and I'd also toss in Robert Lacey.
I agree about Lacey, Little Man. We haven't discussed it here in awhile, but I've always said that Lacey's "Little Man" is the best
individual mob bio ever written.
Now as a
comprehensive book about the American Mafia in general, we're all pretty much in agreeement that the nod goes to Raab's "Five Families." But as far as a book centered around one guy, I'll go with "Little Man."
As bad as the Casso book seems to be in some regards, there are stuff in there that should be taken seriously and not ignored.
I agree with you in principle, Hairy. But it's just like real life. If a guy lies to your face 99 times, it's hard to take him seriously on the 100th. Same goes for books. But that's all subjective and a matter of opinion
.
One book I absolutely hated because it took something real and turned it into complete fiction was this book about Joe Gallo called "The Mad Ones" written by some kid in his late 20s early 30s who clearly is a fucking dork hipster who probably has never even been Brooklyn (hes probably never even been to Red Hook, Brooklyn but still..)
That book had some decent pictures, if you go for that kind of thing. But that's about it. The prose was awful. He turned Gallo into a hipster beatnik, which was clearly his agenda as a writer dwelling in the "New" Brooklyn. Fucking long haired, bearded hipsters from the Midwest, with their wool hats and Clark Kent glasses, should all fucking die. But that's a rant for a different section
.
