Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: Mafia: the Glamour of Crime

By Sandy Amazeen Oct 24, 2011, 0:58 GMT

Mafia. Gangsters. Jazz clubs, hot women, beautiful tailor-made suits, real men. Glitter and glamour. In picturing the mafia, we can\'t ignore the appealing images. Images we picked up in movies and on television, advertising campaigns and posters. Their attraction is well illustrated in Ray Liotta\'s first words in Goodfellas: "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster". ...more

The glitter, glamour and harsh violence of the real Mafia life is expertly blended with Hollywood’s many renditions in this outstanding collection of photographs augmented by interesting commentary. From the clever, bullet hole riddled cover to the play on words as illustrated by the chapter titled “Kosher Nostra”, this book presented in three languages is a treat. Starting with an overview of the Mafia in America as seen through the lens juxtaposed with the reality, the book then examines gangster stereotypes, Hollywood’s Mafia and Mafia organizations throughout the world along with a gangster talk glossary. Although the largely secret world of real life Mafia members exists around the globe, the image most people have of it derives from films and television thus the bulk of the photos presented in this volume come from those sources. This coffee table book would be equally enjoyed by film fans and mobster buffs.