Gomorrah (Tie-In): Italy's Other Mafia Review
There are times that Robert Saviano's debut can be a bit slow at times with his knack for details, but what else could you expect from an investigative journalist? The majority of the book is gritty and gripping. Completely discounting the glamorized image created in beloved films such as Godfather and Goodfellas,Saviano aims to show the world the truly reprehensible nature of the Mafia in Southern Italy. Beyond the sickeningly gruesome methods of torture and assassination towards anyone and everyone who dares declare dissent, as a reader, you will be astounded as to just how extensive the Camorra's power is in the economic realm of not only Southern Italy, but all of Europe. The Camorra control the counterfeit industry, the cement and building industry in Italy, and the toxic waste management industry. The Camorra is relentless in its pursuits-- anyone who gets in the way of their livelihoods is mowed over and made unrecognizable. Do not expect any emotional or sentimental passages from Saviano either; this book is his ultimate revenge. He gets straight to the point. You sense that he is bitter to the point that he is numb-- you read descriptions of kids killed violently, but you imagine Saviano has seen this all too often. What makes this book leave such an indelible mark is that all the accounts and stories are true. Saviano had the courage to publish a book that tells it as it is. Excellent read, but be warned, you'll be left with some startling and disturbing knowledge afterwards.
Gomorrah (Tie-In): Italy's Other Mafia Overview
Published to coincide with the eponymous blockbuster film, Roberto Saviano's groundbreaking and utterly compelling book is a major international bestseller. Since publishing his searing expose of their criminal activities, the author has received so many death threats from the Camorra that he has been assigned police protection. Known by insiders as 'the System', the Camorra, an organized crime network with a global reach and large stakes in construction, high fashion, illicit drugs and toxic-waste disposal, exerts a malign grip on cities and villages along the Neapolitan coast is the deciding factor in why Campania has the highest murder rate in all of Europe and why cancer levels there have skyrocketed in recent years. In pursuit of his subject, Saviano worked as an assistant at a Chinese textile manufacturer and on a construction site, both controlled by 'the System', and as a waiter at a Camorra wedding. Born in Naples, he recalls seeing his first murder at the age of fourteen, and how his own father, a doctor, suffered a brutal beating for trying to help an eighteen-year-old victim, left for dead in the street. "Gomorrah" is both a bold and engrossing piece of investigative writing and one heroic young man's impassioned story of a place under the rule of a murderous organization.
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
Related Products
- Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia
- Gomorrah (The Criterion Collection)
- Excellent Cadavers: The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic
- Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible
- Global Outlaws: Crime, Money, and Power in the Contemporary World (California Series in Public Anthropology)
Customer Reviews
Powerful, devastating - Lisa Simeone - Baltimore, MD United States
Admittedly, it's hard to add anything new to the well-deserved praise this book has already received. But I feel that every voice raised, every Bravo spoken, every gesture of support extended, will somehow help Roberto Saviano as he sits in what has become the cage of his life.
Saviano is a hero, and this powerful, devastating book is a cri de coeur.
Although he doesn't stint in describing the savagery of the Camorra, and the book is filled with specific details -- names, dates, places, numbers -- Saviano's writing is at times florid, poetic, even metaphysical. I love this style and think it renders his exposé all the more powerful, but I realize it's not everyone's cup of tea. Some readers will prefer a more nitty-gritty, "just the facts, ma'am" brand of storytelling.
Regardless, you cannot come away from this book and look at Italy, or indeed the rest of the world, in quite the same way again. The acknowledgment of that transformative power seems to me the highest praise one can give.
One of the best books I've ever read - Geoffrey Santoliquido - Cary, NC USA
Saviano has opened up the southern Italian organized crime system for all of us to see. He should be considered a national hero to all Italians and I understand that he is. I could not put this book down once I started reading it and thankfully it has been translated into English in a beautiful way. I found that I had to frequently remind myself that this is a non-fiction book because the vastness and depth of the horrors that Saviano describes are unreal. My favorite line in this book: "I know and I can prove it." I completely recommend that you read this book: "Gomorrah" by Roberto Saviano. It will blow your mind, I promise you.
Saviano has just last week released a second book. I look forward to finding it in English language soon.
Rage Spilled on Paper - Raymond Hovsepian - los angeles, ca United States
This book is very disconnected. The prose is all over the place in describing the Camorra crime syndicate around Naples. But it is very powerful. It seems that Saviano wrote it in rage and he had all of it bottled up inside of him and he just let go on the printed page. You may want to get yourself a little familiarized with the roots of Camorra before you dive into the book. But once you dive in, you get sucked into an abyss of an underground world that has its tentacles reaching the legitimate business world touching millions of lives, not only in Italy but also in all of Europe. I definitely recommend it but only after reading a little background on the Camorra.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 29, 2010 17:35:08
No comments:
Post a Comment