The Company She Keeps [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Georgia Durante (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

Georgia Durante was "The Kodak Girl" in 1968, the most photographed model in the country. Her journey found its way into the world of The Mob. As in many aspects of her life, Georgia stood out from the rest in the world of the Wiseguys. She became a trusted driver in a part of society where only men played the game. Georgia’s time in The Mob also brought to her the man that stole her heart. He later became the man that wanted to take her life. He was abusive. He was controlling. He was darkness in a human form. He was her husband.

The Company She Keeps illustrates how negatives can be turned into positives in our lives. Georgia turns her getaway driving skills into a lucrative Stunt Driving business in Hollywood.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A unique look at how organized crime can destroy much more than the usual victims of its activities. Georgia Durante rose above it. I salute her." -- James Henderson Chief of the Strike Force on Organized Crime

"Georgia Durante has written a gripping, fast-paced, insider's look at an underworld she knew only too well. Breathtakingly readable." -- Sidney Sheldon Best-selling Author

"Georgia Durante, not only survived her years in the underworld, but lived to write about it. A fascinating life. A fascinating book." -- Nicholas Pileggi Best-selling Author

"Georgia Durante’s life exemplifies strength. Moving from victim to victor. She’s an inspiration for any woman who feels her situation is hopeless. -- Susan Forward, Ph.D. Best-selling Author

"We’ve all heard of the Mafia, but Georgia Durante saw them up close. She lived with them. She experienced their violence. She survived their wars. -- Jimmy Breslin Pulitzer Prize winning columnist

From the Publisher

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF GEORGIA DURANTE

On Friday the 13th at noon, I was invited to speak at the Round Table luncheon in the LaQuinta Resort in Palm Springs. It's a literary group of about three hundred people. I emailed a girlfriend and invited her to come. She emailed me back and said, "Did you know that Friday is the 13th? And it's a full moon! You may want to reschedule for a later date. Friday at high noon is not a good time." I emailed her back with a big smile face and said, "Everyday is like Friday the 13th in my life, I'll see you there."

Not quite sure where I was going I left the lovely Ingleside Inn with ample time to get lost and still arrive there on time. I wasn't on the road for ten minutes when I found myself in a turn lane when I needed to go straight. When the light changed to green, I squeezed back in to the correct lane of travel. In doing so the man in the white Ford Bronco behind me became unglued, throwing me the finger with a contorted face. I was wrong, but jeez, people do make mistakes and what ever happened to courtesy? No one wants to give anyone a break today! As I approached the next light, the Bronco pulled up next to me on the passenger side. I rolled down my window to apologize but this guy was seething, spewing obscenities and then spit in my car. Did you ever try to apologize to someone who can't hear above his own curse words? Looking for a Kleenex to wipe his foul spit off my new expensive suit I felt my temperature rise and tried to remind myself that I am a lady. That lasted al! l of a half a second. "Listen, you asshole!" I shouted. I was trying to apologize, but if you can't except that then F_ _ __ you!" Just then, the light changed to green.

As we traveled down Ramon Rd, this idiot was doing some radical driving behind me and along side of me, creating a dangerous situation for everyone on the road. At the next red light, he pulled along side of me on my drivers side. The next thing I know, this nut case is out of his car frantically trying to open my door. When he couldn't get in, he started kicking my door like a crazy man. Then he jumped back into his car, pulled out in front of me, turning right and sped down the street. Now that he had done damage to my vehicle I found it necessary to get his license plate number so I sped after him. He turned into an alley and I was right behind him trying to get close enough to read the letters. That's when he stepped on the brakes. We both came to sudden stop.

What happened next was so bizarre. I vaguely remember seeing the clock on my dash. It was 12:00. With his arms flailing in the air and a crazed look in his eyes, this guy jumped on top of my hood, ripped off my windshield wiper and began kicking in my windshield. Then he leaped on top of the roof and began jumping up and down. This was a scene you might see in a comedy flick--or an insane asylum. Strange thoughts cross your mind at moments like that. All I kept thinking of is, if he gets inside he's going to ruin my beautiful new suit. (Just like when I flipped that Ferrari and was rolling toward my death, all I thought about was, oh my God, I'm wrecking a $250,000.00 car. What's up with that?) With that thought, I put the car in reverse and floored it. I guess he fell off, it was all happening fast now. Screeching to a halt in reverse, I turned my head back to see him in front of me now charging toward my car. Calmly, I shifted into drive and jammed my foot down on the ! gas petal. He dove out of the way, but I think I may have nicked him. When our eyes met again he suddenly came to the realization that he was dealing with someone that was probably as crazy as he was. I didn't survive through all the years of guns put to my head and being hung out of buildings by my ankles to be taken out by this little twerp! He ran to his truck and peeled out of there as fast as he could almost running into one of the five police cars emerging from all sides. There I was—surrounded—again. I thought that was over? Fine mess I got myself into this time. Or was it me? I'm still trying to figure out if trouble finds me or I find it. And I still have 300 people waiting for me to speak!

(This is where I feel I need to insert that tag line they put on car commercials, "Professional driver—do not attempt this yourself.")

After dealing with the police I dashed to my destination and was hastily lead to the stage where a patient audience was waiting. Without a hint of abnormality, I eloquently delivered my speech adding the latest chapter of a day in the life of Georgia Durante. So how was your Friday the 13th?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Celebrity Books; illustrated edition edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580291058
• ISBN-13: 978-1580291057
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (267 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #695,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

GEORGIA DURANTE--Model, Mafia Wife, Mother, and Stunt Driver--has packed a lifetime of lessons into forty-eight years. This is the true story of one of Hollywood's most successful female commercial stunt drivers. A woman who can dominate a two-ton vehicle at high speeds, but off road has careened from one emotional head-on collision to another. The story, told from a woman's point of view, chronicles the life of a battered woman as she struggles to break the abusive cycle while engineering her escape from the Mafia underworld.

The story begins with Georgia surviving a triple-roll crash of a vintage Dino Ferrari during the filming of a commercial. While somersaulting at high speed toward a forty-foot drop-off into the ocean, Georgia does not see her life pass before her--only her professional instincts roar into focus. With time to reflect, she begins to discover that she has built an entire professional persona, not in conjunction with her life as a woman, not in support of it, but in contradiction to it. High-speed avoidance of the "bad guys" isn't just what she does in front of the camera--it's what she's done all her life. The journey continues in search of the woman at the center.

The narrative goes back in time, revealing the origin of an extraordinary tangle of neurosis and buried trauma. This is the story of an all-American girl--from childhood to motherhood. A good Catholic girl who always went to confession, though there was never anything to confess. Her gift of beauty was really her curse: through it she learned much too early the harsh realities of the savagery of men and life. Her national modeling career started at the age of twelve. By the time she was seventeen she was considered the most photographed girl in the country. Georgia was the "Kodak Girl." Her life-size image stood in store front windows in 80,000 camera stores and drug stores all over the world. It was a high time for a young girl, but the bliss was cut short when she lost her virginity in a brutal rape by her brother-in-law, DICK. The magnetic smile of the poster girl had vanished as she struggled for her self-esteem.

Georgia's youth was spent modeling, golfing, and drag racing on weekends at speedways in Rochester, New York. Rochester was a tough town. Organized crime controlled the city and all the influential people in it. Georgia was no exception. She was Rochester's "favorite daughter." Rochester was "proud of her" and those who controlled the city invoked their control over her--masked through a veil of protection.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An autobiography of enduring pathos..., December 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Company She Keeps (Hardcover)

To think that I was actually tracking down another mob book, Mafia Marriage, also written by the wife of a Mafioso, to discover a far more courageous and gripping read in The Company She Keeps by Georgia Durante. Not just a great mob book, but an autobiography of enduring pathos and "endless nightmares": the small town, covergirl; the Mafia friendships, romances and the murders; the marriages of love, abuse, and betrayal; the stalking of a manic and the FBI (you'll have to read to get her code name); the fugitive family and the bonds that broke and then mended; the get-away driver turned Hollywood stunt driver

The lighthearted and inconsequential image of mobster Sammy G being thrown from a horse into the water stands in my mind... Also, the irony of mobster Joey T showing up unannounced to Georgia's wedding asking a favor: For money! These remind me of how close to the inside Georgia was...hanging out with choleric mobsters who are also portrayed with almost filial-like protection and caring.

This serendipitous read made me think of my daughter and the effects that ones `company' can have. And despite the despair and at times baseness of man, the ramifications of 'the company you keep' and the real life courage shown in this book makes this opportune for teen reading as well.

So, sit back, get some coffee, and have plenty of hours ahead when you start this heart-wrenching read. Don't do as I did, and start the book in the evening. Even though Georgia has left her `mob' life about half way through the book, you don't get any intermission. Thanks Georgia.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Story, Fabulous Lady, November 28, 1999

By 

Len (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Company She Keeps (Hardcover)

WOW! I couldn't put this book down. I found the insight into the workings of organized crime to be fascinating. But, the REAL story is the long and treacherous road that Georgia Durante has walked during her life. For her to survive, both physically and emotionally, is a testament to her strength, resiliancy, and determination. At times, I had difficulty seeing the words on the pages through my tears as she described her pain. At others, I felt her joy as she described one of life's small pleasures she was able to grasp during her ordeal. No one should have to endure what she went through. After reading this book, I have new insight into the life of abused women, how they are controlled and why they keep going back. I had the pleasure of hearing and meeting Georgia on her recent book tour. What a lovely lady, inside and out. I applaud her efforts to give back to those who need help in escaping from abusive relationships. She still has a road to be traveled. This should be a must-read book for anyone involved in a relationship. May God's grace be with you, Georgia. Some day we'll know why.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELT BEFORE READING THIS, December 2, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Company She Keeps (Hardcover)

Ever hear someone's story and say - hey you should write a book? Georgia Durante's therapeutic journal has become a life lesson for us all. This first time author masterfully weaves her strange but true tale into a fast paced page turning journey.

In The Company She Keeps a virgin teen-age model becomes one of the most photographed women in America as she poses for a major film manufacturer. But what happens next is anything but a Kodak moment. Georgia hangs with the local Mafia and becomes their favorite get-a-way driver. Who would suspect her? She marries into the Mob and has a family of outlaw in-laws. Years of unspeakable abuse and paralyzing fear follow. She escapes to California - fleeing the CIA, the FBI, the Mob and most of all - her past. Afraid to model and be discovered, Georgia began to cultivate her other talent - driving. Today she is one of Hollywood's top stunt drivers.

Georgia Durante's total recall dialogue puts us in the room and at the table where murders were planned and futures were determined. She was there for it all - the threats, the violence, the trust and the deceit. Her descriptive flashbacks are disturbingly real and any woman who has suffered abuse will immediaely connect to her marriage to the Prince of Darkness.

The road from Wheel Woman for the Mob to Stunt Driver to the Stars has been one full of treacherous turns, wrong way signs and countless speed bumps. But Georgia is a street-smart survivor - eager to share her story.

The Company She Keeps is an intelligent, inspirational movie of the week adventure where there really isn't an ending - just a new beginning every day.