Underboss

Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Rats
Review: Peter Maas's UNDERBOSS is a terrific read not only for being the definitive first-hand account of Sammy "the Bull" Gravano's rise and fall, but also for putting Sammy's crime career in its proper context. Maas uses Sammy's words as a springboard to tell us the recent history and inner workings of Cosa Nostra. The book also makes us privy to the turf battles and strategy sessions within law enforcement as well. As the author of the classic THE VALACHI PAPERS, Maas was a writer who knew the lay of the land extremely well.

Sammy's later years were already well documented before this book was written. But Maas tells us many fascinating things about Sammy's early years that may even be news to many mob buffs. Sammy's dyslexia led him to drop out of school and get caught up in a Bensonhurst youth gang called the Rampers. After he was discharged from the Army ("I wouldn't have minded going to Vietnam. You got medals for killing people over there."), he hooked up with the Colombo crime family. (Sammy didn't team up with John Gotti and the Gambinos until the 1970s.) Sammy tells Maas an amusing story of how he had to participate in ridiculous sidewalk demonstrations in front of FBI headquarters on behalf of boss Joe Colombo's Italian American Civil Rights League in 1969.

The membership books had been closed since 1957. They finally reopened in 1975, one year before boss Carlo Gambino's death. Sammy was "made" a couple of years thereafter. The irony is that Paul Castellano presided over the ceremony. There was a philosophical divide within the Family between the "white collar" Castellano wing and the "blue collar" Neil Dellacroce wing (Sammy and Gotti were in Dellacroce's faction) that grew wider as time passed. Gotti and Gravano realized that Castellano would eventually learn of their heroin dealing, which violated an old-school taboo, and that he would serve their heads on a silver platter for doing so. They decided that a preemptive strike against Castellano was their only hope, which led to the most famous mob assassination in recent history as Castellano was whacked in front of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan on December 16, 1985.

Sammy rationalizes his decision to testify against Gotti by insisting that he, Sammy, was loyal to the "true" vision of Cosa Nostra, that it was Gotti who twisted it into something "selfish" and warped. The reader will have to decide for him or herself. The real heroes in this story are FBI Special Agents Bruce Mouw and James Kallstrom, who spent years fighting bureaucratic inertia to make the Justice Department realize the full potential of the RICO statute. A ton of credit must also go to federal prosecutor John Gleeson, who assembled an airtight case against Gotti and avoided the mistakes that sunk previous prosecutions of the Teflon Don.

An irresistable comparison can be drawn between this book and Nicholas Pileggi's WISEGUY (the basis of the film GOODFELLAS). As terrific a book as WISEGUY is, UNDERBOSS ultimately tells a more significant story, if not a more entertaining one. Although Henry Hill and his mentor Jimmy "the Gent" Burke pulled some big scores in their time, they were relatively low on the mafia totem pole. Both bumped into the Italian mob's equivalent of the glass ceiling; they could never become made because of their Irish ancestry. When Hill flipped for the government in the early 1980's it was a big breakthrough at the time. But when Sammy Gravano, underboss and right-hand man to John Gotti, flipped a decade later, he was in a position to decimate the mafia's hierarchy in a way that Henry Hill never could.

Rest in peace, Peter Maas. You'll be missed.

Rating:
Summary: If you loved "GoodFellas"...
Review: Many reviewers have compared this work to Nicholas Pileggi's fine book "Wiseguy" (which was the basis for the movie "GoodFellas"). And rightfully so. "Wiseguy" concerned real life crime figure Henry Hill and how he eventually turned government informant against the mob. "Underboss" likewise tells the tale of a mobster turned informant, except this time the stool pigeon, Sammy Gravano, is a capo (and later a consigliere) in the Gambino crime family, and the mafioso he fingers is none other than John Gotti himself.

As you might expect, "Underboss" is a fascinating read. (Author Peter Maas previously wrote the books "Serpico" and "The Valachi Papers", among others, so he knows how to tell a good crime story). Gravano does not portray himself as a saint. He candidly reveals in horrifying (though not gory) detail crimes he committed in the mob, including some nineteen murders and literally hundreds of burglaries, armed robberies, and kickback/extortion plots. All the major New York crime bosses of the time (Carlo Gambino, Joe Columbo, Paul Castellano, Vincent Gigante, and of course Gotti) figure in the proceedings, as Gavano had dealings with them and others, as well.

Unlike some true crime books where you end up skipping chapters to get to the "good stuff", this book was gripping every step of the way. So much so that I ended reading it cover to cover, all 301 pages, in less than a week. If you're looking for a good insider's book on the Mafia, this is it.

Rating:
Summary: Great Account
Review: This is for sure one of the best book on the subject ever written. Peter Maas comes really close and describes the life of a mobster in great captivating detail. There is a tendency to put Gravano up to be a bit of a star with morals and ethics above and beyond what the rest of the gangsters have. Perhaps he is, but it still took him an enormous amount of killing and torturing to decide on a better way to use his talent. In any case the book is a fantastic read.

Rating:
Summary: best book on cosa nostra i've ever read
Review: When I first decided to get this book and read it, I had my doubts.. because of my contempt for anyone who becomes a rat, but once I started reading it I really couldn't put it down. I LOVE this book. I have read it many times, and I'm still not sick of it. The beauty of this book is it is all told in Gravano's own words, quoted. Hearing Sammy tell the story word for word is just great. This book isn't just about the Gotti era, and that's good.. theres enough books that focus only on that... this is Sammy's life story. No matter how much you dislike rats, it's hard to dislike Sammy after reading this. It seems really honest, he doesn't try to seem like a good guy, he says how he really feels about things (usually after whacking someone out, 'it's cosa nostra, what can you do' haha).. and you gotta respect that. After reading this, you don't feel as sorry for Gotti. Sammy stayed loyal to this close to him, he refused to testify against anyone in his old crew. Interestinly enough (this isn't in the book, it's recent news) the government recently indicted someone from Sammy's old crew on charges of conspiring to murder Sammy.. What does Sammy do? He testifies on the defenses behalf, saying that Toddo would never try to kill him! Truely a man's man! Still, though, you gotta keep in mind how many people the guy brought down other than Gotti... I think it's a shame he testified against Vicent "The Chin" Gigante, boss of the Genovese family. The Chin was a much more interesting boss than Gotti.. the difference is he didn't have the same pathetic affection for the media that Gotti had. Anywy, I don't think Sammy was the one who brought Gotti down.. Gotti's ego brought Gotti down, Sammy may have just helped speed up the process. Read this book, it's better than wiseguy 5++ stars.

Rating:
Summary: If you loved "GoodFellas"...
Review: Many reviewers have compared this work to Nicholas Pileggi's fine book "Wiseguy" (which was the basis for the movie "GoodFellas"). And rightfully so. "Wiseguy" concerned real life crime figure Henry Hill and how he eventually turned government informant against the mob. "Underboss" likewise tells the tale of a mobster turned informant, except this time the stool pigeon, Sammy Gravano, is a capo (and later a consigliere) in the Gambino crime family, and the mafioso he fingers is none other than John Gotti himself.

As you might expect, "Underboss" is a fascinating read. (Author Peter Maas previously wrote the books "Serpico" and "The Valachi Papers", among others, so he knows how to tell a good crime story). Gravano does not portray himself as a saint. He candidly reveals in horrifying (though not gory) detail crimes he committed in the mob, including some nineteen murders and literally hundreds of burglaries, armed robberies, and kickback/extortion plots. All the major New York crime bosses of the time (Carlo Gambino, Joe Columbo, Paul Castellano, Vincent Gigante, and of course Gotti) figure in the proceedings, as Gavano had dealings with them and others, as well.

Unlike some true crime books where you end up skipping chapters to get to the "good stuff", this book was gripping every step of the way. So much so that I ended reading it cover to cover, all 301 pages, in less than a week. If you're looking for a good insider's book on the Mafia, this is it.

Rating:
Summary: A LOOK INTO THE DARK WOLD OF ORGANIZED CRIME
Review: I enjoyed reading the book not just for the entertainment value, but also for the things it taught me about life in the mob. Some of the things I learned are the organization structure, codes of conduct, methods of intimidation, sources of mob income, and the absolute ruthlessness of the lifestyle.

I like reading these kinds of books not because I think this life these people like Sammy Gravano lead was somehow cool or glamorous. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It's a dangerous, deceptive, wicked lifestyle. I enjoy reading mob books like this because I get a look into a different world I am rarely if ever exposed to. And of course this book, being a true story and interview of a former high-level mob underboss made it a very interesting read.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe the last chapter of La Cosa Nostra, & it's a great one
Review: This really is an amazing insider account of arguably the most famous Italian Mafia family in American history, and the book more than lives up to its billing. The most dramatic thought that I came away with after reading "Underboss" is that Sammy the Bull didn't bring down Gotti and the Gambinos - Gotti did that. Sammy just put the final nail in the coffin.

Gotti's arrogant, publicity seeking ways were ultimately what brought down the Gambino family. Had Gotti been a little more humble and knew the art of "laying low" after several acquittals, he very well may never have been convicted, or at least he would have been out of jail and in power much longer. AND, had he not stabbed Gravano in the back, as Sammy heard on the tapes in a courtroom, Sammy may never have testified against Gotti in the first place.

But, the truth is, Sammy is no model citizen, as he readily attests to in the book. He kills his brother-in-law and performs a number of other murders for seemingly minor Mafia indiscretions. To his credit, though, he doesn't pretend portray himself as a victim, either. Since he's currently doing a 20-year stretch for running an E ring, that's poetic justice in the eyes of the many he betrayed to avoid prison for his underworld doings. Sammy's lived quite a life, and this book let's the curious in on the action. It's probably one of the best Mafia books I've ever read. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Great!!!!!!!
Review: If I could rate it 6 stars I would. This is a great book about Sammy 'the Bull'. It is written honestly and doesn't mince words. This is a real account told from a brazenly truthful Gravano. You won't regret reading this book!

Rating:
Summary: No Bull
Review: This is a great book - a gripping tale of alot of the headlines that didn't make the New York Times, and a deeper look into the ones that did. My only problem is doubt - Sammy Gravano claims to have only killed 1 person in his life, and only been an accompliace to the others. Makes you wonder if his hit number ever exceeded 1. Take a ride into the tales of the Gambino Family and decide for yourself!

Rating:
Summary: Cacophonous Rant
Review: Perhaps the publisher or Peter Maas was trying to do something new to appeal to the public. By selectively editing interviews this book is written in the prose of Sammy the Bull's slang and jargon, fragmented sentences, non-sequiturs, and poor train of thought. I didn't finish the book. To all others, in my humble opinion it's not worth starting.