Rating: 
Summary: A true hero.
Review: Joseph Pistone is a true American hero in a society that worships the likes of John Gotti. As risky as it is to be a member of Cosa Nostra, Pistone illustrates how much riskier it was to be an FBI agent under deep cover in the mafia. I saw the movie first and immediately got the book. The movie takes a lot of liberties and stretches the truth...surprise, surprise. Hollywood not sticking to the real story? I'm shocked! This book is a milestone and in my top 10, right up there with Catch-22, Johnnie Got His Gun, and All Quiet on the Western Front. Pistone's courage remains unparalleled. The tragedy is that this amazing man now has to live the rest of his life under an assumed name. Hey, maybe Hollywood will come up with a new one where Joe Pistone and Sammy Gravano hook up, become pals and fight martians or something. You just gotta love Hollywood, huh?
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Summary: The Veritable Truth About The Mafia
Review: This is truly one of the most riveting books I have ever read. I have read "The Godfather" and "The Last Don" and found them to be excellent reading but they are strictly fiction and even make gangsters seem like legitimate businessmen. If you want the truth about the Mafia, read "Donnie Brasco." I am certain that Joe Pistone never came close to fathoming how far he would infiltrate the Mafia when he began his undercover operation. It was as if he set out to climb a mountain just to get to the first summit, then realized he could get to the next and the next and so on. Before he knew it, he had won the confidence of those who considered him to be their peer and ultimately put most of them in the slammer. Had he remained undercover for another year he would have been the first FBI Agent in history to become a "made" member of the Mafia. Imagine what a psychological blow that would have been to the mob! What Pistone does is give a more in-depth view of the mindset involved with the Mafia. He gives an eyewitness description that shows individual members of the Mafia in their most graphic human forms from the volatile Tony Mirra to the loudmouth Lefty. He even showed a side of Sonny Black that nobody would have otherwise seen. Although I have very little sympathy for Black for "getting whacked," Pistone did show that Black at least had a heart to contrast the notches on his gun. I also recommend that you not take the movie seriously. While the movie is interesting, I estimated it to be about 85 percent fiction. Pistone's description of his wife showed a very strong woman who would not have stayed with a man who hit her the way he was alleged to have done in the movie. Pistone was also never present when a hit went down, an associate named Nick did not get whacked, Santo Trafficante and Sonny Black were not present on the ABSCAM boat and there were numerous other liberties taken in the movie that left me very disappointed. It actually surprised me when a standard-length movie allegedly based on the book was made. "Donnie Brasco" was better suited to be a made-for-TV mini-series. The mini-series would have provided a better opportunity to reveal the truth. The movie version that we got instead must have left Pistone himself nauseated.
Rating:
Summary: A Real, Genuine, True Look At The Mafia
Review: This book is valuable because it does not glorify those who engage in organized crime. Unlike the Godfather series and, to lesser extent, The Sopranos, Donnie Brasco paints these people for what they really are: criminals, hoods, bums, evil people. And, for the most part, dumber than a red brick. A great story, enjoyable tale, terrific reading. Just don't go out and whack anybody afterward!
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Summary: Open, Honest, Intelligently Written and Very Entertaining!!!
Review: Before you run out and spend $3 bucks to rent the movie from Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, read this book. It starts off simple enough: an agent sent to infiltrate the Mafia in NY/NJ area in the late 70s. But "Donnie Brasco" is a much more complex novel than some man faking his identity. Joseph Pistone (Donnie Brasco) was forced to use his street wits, common sense, and just plain luck against ruthless killers, thieves, crooks, addicts, and other general degenerates. Pistone was forced to abandon his family (wife and children) for months on end, and be on assignment for the FBI. He made friendships and forged alliances, posing as jewel thief Donnie Brasco in order to ingratiate himself into the inner workings of the Mafia. Brasco became so close to many members of Bonnano families and their wiseguys, that when it came out that Brasco was an FBI agent posing as a wiseguy, many were in disbelief. One Bonnano affiliate in particular, Sonny Black, was fond of Brasco and thought of him as a son. He allegedly said that he had no ill feelings toward Brasco, because he was just doing his job. (Months later, Sonny Black was found murdered in a trunk. His hands had been cut off--a symbol that Mob security had been violated.) Pistone takes the time to explain in such a way without sounding boring or grating. He explains the slang, the situation, the characters as if you were there standing over his shoulder. This has to be one of the best Mafia books out there. Don't sleep on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely gripping account of life in the Mafia, undercover.
Review: Donnie Brasco is the story of FBI agent Joseph Pistone who took part in one of the world's longest running undercover law enforcement operations in history, posing as jewel thief "Donnie Brasco" to ingratiate himself into the circles of Cosa Nostra and their affiliates. You're taken on a ride through all the real-life close calls and near-disasters when discovery seems almost imminent, when Pistone is caught in the middle of a war between his gangster 'friends' and their gangster enemies who, thinking he's one of them, considered him a target, and even as Pistone is arrested by local cops who know nothing of the operation and assume he's just another wiseguy working the town. The reality of the book is very powerful and definitely has an effect on you.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Look at a True American Hero
Review: In this gripping read, Joe Pistone's story reminds us that there are still true heroes in our society, and that he is one of them. In the past two and a half years, the FBI has come under unrelenting scrutiny, mostly concerning the 9/11 attacks (with everyone looking to blame solely the big bad FBI). While there is no doubt that there are some structural problems that need the be resolved, I feel that the Bureau has been unfairly portrayed as a completely corrupt and ineffectual organization. Donnie Brasco reminds us that these people are, for the most part, true heroes, who only took on this dangerous job having the best interests of the country at heart. Not to mention this is an amazingly entertaining and fasciniating read, a wonderful foray into the life of an undercover agent. It also effectively destroys any notion that the mob is glamorous, revealing the mob for what they really are: greedy, pathetic losers. I was constantly amazed by Mr. Pistone's wit, courage, and fast-thinking in the face of emergencies. A must-read for anyone and everyone interested in the Mafia, the world of undercover agents, or simply the story of a hero. 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Must read for any fan of the movie!
Review: First off I loved the movie and have seen it numerous times. It ranks with one of my al time favorites. So naturally I figured I had to read the book to see how much was different. Well I was kind of shocked because the movie and the book are very far apart. The movie has all of the real figures in it that Donnie encountered but many of the stories are scewed to fit in Hollywood. Some events didn't even happen or they happened in a different context. but this didn't hurt my opnion any in fact it made me like the book more because it was fresh. The writing is good, a bit winded, but solid and Agent Pistone recounts numerous great tales of crime and danger. What is important about the book is that it shows that Agent Pistone was in no way in conflict with himself about where he and the mob stood as the film portrayed. Pistone worked hard with the FBI and his fellow undercover agents and it is important to know that if you really want the true facts to the whole story.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Makes me proud to work for the Federal Government
Review: I had seen Donnie Brasco the movie several years ago, and I did not enjoy it at all. It depicted the bureau as an agency which does not care about it's own. This however is very untrue, and former Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone describes how much the FBI cares for it's own in Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, very well. Pistone not only describes the bureau accurately, but goes on to describe the Italian Mafia just as well. This is a great book to read, and you won't regret reading it. If you have read this book and have enjoyed it, pick up Mobbed Up, by Pistone as well. This book IS Fictional, but it is a fun book to read. Another great book to have, that I have in the office myself, is the FBI: A comprehensive Reference Guide, by Theoharis, Poveda, Rosenfield, and Powers.
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Summary: Good Non-fiction
Review: I just finished reading this book and it was worth it. I love non-fiction, and this is a great true story of an FBI agent who successfully infiltrated the Mob for 6 years in the late 1970s to early 1980s. Joseph Pistone aka Donnie Brasco, took his time, and slowly but surely, got to know characters in organized crime and moved up in the hierarchy. He had some close calls along the way, and it amazes me that he never got whacked (mob term). Pistone even took the mobsters on a nice boat ride on a boat owned by the FBI - his partner Lefty later found out about the boat - and yet Pistone/Brasco was able to talk his way out of it! Amazing. This guy was so quick on his feet. Talk about guts - this guy was something else. But also, Lefty and Sonny Black, another mobster, really liked Donnie Brasco. Reading this book showed me that being well liked by at least two influential mobsters could go a long way to save you from being whacked. Even though I know what these guys were, thieves, liars, killers, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Sonny when he tells Donnie Brasco how much he trusts him - trust him more than anyone in his crew - how much he liked him. The reader knows Brasco is the last person Sonny can trust. Maybe I shouldn't care, but if you really trust and like someone, it hurts so much to be betrayed. And Sonny, who Pistone/Brasco really liked in spite of everything, doesn't have a pretty ending. As a woman, I couldn't help but notice that Pistone never talks about women he saw or dated. In reality, he was married with children, but he was pretending to be a swinging bachelor. Lefty even accused him of wanting to lie on a beach and be a playboy. Hello! Playboy - that's a red flag word if I ever heard it. From what I can see of him in pictures, he was not a bad looking man, but from his book, you would think the mobsters never saw him (except here and there at first) with another woman. He would just say he was going to New Jersey to see his girl. I can understand keeping anything about other women out of the book since he was/is a married man, and his wife read this book I'm sure. But do I think he went six years without getting involved with another woman - and Lefty calls him a playboy? Oh well, if he pretended to be a mobster, I guess he could just pretend to be a playboy.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Narrative
Review: This superb mob narrative is gripping, readable...and true. Narrator and former FBI Agent Joseph Pistone describes going undercover as jewel thief "Donnie Brasco" in 1976. "Brasco" soon infiltrated the syndicate, and ended up spending five years as a connected member of New York's Bonnano crime family. Brasco assisted in dozens of minor crimes (theft, handling stolen merchandise) to maintain his bad-guy credibility, all the while acting surreptitiously to prevent major crimes from occurring. Readers see how his mafia crew engaged in crimes ranging from theft and burglary, to truck hijackings, robbery, witness intimidation and murder. Brasco also details his emotions, which included fear, loneliness, even guilt over having to deceive mob partners like Lefty "Guns" Ruggerio and "Sonny Black" (who was later murdered). Imagine working undercover knowing that some crook you'd arrested years ago in another state might suddenly appear and recognize you - in which case your mafia "friends" will kill you within minutes. Imagine having to keep your wife and daughters in the dark about your work, knowing that you'll all need to be relocated with new identities once the operation ends.
"Operation Don Brasco," led to scores of arrests and convictions, not to mention a $500,000 contract being placed on Pistone's head. This is one of the best mob narratives available, one made into a pretty good (if somewhat fictionalized) movie starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.
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