Customer Reviews

Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I have read each book that has come out of the sordid, fetid story of South Boston, Massachusetts and master mobster Whitey Bulger's corrupt alliance with the FBI, including this latest and most useless scrpit by Bulger's errand boy, Kevin Weeks. Having grown up in the town during Bulger's reign of terror and knowing about the tales of terror as they occurred, I would simply advise people thinking of purchasing Mr. Weeks' book to save your money. If you do buy it, do what I did after reading the first one hundred pages or so. Throw it in the trash. As I read the book, or more precisecly, the half truths and outright lies in it, I realized I paid this fool blood money. For him to actually claim in the book that he is a borderline genius should have been my first clue to try to get my money back. A persistent reminder of what a weak minded coward this moran is, was his description of how he stood by and watched as the diminutive psychopath Bulger, strangled the life out of two young women. Weeks claims he was a champion prizefighter - never happened. He claims he was shot at by, and shot back at, his fellow gangsters - never happened. I could go on, but to save my time and your money, skip this one. Do not allow this fool and criminal, but most of all craven coward to earn a cent from living a life without contibution or honesty. If you are of a mind, send a check to the family of those two poor women he didn't have the balls to save.

Fascinating.As far as mob- true crime books go, this one is pretty good, the protagonist and the co-author Phyllis Karas collaborate on an extensive "memoir" from Kevin Weeks' POV. The background growing up in the Southie projects before busing and drugs is telling; the environment in the authors case was deeply colored by an extremely violent and coarse father with a hair trigger temper who was in fisticuffs ALL of the time, wacking his kids around without justification. Childhood innocence and safety being denied him, kevin becomes a soldier- a boxer and a thug who believes in the law of the jungle. Although purportedly a near genius with an 150 IQ, the emotional life of this amoral man is never developed- all he knows is that if some guy says screw you- that's justification to crack his head open. If he has to be told a second or third time, he's too stupid to live. The macho neanderthal perspective fits in perfectly with Whitey's (Jimmys) plan, Kevin is an aide-de -camp with his own sideline businesses , but mainly Kevin is like a personal bouncer for Whitey- a fascinating multidimensional psychopath with a touch of Robin Hood- (he once took part in LSD experiments during his early prison stint, perhaps this exacerbated his evil side.)
The one thing that the reader walks away with is that in this part of Boston and in this mileu, all the cops and robbers are in bed with each other-metaphorically of course. FBI, police, gangsters, and various thugs. What a cesspool! Kevin says throughout the whole book that it's always about money, not power- but in the end he's bankrupt; and he's telling all these tales of his businesses and how successful he could have been if he and Whitey went legit.Then again, in the "real" world when you lock horns with someone you cannot just shoot the guy through his eyeballs and bury him in the basement. Hello- it's call anger management, emotional maturity and lawfulness.These characteristics or lack of them qualify us as regular folks or as CRIMINALS. We don't have too many heros these days, but in these small corrupt factions where brutes unite, and of course in certain HBO series', most of the world will be shocked and amazed at the utter lack of scruples and the detached violence that was a way of life for criminals of this ilk.Next time you drive by a gated prison like Allenwood or Norfolk and you think, gosh, what would a person have to do to get a sentence in one of these places-if you read this book you'll get a glimpse.
The book was insightful of course, and closer to the truth of Whitey Bulgur than any other books in print.You don't have to worship Kevin Weeks to buy this book; and he's not going to be making red hot millions from his portion of the profits; everyone wants their story to be heard and he's no exception- so read it for yourself and make up your own opinion.

I am an avid reader of this scene. Since the Departed has come out I have read "the Brother's Bulger", "A criminal and an Irishman", "Rat Bastards", "Street Soldier", "Black Mass", "Paddy Whacked" and "Brutal". No doubt Brutal is a great read, but when I read reviews about Rat Bastards and Street Soldier, it said "they just brag about how good they were"......Brutal seems to fall into the same description. Although it is indirectly bragging. I find it funny how at the end of the book Weeks talks about how he is not proud of what he has done, while he highlights all the murders he took place in. As well, before the book ends and he explains how disgusted people are with him, he is sure to mention how tough he still is with his quotes. The one disappointing thing about this book is that Weeks talks about how many people he beat up (and how smart he is) and puts down virtually all things Irish and Boston that are not his own work. I won't put this book down completely though, Weeks was a top echelon guy. Unlike Shea, he was Whitey's protege and unlike Carr, he actually knows what happen. Sometimes when reading this book you have to remember that it is about Kevin Weeks and not Jimmy Bulger.

A very honest account of crime in Boston. I never liked the author at all throughout the book. Throughout the book he discusses how he grew into the life of crime, and almost wishes to gather sympathy from the reader. No sympathy here. He deserves what he got interms of jail time. And probably should have been given life/electric chair. Aside from that, I couldn't stop reading about the stuff he was involved in. Irish Mafia details are interesting.

I think all the good stuff would have put Weeks into jail again. I see this book as a cheap attempt at fast $$ over the graves of Debra Davis and the likes. I would have like to have seen some of the things he knows but didn't tell. It was pretty boring.

I read this book in a chair at Border's because I would not give this lowlife a nickel.

Having grown up in SB (in a nice house with two parents, like all of my friends, by the way) we all knew how things worked with regard to Whitey, but if you were not involved with their stuff it just didn't have anything to do with your life. They were always preying on girls without fathers, or girls from the projects or from crazy families, it was never girls from "good" Southie families.

It sickens me to see people shaking his hand at book signings and laughing it up with him. Please don't give this guy any more attention.

I'm an Irish-Catholic guy in his 40's who grew up in Boston in the late 60's and 70's. I've read Streeet Soldier and Brutal several times each, and I personally believe much more of what Eddie Mac has to say about the "real" Whitey, as opposed to the relatively reverant tone in which Weeks still speaks of Whitey. Sure, Eddie Mac and Weeks are both equally dangerous sociopaths, and will surely go to Hell (assuming it exists) for all the evil they inflicted on their fellow human beings over the years. Having said that, Weeks still seems to be loyal to Whitey, and probably knows exactly where he is hiding out these days. For that reason, I don't believe a word he says when he defends Whitey against allegations that he was a rapist, a child molester, etc. Eddie Mac definitely gives the reader more insight into what Whitey was really like...and isn't that why we all read these books, anyway?

Okay--the verdict is in; I've now read all four of the "Southie" books. This one is just okay. It is a powerful story about a young guy who was completely controlled by Whitey Bulger. However, of the four--the best written book hands down is Pat Nee's, "A Criminal and an Irishman." As an English professor I am amazed that Red Shea's book was even published. And Howie Carr is Howie Carr. Just listen to his radio program and hear how he promotes. But if you read "Brutal" - pick up Nee's for a quick, extremely well written ride into Irish History.

This book is Mr. Weeks' version of events concerning the reign of Boston's most notorious gangster, James "Whitey" Bulger. As a Boston resident who has followed the story of "Whitey" closely (starting when the revelation of his "informant" status was revealed) I was eager to hear Kevin Weeks' version of notorious events that have been reported (whether accurate or not) in the media for years. Mr. Weeks does not disappoint. He writes in detail about various crimes and his role in their commission, including murder, extortion, drug trafficking, etc., etc. The list of crimes is endless. Kevin writes in a manner that reveals how he felt, and still feels, regarding his actions, and the reader will have little trouble understanding his situation or motivation, as well as understanding why he was loyal to a psychopath.

The only negative regarding this book is the fact that many stories included were very familiar to me. Living in Boston, knowing certain people, and reading anything and everything published about the "Whitey" era can be repetitive. I had indeed heard similar accounts (of Weeks' tales) in the past from various sources. Regardless, I found Kevin's perspective to be unique, and his story will be fresh to those who haven't already read his court testimony transcripts. (I did, and still read the book in 2 days time!)

In summation, Brutal is a solid, enjoyable read that will make you flinch occasionally in disgust. The author comes across as truthful, and what a story he has to tell. Highly recommended.

This book had my attention the whole time. An unbelieveable story. To know that Weeks was hanging out with Jimmy Bulger and Stevie Flemmi regularly made it anything but dull. These guys basically did whatever they wanted to with permission. You could say at the time they were getting away with murder. It seems like Weeks shows some remorse for chosing to live his life that way and I'm glad he wants to redeem himself. He should be sorry for causing pain to families of the victims. To learn that so many people were living a lie including the supposed good guys.In the end just about everybody was a rat! Pretty right about the title. If you're into this stuff you'll probably love the book.