Gomorrah
by Roberto Saviano
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Book Reviews of Gomorrah
Book Review: One of the most important books from Italy in the last 50 years
Summary: 5 Stars
Gomorrah is not a compilation of news clippings on the subject of the Mafia or better the Camorra.
It's the result of years of heroic work by a young writer that has devoted himself to the understanding of the criminal world that developed in the area around Naples .
The scope and range of the illegal activities are world wide and control the world of fashion, construction, drugs, food, toxic waste, and almost any form of commercial endeavor. The message is a portent of things to come where the claws have not reached yet. The courage of the writer has put him in life danger for the rest of his life and and under constant police protection. The valor of his pen is as great as the beauty of his prose. I can not recall any book that has moved me so deeply in a long time. The story is not only a requiem for the Italian nation but also
a heads up for the rest of the world where the connections with the Italian Camorra are blossoming: that is China, Australia, Central and South America, Africa and obviously the US.
Book Review: International Organized Crime in and out of Italy today
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is an extremely engrossing read about the real world of high stakes organized crime operating in and out of Italy today. It will have tremendous appeal to real life crime fighters and mob aficionados across the world, not to mention anyone with generational ties to Italy as a homeland. Well written and extremely informative, it engages the reader in a tell-all approach of the extensive world wide implications of organized crime originating in and out of Naples today. Graphic and disturbing, it gives factual details only an `insider' would have access to. Particularly fascinating is the increasingly large part women play in the leading role of organized family clans. `The Godmother', if you will. One could only imagine a blockbuster film coming out of this information. This reader would have preferred more details about how the writer actually infiltrated `The System' but perhaps that will be a follow up to this amazing read.Book Review: An unromantic, grim take on organized crime in Italy
Summary: 4 Stars
Unlike the Sopranos or the Godfather, this book does not offer a romantic, sympathetic take on Italian organized crime. This book offers a systematic, detailed exploration of how organized crime (specifically, the Camorra) has complete and total control of Italy. The author details all of the facets of society that organized crime controls. Even the environment is addressed in this book as the mob, through illegal duming of toxic waster, has ruined much of Italy, but other countries as well.
Of particular note is that there is no honor among these thieves. The complete depravity is truly unsettling, especially when you come to the conclusion that organized crime is the true power in Italy, and not any politician or elected government.
Book Review: unfortunately, this is JUST the top of the iceberg..
Summary: 5 Stars
I.T.A.L.I.A. = In This Area Law Is Absent
I'm italian.. I can tell you that we are full of laws, but they are meaningless, because against certain strong powers there is no defence in Italy.. in our parliament there are members that have committed crimes and that have been judged guilty, but nobody can touch them, and they happily rule.. Saviano has been able to reveal ONLY the top of the iceberg, that is how the criminal organizations work, but he will never be allowed to reveal the hidden part of the iceberg, that is how the Italian lobbies and politicians are linked to these criminals.. nobody is allowed to investigate here.
Sorry, but I cannot say more that this, because for now I still have to live in Italy.
Book Review: What a ride!!
Summary: 5 Stars
" You've got to read Gomorrah! It's a book written with passion and elegantly translated into English. But, reader beware, the subject matter is the stuff of nightmares. Page after page is filled with images of sweatshops, drug trafficking, murder--and the Camorra's reach into legitimate society. It's poison has insinuated itself into the very fabric of Neapolitan society and further--into the reaches of Europe, the U.S. and China. Saviano has done a great service to society by publishing this book. As a Neapolitan American two generations removed, I am indebted to the author for the courage he has shown in exposing the cancer afflicting the land of my ancestors. Grazie tanto, Saviano. Stay safe!" --Mary (Alexandria, VA)