The Mafia, also known as Cosa Nostra, is a criminal organization that originally started in Italy. With the Italian migration in the early 20th century, the Mafia set foot in the USA. In the decades that followed, it grew into the most powerful criminal organization, especially on the East Coast where the Five Families took hold.
This criminal organization has been an undying inspiration in various media. We’re talking video games, books, comic books and movies and TV shows. There’s something that draws viewers to movies such as The Godfather, which itself was loosely based on real characters in a book. Most Mafia books are real crime stories about the rise and fall of powerful Dons that often have even politicians in their pockets.
If you’re into real crime stories, we give you the best 3 Mafia biography books of all time.
Penned by Mafia investigator Anthony M. DeStefano, Gotti’s Boys explore the rise and fall of the Teflon Don, John Gotti. For a long time, Gotti was the most prominent Mafia member and head of the Gambino crime family. He was also one of the most brutal, and had a trusted crew of Mafia members doing the dirty work for him.
DeStefano takes readers through Gotti’s inner circle, revealing their dark deeds and hearts at the height of Gotti’s power in New York. All the other families were terrified of Gotti’s Boys, and these real-story recollections are a perfect example of what happened at the time.
Vegas is now known as the world’s premier gambling destination, but before that, it was a body dump yard for the Mafia. This book by Steve Fischer takes a look at Vegas’ Mafia past, talking about major characters in the mob that ran Vegas. From murdering the competition, it’s a book about rigged games at casinos and Vegas’ bloody rise to fame, but if you want to enjoy the highs of Las Vegas without getting involved with ‘The family’, then it’s a much safer bet to try casino games at Dunder.
As the author says himself, it gives readers an inside look in the money, mayhem, and murders in Las Vegas.
John Alite was a notorious hitman for the Gambino crime family and Gotti himself. Alite was the prototypical gangster at the time. He was loyal, feared, and extreme, enjoying his life as a Mafia enforcer. Alite was a huge reason why Gotti rose to power so fast. The Teflon Don himself was brutal, and John Alite followed in his footsteps.
Through a life of heartache, betrayal, and loss, Alite himself shares the story of how he became the underground’s most feared hitman. Written by author S.C. Pike with Alite narrating his life, this 2018 book is one of the best when it comes to Gotti’s powerful empire.
During Gotti’s rise, Alite shot between 30 and 40 people, and beat more than 100 with a baseball bat. He killed 6 people for Gotti and later turned a government witness, testifying against Gotti and the Gambino crime family. After the life of crime, Alite turned a motivational speaker and a books author.
Markus lives in San Francisco, California and is the video game and audio expert on Good e-Reader! He has a huge interest in new e-readers and tablets, and gaming.