American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power

by Thomas Reppetto Narrated by Paul Costanzo

Overview

Organized crime—the Italian American kind—has long been a source of popular entertainment and legend. Now Thomas Reppetto provides a balanced history of the Mafia's rise—from the 1880s to the post–World War II era—that is as exciting as it is authoritative.

Structuring his narrative around a series of case histories featuring such infamous characters as Lucky Luciano and Al Capone, Reppetto draws on a lifetime of field experience and access to unseen documents to show us a locally grown Mafia. It wasn't until the 1920s, thanks to Prohibition, that the Mafia assumed what we now consider its defining characteristics, especially its octopus-like tendency to infiltrate industry and government. At mid-century the Kefauver Commission declared the Mafia synonymous with Union Siciliana; in the 1960s the FBI finally admitted the Mafia's existence under the name La Cosa Nostra.

American Mafia is a fascinating look at America's most compelling criminal subculture from an author who is intimately acquainted with both sides of the street.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Reppetto's history of the American Mafia, from its humble turn-of-the-century beginnings in small Italian neighborhoods to the 1950-1951 Senate's Kefauver hearings on organized crime that made the mob front-page news, seeks to set the record straight about one of America's most mysterious organizations. Though Reppetto, a former cop, acknowledges that the American Mafia was an outgrowth of the Sicilian and Neapolitan criminal guilds, he finds only a loose connection between the American Mafia and its old country counterparts. Citing the bad business practices of killers like Al Capone, Reppetto makes it clear that it was the mob's political ties, especially to the Tammany groups in Manhattan and the mayor's office in Chicago, and not murder and mayhem, that made rich men of many Italians (as well as Poles, Irishmen and Jews) who came to America with nothing. Without condoning their tactics, Reppetto makes a strong case that the men who laid the foundation for a national "syndicate" were empire builders along the lines of the Astors and Vanderbilts, and that the Mafia's decline since the 1950s is as much a reflection of the lack of new, strong mob leadership as it is a result of less political protection and a federal crackdown that stemmed from the mob's newfound notoriety. Though this book doesn't answer every question about the Mafia in America, it does present a thought-provoking depiction of the mob devoid of the sensationalism prevalent in many other portrayals. (Jan.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Reppetto (NYPD: A City and Its Police), a former Chicago commander of detectives and the current president of New York City's Citizens Crime Commission, presents a straightforward history of the formation and activities of the Mafia in the United States from the late 19th century, when a large number of Italians were immigrating to the United States, through the mid-20th century, when the Kefauver Committee's hearings were nationally televised and many of the Mafia's activities were dramatically exposed to the public eye. Working chronologically, Reppetto follows the ascent and growth of the crime families and La Cosa Nostra, offering portraits of nefarious innovators such as Capone and Luciano and covering the move from urban thuggery to organized crime on a national scale. In his seven-page epilog, titled "The Decline of the American Mafia," Reppetto briefly outlines mob activities since 1951 and gives reasons for the downward trend. Overall, this work is a solid, interesting history of the Mob from its birth to its peak years. Recommended for public libraries where there is interest in the topic and for academic libraries supporting criminal justice programs.-Sarah Jent, Univ. of Louisville Lib., KY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A particularly well-qualified reporter offers a broad survey of an industry that, as it destroyed the competition, regularly co-opted, enlisted, out-thought, and out-gunned sheriffs and G-men. Yes, Virginia, there is a Mafia, though J. Edgar Hoover tried to pretend otherwise. But, according to this juicy account, organized crime has been less organized and more a loose confederation of geographic fiefdoms. Reppetto should know. The son of a professional gambler who did business with the "outfit," he is himself a former Chicago commander of detectives, longtime president of NYC's Citizens Crime Commission, and author of NYPD: A City and Its Police (2000). His tale covers mob activity from the 1880s through the 1950s, starting in New Orleans with the birth of the indigenous Mafia, as distinguished from the Camorra and the Black Hand. Still-disorganized gang doings spread to the heartland and beyond. Chicago, under the management first of Johnny Torrio and later of clumsy Al Capone, hosted counterfeiting and prostitution. New York, initially overseen by Arnold Rothstein, soon battled over artichokes, kosher chickens, and the rag trade. The big time came with Prohibition, a wonderful opportunity for crooks and cops alike. The story continues in LA, Detroit, Vegas, and Miami, with Thomas Dewey, Estes Kefauver, and the overhyped Eliot Ness chasing the bad guys. The familiar tales, from the Valentine's Day massacre to Frank Costello's hand-twisting on national TV, are related with the alert perspective of a street-smart cop. Dutch Shultz's strange, poetic deathbed ramblings prompt the aside, "Dutch had not previously enjoyed a literary reputation." Chicago florist Dion O'Bannion "sometimessupplied not only the posies but the corpse." Supporting players include Duffy the Goat, Mad Dog Coll, Roxy Vanilla, Tony the Hat, and many capos and soldiers. Minor details may differ from other texts, but Reppetto's reporting touches all bases (excluding recent events) vividly and authoritatively. A fine backgrounder and basic guide to American mob war stories to the middle of the 20th century. (16-page b&w photo insert, not seen) Agent: Andrew Wylie

From the Publisher

The subject is sensational, but the work is never sensationalistic . . . Any serious mob-watcher . . . will want to have this book. Anyone who reads it with interest will join me in hoping that Reppetto writes a sequel swiftly and as well.” —The Sun (Baltimore)

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"Reppetto's book earns its place among the best . . . he brings fresh context to a familiar story worth retelling." —New York Times

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170928903
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,010,291

Read an Excerpt

From American Mafia :

With the Lupo Morello gang now implicated in the barrel murder case, the investigation got going in earnest. The police had found a small crucifix, sawdust and cigar stubs, and a perfumed handkerchief with a note written in Italian. Police detective Petrosino translated the note as "come at once," suggesting that a woman had lured the victim to his death. An examination of the dead man's stomach revealed evidence of a recently consumed Sicilian meal. Familiar with Morello's restaurant-known for a floor littered with sawdust and cigar butts-Petrosino deduced that the victim had been killed there, and then taken by horse-drawn wagon to the Lower East Side. Yet he had no evidence to back up a murder charge in court: there was a surplus of defendants and a scarcity of evidence. The case was handled in the standard procedure of the day: arrest the suspects, then find the incriminating evidence. And, as often happened, the police came up short, despite the best efforts of the indomitable Petrosino.

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