Cover Image: The Gangster's Cousin

The Gangster's Cousin

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Member Reviews

To say this man had an interesting life would be an understatement. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Gangster's Cousin. I enjoy reading behind the scenes Mafia stories so this was very good.

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A modern-day Huckleberry Finn, young Sal navigates the streets of Harlem, defying the ways of people in power—including the bullies in his neighborhood, the Jesuit Priests who run his school, and his own mafia family culture. No one gets out of childhood sane, and Sal is no exception. But he does get out of it smart. He wises up to the death trap of the ordinary working world and escapes his job hauling 100-pound cement bags. From the United States across four separate continents, Sal explores multiple ways to escape the ordinary life, finding himself in unique situations and meeting funny characters along the way. He also experiences the inherent corruption of the US justice system, and discovers the truth about the secret world of outlaw figures like his cousin and namesake, Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Explore the world through Sal’s unique perspective, and find out why he strives so hard to stay ahead of a different type of criminal class—the people who make the rules.
This was a pretty good book. I am a huge fan of mafia movies and documentaries so I was really looking forward to this book. I enjoyed following Sal’s tales of his past and seeing names very familiar to me. I recommend.
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The author wrote a great account of the personal journey they embarked on. The honest and detailed writing made it easy for the reader to feel invested in their journey.

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I found this to be an informative read by author Salvatore Lucania, giving an accounting of what it was like for him growing up in his family in New York. He’s the namesake and cousin of Charles “Lucky” Luciano. I enjoyed his narration throughout as he shared different episodes that happened to him and various friends even in his teens that were pretty amazing. For instance, he and two other buddies were bootlegging Chanel No. 5 perfume at age 16. He got married at 17, and had quite a bit saved from his bootlegging to get them an apartment. Sal was smart, and mostly stayed ahead of the game, even growing up with the dreaded nuns and brothers, once he figured out how to get out from under their control and punishment. He had some wise guys mentoring him, and he always got good advice, no matter the subject.

After he’s grown, he goes on some really crazy journeys that you’ll just have to read to believe, and they have nothing to do with New York. He gets himself into some of the most incredible situations I’ve read about as he follows his way to finding himself, along with trying to make a living over the next couple of decades. It does read more like fiction at times. But he always seems to manage to meet really good friends who are around at key times in his life, and that's always important.

I’d recommend it to mob and memoir readers, and there is also some great new info at the end for Mafia history fans in the last chapter. I really enjoyed this one! Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Salvatore Lucania, and the publisher.

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