No comments about Supper with the Crippens: A New Investigation into One of the Most Notorious Domestic Murders in History.

No comments about The Encyclopedia of the Fbi's Ten Most Wanted List: 1950 To Present.

4 comments about Joe Dogs: The Life & Crimes of a Mobster.

1. the end, when he got a little too enthusiastic about ratting out his old pals. at least the other rats didn't feel so good about it. i guess its cuz they beat him up so bad, (undeservedly, in my opinion); but he still just seemed a little too into the "revenge by law" process that it turned my stomach to read the end of the book, from about the point of "bagging my first boss" onward. it was nauseating. but a decent easy read otherwise



2. This book is good, it does give details of rackets and all the moves that the guys in south florida were making, But if you read this book really well, you notice that Joe dogs was more of their Bitch then a guy they were willing to make a MADE MAN. By reading this book I can that they had no real respect for him, and only dealed with him because he lived down there and it made it easy for them to their business that way, during the hole book the mobsters were always flying back and forth to and from New York. Even the Family advisor did'nt like hime (joe N Gallo) and had him beat down(this is not good). The way Tom Argo talked and treated hime told me that, to them he was just a clown they were using to make a buck and would never make a MADE MAN.
   Good book but more like spider from goodfellas!!
   then donny brasco



3. Although you have to wonder just how much of this story was inflated by Joe Dogs, it still made for a great read. Joe makes no attempts to cover up the fact that he isn't a very good person but just tells his story like it is (with a few possible embellishments) in a way that can only pass for Joe Dogs' style. I have his "Mafia Cookbook" which includes some stories from his life as well.



4. this book is one of the funniest i've read since donnie brasco,not for the fan of shoot em up chop em up mob book.but funny the way joe dogs talks about "empty suits" when refering to FBI agents. The same incompetence donnie brasco found in his undercover work in the bonanno famiglia.good reading,couldn't put it down.

5 comments about Dead Run: The Untold Story of Dennis Stockton and America's Only Mass escape from Death Row.

1. This tells the story of an innocent man killed by the state of Virginia for political reasons, an event made easy and in all probability common by a law banning the reopening of a case to hear new evidence later than 21 days after a conviction. This applies even to evidence illegally suppressed during the original trial.
   The book is extremely well-written, and much of it is exciting and suspenseful, particularly that dealing with the escape. Stockton was in on planning an escape from death row, but did not take part in it. New evidence of his innocence had just emerged, and Stockton apparently had enough faith left in the justice system to believe that he stood a better chance of freedom by not escaping. He may also have been driven by a desire to declare his innocence. He later refused a deal from the state of life imprisonment in exchange for ceasing to appeal his conviction. He also published diary entries in a newspaper which he knew would win him the ill-will of many with power over him.
   This excellent book is marred slightly by the introduction's instructing us that "...there is no need to pity most criminals." Such a comment transfers its author's inability to pity to the rest of us. I'd be curious to know how many readers of this book feel no pity for the escaped murderer who arrives at the border of Canada, grows scared, telephones his mother, and - on her advice - turns himself in to be killed.
   More importantly, the comment about pity leaves the debates over criminal justice within the framework of a battle between vengeance and pity - a framework in which the reduction of harm done by and to both criminals and the falsely accused can have no place.
   The vengeance-versus-pity idea shoves aside the question of innocence-versus-guilt, and even where guilt is evident it shoves aside questions of societal healing, restitution to victims, rehabilitation of offenders, deterrence, and costs to tax-payers.
   Everyone knows that crime is most easily and cost-effectively reduced by fighting poverty. It is unlikely that America's recent draconian measures will reduce crime in the long run. Stockton chose to trust the system rather than attempt an escape, but he was relieved to be killed when the only alternative was the hell-hole known as a correctional institution, a place full of flying feces, rape, murder, and abuse of every sort.
   Lately, Virginia has been doing to juveniles what it has long done to adults convicted of crimes. The director of the dept. of juvenile justice [pun possibly intended] has resigned effective Dec. 1, 1999, following the death of a retarded youth in custody, the initiation of a self-defense program allowing guards to hit and kick kids, a girl being handcuffed on her way to a hospital to give birth, and poor conditions at the state's largest detention center so egregious that the agency's board decertified the place last week citing overcrowding and sexual misconduct.
   Concern for convicts (innocent or not) is not in conflict with crime reduction. It is in
   conflict with state violence, with the anger promoted by politicians even in the names of victims who publicly disown it. As long as advocates of vengeance are permitted
   to masquerade as advocates of crime reduction, justice will be a sham.
   This book is so well done that to find anything significant to complain about, I had to turn to the introduction, which the authors didn't write. The authors are an editor and an ex-reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, a Norfolk newspaper. Much of what they write is taken from Stockton's diary, transposed into the third person, fact-checked, and supplemented. The only thing I could fault these talented writers for is the occasional misplaced journalistic balance. The preface mentions "ultimate fairness - or lack thereof," as if the whole point of the book were not to describe unfairness. On page 19, the authors accept the term "monsters" as a useful one, without really defining what it should mean. On page 234 of a book describing the Dantean conditions of a prison, they write of a victim's mother's dealing with the years before an innocent man was executed for her son's murder: "It was like she was in prison too." Maybe she had said those words, but had she read this book? Did she have any idea what being in a prison is like? On page 251 the authors say that Stockton was "witness to a struggle between justice and mercy." He wasn't. He was witness to a struggle between evil politics and vengeance on the one hand, and the demands of innocence on the other. Justice cannot be opposed to mercy because justice should be merciful. Justice is, after all, an attempt - where all else has failed or not been tried - to reduce harm.
   This book is not just an exciting page-turner. It also provides a great deal of useful information, including some shocking statistics. For example: "An October 1993 report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said that forty-eight innocent men had been freed from Death Rows across the nation since 1972, That came to a nearly one-in-six ratio of freed to executed prisoners. Of the forty-eight men, 52 percent 'were convicted on the basis of perjured testimony or because the prosecutor improperly withheld exculpatory evidence.'" Is this surprising in a country with the bizarre practice of ELECTING prosecutors to office - and voting them out if they leave a crime unpunished?



2. This book presents itself as a story of a prison escape, and while it does include information about the Mecklenburg escape, that's not what the book really is.

   The real intention of the book is to make an anti-death penalty pitch and to suggest that Dennis Stockton is innocent.

   I don't have a problem with either of those positions (I am against the death penalty myself), but I do have a problem paying for a book that isn't what it claims to be.

   Moreover, if they want to make a pitch for Stockton's innocence, they ought to be much more thorough and fair. Juries, judges and the governor of Virginia disagree with that view. Now it may be that they're wrong, but in order to make a fair judgment you need a complete presentation of the facts. What we get here instead is a lot of suggestions about possible exoneration but no serious analysis.

   Still, it's an interesting story that I can't give a "1" rating to in good faith. It's an OK book. It's just not what it claims to be.




3. "Dead Run" is the best prison drama I have ever read, made more gripping by the fact that it is ALL TRUE. The bookd recounts the final prison term of Dennis Stockton, who was probably innocent and spent over a decade on Death Row. The first part of the book deals with the only successful mass escape from Death Row in American history, but the drama does not end there. Following that, by following Stockton through the system and finally to his execution, one becomes acquainted with the grim, crushing reality of the brutality and neglect of the American prison system.

   On top of being a gripping tale of prison life, the book is a damning account of capital punishment and our prison system in general. By picking Stockton as a subject, a probably innocent man singled out by the UN as an example of a case of capital punishment that did not meet up with the standards expected of international law, the authors make a ringing statement against death penalty laws and procedures in the United States. Only the most rabid pro-death penalty advocate could read this book and not come away questioning their support for the execution of criminals.

   A further feature that permeates the story is just how seedy and corrupt everyone and everything in the book are. The courts, the cops, the guards, the prisoners, the politicians - they are all part of the same basically corrupt world. Only (not coincidentally) the reporters and some of the witnesses come off as being white in a very grey and black world.

   The book is a magnificent, cannot-put-it-down peice of work that I heartily recommend to any lover of a good non-fiction tale!




4. What I wanted to know, after reading this simple, eloquent, masterfully written prose blockbuster is WHERE DO I GO TO NOMINATE THESE GUYS FOR THE NOBEL PRIZE??? Not since I read JAWS have I been so absolutely riveted!!! And I HATE prison books. And, let me tell you, I never would have thought that I would glean so many powerful management techniques from a book about prisons!! I have learned more about human nature and, you'll pardon the expression, it's "Dark Side", than I ever dreamed possible!! When I was growing up in Southern California I met quite a few prisoner, usually working in my mother's garden. Later, when I was at a large insurance brokerage in San Francisco we often had underwriting meetings that touched upon the subjects that this book treats so eloquently and persuasively. But, I have to say, if I'd read this book before I moved to Oregon I would have remained in "the life" and kept applying the valuable risk management techniques described therein to my business. I give the thing SIX stars!!!!



5. I'm not a big reader but this work reads fast and is extremely absorbing. I remember the Briley escape while I was in college, so the new context I never had was fascinating.

5 comments about The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell: Confessions of a Bank Robber.

1. First of all, the structuring of the book was kind of out of whack, while maybe this was just part and parcel of the vileness of the Authors mindset. Personally, for a memoir, I like the book, even though the title really doesn't make sense and the darkest side of the incarceration part of the story seems seriously edited down, who knows why !?. Also a note : How weird is it how a certain group are so over sensitized and take so personal the words in this book (For every subculture there is solace). To me the bottom line is this , the book is a in your face look at this authors thoughts , love it... or leave it.



2. I love this book because it could be so many people's story. It shows Joe's journey from the pain and confusion and grief of losing his mother, to the confusion and eventual rage when his father turned his own anger, grief and rage against him to the decision to take control of his life. Once he chose to take control, the survivor in him again helped him find a mentor and role model in Rodriguez. Joe had used his inherent love of the power of words from childhood. Now he chose to harness that love for transformation. I am so pleased and grateful that he chose to share his story of redemption with us. May some lonely, confused angry person in s prison cell somewhere, either literal or metaphorical,find this book. It can and has changed lives. Thank you, Joe.



3. Extremely well written. I will be certain to read Mr. Loya's next endeavor. I, personally would like to know how Loya's life evolved after his stint in prison. Cudo's to Loya for sharing his life with readers. It was a fascinating, heartbreaking and encouraging read!



4. I don't think Joe Loya does a real good job explaining how he made the transition from a bespectacled bookish nerd to a big bad dude in prison. All he did before getting locked up was hold up female tellers and stab his hapless and unarmed dad with a kitchen knife. A guy like that is more likely to be picked on and smacked around by other prisoners than becoming a shot-calling big baller. (And another thing...why does every nickel 'n dime Chicano convict want to write poetry?)



5. Maybe she meant to say "honesty in all aspects." Whatever she meant, you really can't believe anything that a woman who names herself "P.Loya" writes anyway, even if she claims to have "lived it." P.Loya was probably locked up in some sorry little women's facility like Perryville where all they do is comb their hair and paint their nails. But back to this book...I didn't like it. It was not worth the 99¢ I paid to salvage it from the bargain book bin at Albertsons. For a more believable account of prison life I would recommend "A Place to Stand" by Jimmy Santiago Baca.

2 comments about Capital Consequences: Families Of The Condemned Tell Their Stories.

1. Rachel King's writing is compassionate and urgent. In telling the story of how these families cleave to dignity, she exposes the moral failure that is the death penalty. This book is profoundly moving and almost sickening. It makes one ashamed to be part of a society that can act so cruelly and can traumatize so many innocent people.



2. Rachel King has followed up her previous book with a similar theme, though with a completely different voice. Imagine the shame, ignominy, and ostracism that can come from having a family member sentenced to death and executed.
   
   In Capital Consequences, she tells the stories of family members facing this unique victimization. As in her previous book, King allows the eloquence of the individuals to shine through in their own words.
   
   There are unexpected nuggets in this book, and it is an important addition to the growing body of literature about the impact of the death penalty on American society.

5 comments about Al Capone (Biography (a & E)).

1. I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly for many reasons. The first reason being, I learned much much more about Al Capone than I ever would have before it. I rather liked the way in which the information was displayed as well; it wasn't just a bunch of bullet facts or talk abvout one thing and skip around his life forward and back, it was distruibuted in a chronological order, telling off the information like it was a novel instead of a Biography, which made it much easier and more entertaining to read. I also liked the fact that the author added in some pages of information about other people in the story, so he wouldn't get off track and interrupt the story about Capone which is what the book is about.



2. In Hornung's Al Capone, he looks into the life of the most notorious crime boss of all time. He chronicles Capone's rise to power and his transformation from a New York shoe-shiner to the most powerful crime boss in America's history. Hornung used actual stories from Capone's life to show how he lived and how he rose to the top.
   Al Capone was born in Italy, but his family moved to New York towards the end of the nineteenth century. His father opened up a barber shop and supported his family adequately for an immigrant. As a teenager, Capone started a shoe-shining business in the front of a hotel near his house. One day, a few boys from a local gang came by and destroyed Capone's stand. The rage that filled Capone would be the catalyst for Capone's attempt at entering the crime world of the New York streets and the beginning of a life of crime. After success as a neighborhood gang leader, Capone quit school and entered into the true organized crime of New York as a "muscle" man. He moved to Chicago with his mentor who got him set up with jobs. The author goes through stories of different people Capone had met and how they affected Capone. Capone eventually made his way up to the head of the Chicago crime world and held his power with the help of fixed elections keeping him power for years. He finally was caught by Elliot Ness, an IRS agent, and ended up serving time at Alcatraz. He died of syphilis in his home in Miami after leaving Alcatraz because of failing health. The biography went through all aspects of Capone's rise and fall including his love life, family, money, and friends to show how the experience affected all who encountered him.
   I really enjoyed this book because it went into the details of organized crime more than any other book I have ever read. I reccommend this book to anyone who wants to know about a man that used fear to rule an entire city during the 1920s.



3. This is a very entertaining read filled with the stuff of gangster lore. The book gets right tothe point about Capone --he was a slugger who muscled his way to the top and then sold out everybody to stay there. Instead of romanticizing the Big Fella and his overstuffed style, Hornung shows how crime is a violent enterprise that preys upon the weak and glorifies the bully. With a dry wit and lean writing style, Hornung describes Capone's vicious rise and inevitable fall as the life of a coward, not a hero.



4. This is a very entertaining read filled with the stuff of gangster lore. The book gets right tothe point about Capone --he was a slugger who muscled his way to the top and then sold out everybody to stay there. Instead of romanticizing the Big Fella and his overstuffed style, Hornung shows how crime is a violent enterprise that preys upon the weak and glorifies the bully. With a dry wit and lean writing style, Hornung describes Capone's vicious rise and inevitable fall as the life of a coward, not a hero.



5. I did look again and you should too Mr.Hornung because that is indeed the Lexington Hotel and not the Metropole as you stated.Believe me when i say that i know my Capone history.And getting family and friends to do reviews to counter my first negative review is quite tacky if not childish.

   Best regards,

No comments about Central Florida's Most Notorious Gangsters: Alva Hunt and Hugh Gant.

5 comments about "The Gold Club" the Jacklyn "Diva" Bush Story: How I Went from Gold Room to Court Room.

1. WHEN I READ THE BACK COVER OF THE BOOK IT SAID THE READER WOULD FIND OUT ABOUT THE OCCURENCES OF PROFESSIONAL BALLPLAYERS ACTORS AND POLITICIANS INSIDE THE GOLD CLUB. BUT WHEN I READ THE BOOK I QUICKLY LEARNED THAT SHE KEEPS ALL OF THESE PEOPLE NAMELESS EXCEPT FOR HERSELF AND FORMER GOLD CLUB EMPLOYEES. AND WHEN A CELEBRITY DOES ENTER THE CLUB SHE REFERS TO THEM AS A BIG SPENDER WITHOUT EVEN GIVING YOU A DECENT CLUE WHO THEY ARE. I KNOW THAT PEOPLE READING THIS BOOK ARENT NEARLY AS INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT ABOUT JACKLYN "DIVA" BUSH AS THEY ARE IN THE CELEBRITY ESCAPADES THAT WENT ON IN THE CLUB. BE CAREFULL BECAUSE THIS BOOK ISNT GONNA TELL YOU ANYTHING AS FAR AS THATS CONCERNED.



2. THE GOLD CLUB" THE JACKLYN"DIVA" BUSH STORY: HOW I WENT FROM GOLD ROOM TO COURT ROOM details her life as a dancer and her time spent on trial. This book was very interesting and educational. I learned that stripping is more than undressing; it's an art that has been parlayed into big business. At times the story was a bit confusing and hard to follow because Ms. Bush kept switching between past and present. Still it was an entertaining, eye opening read.

   Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
   of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

   Complete review can be found on our website...




3. This was a wonderful portrayal of one woman's experience and perspective as an entertainer at the Gold Club, and, as the subtitle indicates, it is also about Ms. Bush's life. There is nothing sleazy or ghetto about this book.

   Ms. Bush is an example of a survivor. She cleverly integrated chapter snapshots of her past as though reflecting, at times, on her hard upbringing or comparing how far she had come from her deprived past. It doesn't take a Ph.D to follow and appreciate the creative flair she incorporated. I certainly would not have been interested in this story had she depicted it frame-by-frame from infancy to adulthood. This is a well-written story (I think all of the negative comments are from those fellow dancers she mentioned who didn't like her).

   Ms. Bush doesn't claim to be perfect, in fact, in the end, she states that it is her hope that others can learn from her mistakes.

   I especially recommend this book for young women who may be tempted by notions of making fast money.

   Thanks for sharing your story, Ms. Bush. You've shown that one is never too old to learn from mistakes or develop a new chapter in life.




4. Although I have not read the entire contents of this book I read enough for it to give me a pounding headache because it is indeed very painful to read. Who published this book? Jerry Springer Publishers.

   Being an exotic dancer myself and a very intellegent one at that I was embarassed that the stripper community has been so badly misrepresented by Ghetto Queen.

   This book is not only badly written, it is a big joke. This book has very little value. I would not even use it for a coaster.

   Barbee




5. I bought this book because I knew some of the people involved in the GOLD CLUB. The book lacks professionalism throughout. Yes I realize that DIVA was not well educated but it looks like someone could have put this book together better. I guess I just expected more. I can not imagine the book holding the interest of anyone outside of the Atlanta area where we saw so much about the Gold Club on the news. To sum up this book in one word.......SLEAZE.

5 comments about The Prince of Providence: The True Story of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor, Some Wiseguys, and the Feds.

1. There is no doubt Buddy Cianci is an interesting figure worth reading about. However, this book seems at many times to be not much more than the rehashing of newspaper articles written by the writer or his colleagues. All the chapters have snappy introductions, or "ledes," as journalists say, and tend thereafter to be very repetitive in their descriptions of the mayor.
   
   I did not mind purchasing the book, as Cianci is an interesting figure to know about, but I found myself skimming over sentences and sections much more often than I like. Not recommended.



2. One day in grammar school a young lad named Vincent Cianci announced to his classmates that he was going to be Vice President of the United States when he grew up. What those kids in the schoolyard could not have possibly realized was that even at the age of 10 or 11 Vincent Cianci was dead serious about what he wanted to do with his life. In "The Prince of Providence", author Mike Stanton. a reporter for the Providence Journal, chronicles the life of this colorful and controversial, energetic and enigmatic figure.
   When "Buddy" Cianci arrived on the scene in 1974 he really was a breath of fresh air. For Providence was a corrupt and dying town that had long been dominated by the Democratic machine. It was only as the result of a unlikely confluence of circumstances that this young upstart Republican had been elected Mayor of Providence. As a dynamic young urban mayor, Cianci gained favor with Republican President Gerald Ford who was looking for ways to expand his base for the 1976 election.
   And Buddy Cianci had a quality that few politicians these days seem to possess---vision. He aggressively pursued federal funds for his city and entertained innovative proposals and project ideas that would have been summarily dismissed as "pie in the sky" by previous administrations. In addition, the mayor seemed to have boundless energy--he was everywhere. Those of us who live in Rhode Island saw firsthand the impact that such energy and imagination was beginning to have on our capitol city.
   But unfortunately, there was also a dark side to Buddy Cianci that would ultimately lead to his downfall. In the pages of "The Prince of Providence" you will read all about the corruption greed and intimidation that would ultimately become hallmarks of the Cianci administration. Although I have lived here all of my life I was personally taken aback by the how frequently Buddy Cianci employed violence and intimidation in both his role as Mayor and in his personal life. You will also be introduced to Dennis Aiken, the FBI agent bound and determined to get to the bottom of all of the wrongdoing in the city. It is a fascinating story.
   In his later years, Buddy Cianci would once again become somewhat of a national figure by his frequent appearances on the "Imus In The Morning " show. No one can deny that he was a compelling and entertaining guest. On "Imus", Buddy would maintain his innocence. In many respects, Buddy Cianci reminds me of Richard Nixon. Both were extremely gifted individuals with serious personality flaws. Even if you are not from Rhode Island or New England where Buddy Cianci is a household name, I think you will find "The Prince of Providence" to be well worth your time. You will come away shaking your head and wondering what could have been. Recommended.



3. THis book was a good read. Being from RI it was enlightening to see really how corrupt RI politics is. It's sad. I would recommend this book to people who want to know how city hall really works.



4. As a native Rhode Islander who last lived there in 1975 (the year the Buddy story really started) I came to this book with a somewhat sketchy knowledge of the story of Buddy Cianci's reign(s) over Providence. With relatives still living there I paid some attention, but didn't follow it in depth. I knew about the two sides of Buddy, and the strong feelings he elicited, as well as the attitude that, yeah, he was corrupt, but look what he did for Providence, so he's okay. I even witnessed something described in the book-the incredible adoration Cianci would receive upon entering the Providence Civic Center late in a Bruins hockey game to take his seat. I have never seen ANYTHING like this (and I live in NH, so I've seen lots of politicians).
   With this background I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Mike Stanton's book, and, after reading this, I can only conclude that my fellow Rhode Islanders who support this guy are either morally brain dead, or just were not aware of the depth of the corruption that existed in his administration. Stanton's in depth analysis of how it all happened put to rest any sympathy I may have had for Cianci. The book is thoroughly entertaining, and I recommend it to anyone interested in an amazing well-told story, not just Rhode Islanders or political junkies, although it will certainly appeal to both of those groups.
   I think most of the reviews I have browsed through are pretty consistent, and pretty accurate, but let me add my disagreement with some of the comments. First, there is no fluff or excess in this book. All of the anecdotes are useful, and interesting, and I would not take a single one out. If anything, I wanted more. There is so much in this book that just touches the surface of various incidents or scams, this book could have easily have been half as long again, and I would have followed along. The minor repetitions that exist serve to remind you of who different players were, and, given the large cast of characters I found it helpful rather than redundant. Second, while the author does not always name names, the detailed notes at the end do name names, excepting, of course, those sources who chose to stay anonymous, for, I think most would agree, excellent reasons. In fact, I am somewhat amazed that as many people spoke on the record to the author as did, and I really thought the author did a nice job of telling the story, and pulling together such an assemblage of information. In fact, given that he usually writes for a newspaper, I was very impressed with his engaging and articulate style. If I have a quibble with this book, it is that, while it makes it clear about the corrupt side of Cianci, it is hard to understand what it was he did or had that made him so successful in leading the Providence renaissance. Clearly he has drive, charisma, charm, and chutzpah. But how did he create, fund and shepherd such massive projects, such that people did not mind the fact that he was totally corrupt? I wish there had been a little more insight into this facet of Buddy, but aside from that, this book filled in the gaps in my knowledge. I will be recommending it to all my Rhode Island friends and relatives, and anyone else who wants a great read.
   By the way I gave this book four stars, rather than five, not because it is not one of the better books I have read recently, as it is, but because I try to reserve five stars for the Crime and Punishments of this world, the books that are truly great, not just a cut above the others. There are too many reviewers, IMHO, that will give a five star review to anything they like, and are not being critical enough. This is not in a league with five star books, but it is not far off.



5. I don't think the overall subject of the book will be surprising to anyone from Providence, or elsewhere in RI for that fact, but some of the stories and details in the book will shock you! I lived 1/2 my life in Providence and the other 1/2 in or near Miami. As bad as the banana republic of Miami has demonstrated it can be (Elian!), it cannot compare to the corruption found in Providence and throughout Rhode Island politics. I could not put the book down for 3 days.

   The only reason I knocked off 1 star on my rating is that the writing quality could have been a bit better. The author rambles in some sections and then seems to repeat himself from time-to-time. The same is noted in some other reviews, so I don't think it was my reading. Nevertheless, it is a minor issue and the book is well worth reading and owning, particularly if you ever lived in Rhode Island. Just remember, it isn't fiction like the Godfather - it really happened.