Rating: 
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: After reading Black Mass by Dick Lahr & Gerad O'Niel, I thought I knew it all about the FBI and the Boston Irish Mob AKA Whitey Bulger. After reading Edward Mackenzie's book Street Soldier, I realized the stark difference between someone who was on the inside (Mackenzie) and someone who was on the outside (Lehr & O'Niel) Mackenzie's book Street Soldier, shows us how(as Mackenzie's states)how one is turned from being prey to being predator! I couldn't stop turning the page, this book makes one feel like they are walking in Mackenzie's footsteps as he brings you chapter after chapter or horifying experiances! I read the book three weeks ago, and as I'm driving along in my safe suburban neiborhood, I cringe to think of what's going on in the inner city. Great read! I give this book 5 stars! Krystal MD.
Rating:
Summary: Whitey's wanted by the FBI, my ...
Review: Been waitin for this little book for a while. Came out good, although who knows what is true and what aint. Mac's account of growing up in a tough situation is moving, and his sense of humor is winning. You probably cannot read this book without concluding that the FBI is a complete joke. Bulger is being harbored or is dead. Que pasa Billy?
Rating: 
Summary: You'd be an idiot to believe all this crap.
Review: Eddie Mac is using this book to "get back" at people he doesn't like. He accuses people of rape...yet he has 2 rape arrests himself. He accuses people of being a pediphile and blames the "system" for his evil nature. The fact is, this guy is a pervert and a thug. He claims to get sexual gratification from breaking people's bones and even goes so far as to say he had a "semi" erection from breaking some guys knees. For starters, if you believe this crap he is selling, your a fool, secondly, Eddie Mac is a cowardly thug, typically talking trash about all these people he supposedly messed up and cowed, then talks about how he is now a "cleaned up" college grad who wants to help the neighborhood kids, the same ones he used to watch undress I guess. People this guy is a liar, the material is the same as watching a drunk bully in a bar tell stories about his old "glory days". Simply not worth the time or money.
Rating:
Summary: You'd be an idiot to believe all this crap.
Review: Eddie Mac is using this book to "get back" at people he doesn't like. He accuses people of rape...yet he has 2 rape arrests himself. He accuses people of being a pediphile and blames the "system" for his evil nature. The fact is, this guy is a pervert and a thug. He claims to get sexual gratification from breaking people's bones and even goes so far as to say he had a "semi" erection from breaking some guys knees. For starters, if you believe this crap he is selling, your a fool, secondly, Eddie Mac is a cowardly thug, typically talking trash about all these people he supposedly messed up and cowed, then talks about how he is now a "cleaned up" college grad who wants to help the neighborhood kids, the same ones he used to watch undress I guess. People this guy is a liar, the material is the same as watching a drunk bully in a bar tell stories about his old "glory days". Simply not worth the time or money.
Rating: 
Summary: Gritty read
Review: Eddie Mackenzie provides his readers with an enlightning look into the inner workings of the Boston Irish mob.His recounting of his experiences as muscle for mob leader Whitey Bulger make it difficult to put this book down.Reading about his life, I felt both sympathy and revulsion towards Mackenzie. When you see how messed up his childhood was, it's easy to understand why he became a criminal. But lots of people have had to contend with the miserable experiences he had and didn't become "predators" like him.
Reading his story, I got a real vivid picture of the hopelessness and violence that plague Southie.I've never been there but feel like I have. Upon completing the book, I found myself admiring Mackenzie. He's clearly not proud of his days as a street thug but he's following a better path now.
Rating:
Summary: 99% Accurate
Review: Edward Mackenzie's account of life within 'The Irish Mob' is about as accurate as it could be. He details his early life as a 'made' guy and candidly recounts appalling activities such as extortion, gambling, running numbers, blackmail of politicians, hanging around with life insurance salesmen and attending amateur poetry readings. In Chapter 4, Eddie explains the infamous 'Code of Impressions', and expounds the fundamental 'Ethic of Appearance'. On page 68 he says, 'Grooming was everything. You didn't never leave the house without a gun, a baseball bat, a chainsaw, dynamite, an acid bath, a Barry Manilow CD in case real torture was needed, your comb and a small vanity mirror. Let's face it; who's gonna take a standover guy serious if his suit ain't shined or his hair don't have one of them layered cuts from The Family's in-house coiffeur, Mario 'The Mincer' Roselli.' There's only one small inaccuracy in Mackenzie's story, and as it pertains to my work, it needs to be corrected. On page 144, Eddie states that at the 1992 Palermo Film Festival, `Terminator 2' was unanimously voted `Best Conflict Resolution Video' by the members of SNACK (Sensitive New Age Contract Killers). The vote wasn't unanimous. Carmine `The Lens' Gambino abstained because he shot not only the film but also every critic who panned it.
Rating:
Summary: good book, tough to read at times
Review: I almost stopped reading it at least three times The things that happen to this guy are tough to read about.. I think some may think it is not all true and that might be so in part. if you come from the Boston area I think it is easier to understand the Southie thing...
Rating:
Summary: Could not put this book down!
Review: I have read several books on both the Italian and Irish mobs. I would rate this book as one of the better ones because of it's rare, insider perspective. It is a story of survival on the streets of Boston and how one's environment while growing up contributes to the person we become. Eddie Mac is not vague in his descriptions of Whitey Bulger's gang activity and the stories told had me turning the pages faster and faster! I would also recommend Black Mass and All Souls for those interested in the Irish Mob in Boston.
Rating:
Summary: Lif in the Big City.
Review: I saw Mackenzie on CSPAN Books. I was totally captivated by his willingness to share his world and inner fealings with the audience. This kid has to be telling the truth (I said to myself), so I bought the book. All I can say is, WOW. There is truly another world that we as civilized people only think we read about. Mackenzie, brings us into this world, and let me tell you, it's terrifiong but blatantly honest and raw. At times, I wanted to kill him, and at times I cried, and tipped my hat to him. At the end, the real Eddie Mac (as he calls himself) came out to be a loving father, a man who would give you the shirt off his back, but kill you in two seconds if you came near one of his kids in a threatening way. All in all, I rate this street thriller a 5.
Rating:
Summary: waste of time
Review: i thought that the worst book i've ever read on the mob was a book by paul dimaio's son; this one takes the cake or i should say the bull!!! eddie mackenzie is the perenial want-a-be wise guy who makes up storise as he goes along;i.e. big bunch of bull. i can't believe that a publishing company put this in print. every stool-pigon who gets cought these days trys to make a buck on lie's & as far a lies go he won a five star rating! the book is more of a seinfeld episode, about nothing, than the mob. i think he is mad that he was never more than a coffee boy for whitey.
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