.
By the way, about Puso's approaching Mafia, don't you think that Mafiosi, his fellows-Italians, would rather tell something about "Our Thing" to him than to a German-Irish?
With hope that I'm at last intelligible... :rolleyes:

Saying that he "researched" I didn't mean that he researched the original novel or characters. I read enough to doubt it. But he includes in his book such details of criminal business that he couldn't invent himself. That made me think that he read something about organized crime, maybe only popular - I don't know. Nothing else implied.
It didn't make him so much more believeable expert as he thought, though.
By the way, about Puso's approaching Mafia, don't you think that Mafiosi, his fellows-Italians, would rather tell something about "Our Thing" to him than to a German-Irish?
With hope that I'm at last intelligible... :rolleyes:
[/b][/quote]...even so, MW's background would not have made this a good book. In fact, if you extend the logic that certain abilities are biologically linked, you enter into some very dangerous turf. Yes, being of Italian origin may have made the content richer, but crap is still crap whether you eat a sword fish with butter sauce or animal crackers. If MW was Italian, then GFR might have more cultural protein, but it would not smell any better.