Rating: 
Summary: mess with the bull you get the horns
Review: A must read for anybody who likes mob books or movies. This is the story of Sammy the bull. His rise and fall in the mob. Good from first page to the last. There is also a movie based on this book. Witness to the Mob. Does not got in detail like the book but just as good. The bull tells it like never before the highest ranking person in the mob to do so. Read it to find out.
Rating: 
Summary: Bull
Review: Although I consider Gravano no less than a multiple murderer, a con man, a liar, and a thug, I have to admit that he had done good for himself up until two years ago. Indeed, life after his short prison stint for racketeering seemed great, he had left the pressures of mob life behind, and his enemy, John Gotti, was finally sentenced to a life of penal servitude where he would die. But on February 2, 2000, the bubble burst and state authorities in Arizona arrested him for running a state-wide drug ring, which specialized in the designer drug, Ecstacy or 'X'. He later pled guilty, and was sentenced to fifteen years, state/federal charges combined. It has been nearly two years since then, but one can only wonder if he really meant it when he said he didn't want his family involved in a life of crime. His son, Gerard, his daughter and his wife Debra, are also currently cooling their heels in prison. It seems Sammy's word is not as ironclad as one would have believed after reading his book in 1997.
Regarding the book though, it is from the heart and that much is admirable. Peter Maas makes his tough-guy rants legible, and the reader does not generally find the book boring, much less offensive considering the subject is the New York Cosa Nostra. In fact, it is a refreshing view of the man who is currently dieing of throat/neck cancer in a prison hospital in Springfield, Missouri. The Dapper Don, as he was known years ago, was somewhat of an enigma in the underworld. Shunning the darkness and low-key style of traditional mob dons, he opted to smile for the cameras, and invited them in whenever a special occasion prompted it. As a result, and because of his violent and mostly-disliked bad attitude, he ended up in prison after running the family for only four years, and had sustained three trials in between. The reader can sympathize with Gravano, who had to either go down in flames with his boss, tormentor and slavedriver, who had openly accused him of ordering murders on surveillance bugs in the Cirelli appartment, or to roll over and become a government witness. The quiet Frank Locascio had a son in the Gambino family, who he did not want to compromise, nor was he anything short of a mob traditionalist, so he stayed on and got life with John. Gravano was in fact a major earner for the family, and shunned the light, much more Gotti's way of dragging everyone to the Ravenite in front of FBI/OCTF surveillance every week for them to pay homage. I, for one, am glad John Gotti is in prison, and do not feel sorry for neither he nor his family, which consists of four brothers, all criminals and except for Peter and Richard, are imprisoned. Nor his son, who is cooling his heels in jail until 2005. Either way, Gravano was given little choice, much less a simple apology or a show of encouragement by Gotti, so he did what he had to. The fact that he later contradicted all his pledges was almost foreseeable - have you ever taken the word of a criminal?
Rating:
Summary: Page turner
Review: Well written and entertaining book. I found the story of Salvatore Gravano to be no less than fascinating. It is a genuine page turner. Most of the Mafia books that I have read in the past always left me with the impression. That Wiseguys, Gangsters etc.. were tough smart men. After reading Peter Maas's book I am forced to change my opinion. The picture that Peter Maas painted of the Mafia was a group of licentious, coveteous cowardly men totally incapable of living under any type of social contract. These men were unable to follow a set of rules (made by them ) to govern themselves and their own behavior. I found it laughable that they actually chose a man like John Gotti to head the Gambino Family, With all of their talk of duty and honor. They choose the most out of control member within their organization to head it. A known Gambler and womanizer a man so arrogant and totally without discipline and discretion that he litterally invited the eventual down fall of the entire family through his extravagant behavior. We can all be thankful that John Gotti became the head of the Gambino crime family, for there was no surer way to vouchsafe his fall and eventual imprisonment.
Rating: 
Summary: The Life
Review: This book could almost be even better - his no remorse for the victims that he killed during his time in the Mafia. The way his men stood up for him when Gotti first came into his club and started saying crap about Sammy and they pulled a gun. Which finally woke up Gotti, and he started making nice about Sammy "Sammy's my buddy" - which is kind of funny, they weren't actually hanging out with each other. I was amazed that the Bull was shocked to learn that Gotti actually picked him to help organize the murder of Big Paul Costellano... since they weren't that good of friends. Poor Sammy, must have also been the only Mobster to not have a mistress! While his suprior Johnny Boy was having a different blonde woman with him at every different club. Also Sammy only went to one sit down with Gotti and that was it. (...)
Rating:
Summary: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
Review: There is more than one side to every story and Sammy Gravano seems to tell his side with great 'conviction' (no pun intended). Having read the FBI's perspective (Gangland, Howard Blum) on the investigation with regards to the Gambino family I feel that Sammy's story fills in some of the blanks although many of those 'blanks' are incredibly grusome to hear. A very intriguing account of one man's life within La Cosa Nostra.
Rating: 
Summary: Plenty of Bull Here
Review: Although Cosa Nostra groupies will doubtless love this one, discerning readers will find it somewhat lacking. The essential problem one encounters with this book is one of credibility. Gravano certainly attempts to portray himself in the best possible light (which is none too good), but it doesn't quite work. Peter Maas certainly did his best, but the reader must consider whether the word of an admitted mass murderer, habitual thief, liar, and all-around thug can be believed. As the narrative progresses, Gravano emerges as a gutless, conscienceless punk, who has learned nothing from his myriad mistakes. After agreeing to testify against other mob figures, he served a mere three years in prison, and then entered the Witness Protection Program, eventually leaving the program, ostensibly to make a new life for himself and his family. However, true to form, Gravano (the incurable hood) managed to screw that up by becoming involved in a sloppily-run drug ring, and landing back in jail (along with his family). In other words, try as he may, Gravano fails to convince, betraying his true nature at every turn. His credibility is so threadbare that he almost makes John Gotti look good by comparison, and that is a truly remarkable feat. In fact, he often bears a striking resemblance to one of Jimmy Breslin's fictional characters. Gravano is a pathetic man, telling a story that is more full of holes than the nineteen victims he dispatched as a professional mob assassin. Good old Sammy - a cheap hood still trying to hustle a buck!
Rating:
Summary: Sammy "The Bull"
Review: Peter Maas helps the Ex-Mafia Underboss to tell his side of the story.And of his life in good detail.The mass murderer truned rat tells it all with no remorse.Of how he got started in the mafia.Why he got his nickname "The Bull".And how he first met the "Dapper Don".
Rating:
Summary: Long Live the Bull
Review: Fantastic book written by Peter Maas. I think I read this book once a year and it is always a great read. Peter Maas delievers a story that flows superbly and makes the reader feel like they are there on the streets of NY with Sammy. A must read for anyone. I am waiting in eager anticipation to see Joe Pesci play the roll of Sammy the Bull in the next best, if not better, mob film since Goodfellas.
Rating:
Summary: Sammy da Bull
Review: This was an interesting read. Read it for an Orgnized Crime class. There were some funny incidents this "former" mobster was involved in. Peter Maas did this book some justice, by laying the text in layman's term. Easily understood, the life of this Bensonhurst raised Sammy Gravano...Who was the underboss tht turned his back on John Gotti, the underboss who got away with 19 murders and the "former" underboss who just got arrested on drug charges in Arizona..Makes you wonder, will the Government ever stop making deals with the devils?
Rating:
Summary: "But, but.. What could I do?"
Review: This is a fantastic read primarily because of Gravano's rhetorical style and superior editing on the part of Peter Mass. I have re-read it several times myself. It's very fast paced and doesn't get bogged down with the tedious efforts of Law Enforcement in bringing the Gambinos to justice like so many other books on the subject. It is however, largely fiction and should be treated as such. Over and over Gravano whines "But, what could I do?" with regard to his many crimes, claiming he had no choice in the matter.. It's a part of Mob life.. he hated it but had no options.. he hated the drugs, hated people getting their children caught up in "the life" blah, blah.. This is completely contradictory to known facts and while that's a big negative the rest of the book with his unique viewpoint make it worth your time regardless. Because of this I would still highly recommend it. "Underboss" is one of those books you just can't put down till you've read it in it's entirety. Ironically enough, Gravano's fudging of the truth in and of itself makes reading a fun and worthwhile mental exercise when you compare "Underboss" with other, similar books. Trying to draw a line between his recollections, published fact and the perceptions of others in the Gambino Crime Family, as related in other books really test your critical thinking skills and, in my opinion make "Underboss" a must read for Mob enthusiasts. Just remember, this thing was written with one persons perspective in mind, no one else is allowed to rebut Mr. Gravano here, these are his perceptions alone. And in spite of all his whining "What could I do?" over and over to the point of nausea, he left the Witness Protection Program to run an Extacy, drug ring with his family in Arizona, was caught, plead guilty and was convicted AFTER this book was published. If you read it and compare.. you will get double the pleasure from this book.
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