Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia

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Overview

Hailed in Italy as the best book ever written about the mafia in any language, Cosa Nostra is a fascinating, violent, and darkly comic account that reads like fiction and takes us deep into the inner sanctum of this secret society where few have dared to tread.In this gripping history of the Sicilian mafia, John Dickie uses startling new research to reveal the inner workings of this secret society with a murderous record. He explains how the mafia began, how it responds to threats and challenges, and introduces us to the real-life characters that inspired the American imagination for generations, making the mafia an international, larger than life cultural phenomenon. Dickie's dazzling ...

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More About This Book

Overview

Hailed in Italy as the best book ever written about the mafia in any language, Cosa Nostra is a fascinating, violent, and darkly comic account that reads like fiction and takes us deep into the inner sanctum of this secret society where few have dared to tread.In this gripping history of the Sicilian mafia, John Dickie uses startling new research to reveal the inner workings of this secret society with a murderous record. He explains how the mafia began, how it responds to threats and challenges, and introduces us to the real-life characters that inspired the American imagination for generations, making the mafia an international, larger than life cultural phenomenon. Dickie's dazzling cast of characters includes Antonio Giammona, the first "boss of bosses''; New York cop Joe Petrosino, who underestimated the Sicilian mafia and paid for it with his life; and Bernard "the Tractor" Provenzano, the current boss of bosses who has been hiding in Sicily since 1963.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal
Journalist Dickie (Italian studies, University Coll., London) has written a fascinating history of the Mafia in Sicily from the 1860s through the early 21st century. Having emerged in and around Palermo during the troubled 1860s with the attempt to incorporate the island into the new Italian state, the Mafia gained increasing control over local government using threats and murder; by the 1870s, Sicilian politicians versed in the system had entered the central government. Mussolini moved to destroy the influences of the bosses during the 1920s and 1930s, but many escaped by emigrating to the United States, helping to build the American Mafia, which in turn helped reestablish the Mafia in Sicily at the end of World War II. Public outcry finally led to a crackdown during the 1990s. Drawing on interviews as well as secondary sources like newspaper articles, Dickie portrays the Mafia as containing elements of an illegal business, a sworn secret society, and a shadow state operating within the larger nation-state. This solid, scholarly contribution is broader and more accessible than Henner Hess's Mafia and Mafiosi: Origins, Power and Myth or Jane and Peter Schneide's Reversible Destiny: Mafia, Antimafia and the Struggle for Palermo. Recommended for all libraries.-Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781403970428
  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
  • Publication date: 10/21/2005
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 400
  • Sales rank: 335,703
  • Product dimensions: 6.20 (w) x 9.21 (h) x 1.05 (d)

Meet the Author

John Dickie is a historian and journalist. He lectures in Italian Studies at University College London and has written on many aspects of Italian life.

Table of Contents

Prologue
Introduction 1
Men of Honour 9
1 The Genesis of the Mafia 1860-1876
Sicily's Two Colours 21
Dr. Galati and the Lemon Garden 26
Initiation 34
Baron Turrisi Colonna and the 'Sect' 39
The Violence Industry 47
'The So-Called Maffia': How the Mafia Got its Name 55
2 The Mafia Enters the Italian System 1876-1890
'An Instrument of Local Government' 67
The Favara Brotherhood: the Mafia in Sulphur Country 79
Primitives 87
3 Corruption in High Places 1890-1904
A New Breed of Politician 95
The Sangiorgi Report 100
The Notarbartolo Murder 128
4 Socialism, Fascism, Mafia 1893-1943
Corleone 155
The Man with Hair on His Heart 172
5 The Mafia Establishes itself in America 1900-1941
Joe Petrosino 195
Cola Gentile's America 213
6 War and Rebirth 1943-1950
Don Calo and the Rebirth of the Honoured Society 235
Meet the Grecos 254
The Last Bandit 260
7 God, Concrete, Heroin, and Cosa Nostra 1950-1963
The Early Life to Tommaso Buscetta 271
The Sack of Palermo 277
Joe Bananas Goes on Holiday 289
8 The 'First' Mafia War and its Consequences 1962-1969
The Ciaculli Bomb 305
Like Chicago in the Twenties? The First Mafia War 309
The Antimafia 319
'A Phenomenon of Collective Criminality' 325
9 The Origins of the Second Mafia War 1970-1982
Rise of the Corleonesi: 1 - Luciano Leggio (1943-1970) 331
Leonardo Vitale's Spiritual Crisis 340
Death of a 'Leftist Fanatic': Peppino Impastato 344
Heroin: The Pizza Connection 356
Bankers, Masons, Tax Collectors, Mafiosi 362
Rise of the Corleonesi: 2 - Towards the Mattanza (1970-1983) 367
10 Terra Infidelium 1983-1992
The Virtuous Minority 379
Eminent Corpses 383
Watching the Bullfight 391
The Fate of the Maxi-Trial 397
11 Bombs and Submersion 1992-2003
Toto Riina's Villa 407
After Capaci 410
'Uncle Giulio' 418
Enter the Tractor 426
The Major-Domo and the Ad Man 434
Acknowledgements 445
Picture Acknowledgements 448
Bibliography 449
Notes on Sources 463
Index 469

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
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Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 27, 2006

    Good and Bad

    This book accomplishes the feat of being both intriguing and boring at the same time. The subject matter is sexy and holds your interest for a few chapters. However, the facts never come together to tell a complete story but rather a sequence of repetitive short stories. Definitely not a book you will read quickly. I recommend charting out the characters if you are really interested in the subject.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 31, 2004

    Incredible Insight into the Sicilian Underworld

    This well-researched and fascinating book covers the history of the Sicilian Mafia from it origins in the 1860's until the present day. The author, John Dickie, obviously spent a lot of time researching an organization, which actually goes out of its way to remove all traces of its existence. The book exposes a lot of myths and corrects some common misconceptions about the Mafia, e.g. the Mafia started not in a poverty stricken area but actually in a prospering lemon-export region of Sicily. And thankfully the author presents two maps, one of western Sicily and one of Italy, right at the beginning so the reader can easily follow the geographical references throughout the text. The text is separated into chronological segments in which the Mafia's rise is set into historical and political context. The author exposes how the Mafia operates - extorting storefront businesses, infiltrating wealthy commercial enterprises, buying politicians/judges/policemen, smuggling goods, and of course murdering. The author sets right a very important misconception, i.e. the Mafia only kill each other. That is wrong. The Mafia will threaten/intimidate/kill ANYONE (including honest citizens, women, and even small children) who stands in their way. Organized crime and the terrorism it creates, as the author points out again and again, can only thrive at the connivance of protecting officialdom (at times even including the US gov't) and the usual apathy of the citizenry. The book introduces us to the Mafia's major figures throughout its history, such as Baron Turrisi Colonna, Cola Gentile, the Greco Family, Don Calo Vizzini, Salvatore Guiliano, Tomasso Buscetta, Lucciano Leggio, Toto Riina, Bernardo 'the Tractor' Provenzano, and many more. It also introduces us to the really courageous men (and women) who actively fought it, such as Dr. Galati, Ermanno Sangiori, Emmanuele Notarbartolo, Cesare Mori, Judge Giovanni Falcone, Peppino Impastato, Guiseppa di Sano, and many more. The book ends discussing the possible links between one of Prime Minister Berlusconi's lieutenants and the Mafia. From what I can understand from the book, the Mafia is truly scared when it loses its political backing. This happened a couple times throughout its history, and it was devastating for the Mafia, i.e. during Mussolini's reign and in the late 80's and early 90's. The Mafia can be defeated, but everyone has to make a stand - zero tolerance. This even happened in the Mafia's heartland in Palermo, producing real results. This was a great book! I highly recommend it.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 13, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

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