Customer Reviews

Gangsters and Goodfellas: Wiseguys, Witness Protection, and Life on the Run

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you have seen the movie "Goodfellas" and you remember the major characters and events, the first half of this book is mildly interesting. Mr. Hill clears up a few mysteries left behind by the movie story, such as who killed whom, etc. The second half of the book, in which Mr. Hill describes his life after he left the gangster business, is boring as can be. He takes drugs, cheats on his wife, takes drugs, cheats on his wife, takes....on and on and on. He still ends up in jail now and then and spends a lot of time in drug rehab centers.
The writing thoughout the entire book is amateurish, repetitive, and poorly edited. You frequently have to mentally fill in words that were apparently left out.
If you want a good insider gangster story, this is not it. This is simply someone cashing in on his notoriety.

I wonder if old Henry prays for Marty Scorsese each day? He damn well should. I doubt he would've even survived until today if it wasn't for Nick Pileggi first and Marty Scorsese second. . . thanks to them Henry can today peddle garbage like the "gangster cookbook" (!) from a site someone manages for him.

Anyway, at least this one's SLIGHTLY better than most of Henry's usual off-topic BS, as it gives some details he omitted while narrating to Pileggi, plus some post-Goodfellas events. Unfortunately, it also -- mostly, in fact -- contains more of Henry's usual rambling, nonsensical comments and pointless reminiscences. And it's so badly written I could actually believe he wrote it himself this time . . . (nah, he just hired a lousy ghostwriter -- oh, Henry, ya cheapskate! Don't be so stingy or your next ghostwriter may "whack" you, har har.)

I'm giving this book two stars, and I think that is being VERY generous. I'm a HUGE fan of the movie 'Goodfellas' but this was terrible.

First of all, the writing is horrid. There was no flow whatsoever and Henry Hill kept repeating words. Grammar mistakes were ridiculously obvious (ever heard of having it proofread at least ONCE?) Honestly, I didn't even make it through the whole book, it was that bad. I almost always press myself until the end but this time I decided it wasn't worth it.

Henry Hill was obviously just trying to capitalize on his fame. If you want to read a decent book about Henry check out the one written by his kids (Greg and Gina Hill) called 'On the Run' - that one is worth your time.

You've watched the movie classic: Goodfellas. You think the movie's awsome, and this life seems pretty darn cool. Please look into the not so well known book of On The Run, a Mafia Childhood. This book is written by his son and daughter(Not two daughters as seen in the movie, and the book Wiseguy) Gina and Gregg Hill.

Read that book, if you truly want to know what Henry Hill is like. Quite honestly he makes me sick. He's trying to squeeze as much money as he can out of this thing without doing any work what so ever. It's a step above his old ways of earning money, but not much.

Please read that book not this one, this one's filled with more of Hill's BS.

As a longtime fan of "Goodfellas," I was extremely disappointed with this book. It seems as if there was not an editor assigned to the project. Perhaps the grammatical errors (typos?) were deliberately left in to provide some texture.

If the book had some real substance to it the aforementioned errors would be less signinficant. Henry Hill hits new lows as he rats out various family members including his ex-wife, Karen. It seems as if even without prompting from the federal government, Henry Hill is a natural-born tattler. The revelation that his kids are closer with his wife comes at no surprise. How can kids be expected to stomach a father who rats out mom?

Henry Hill's lack of formal education is apparent from the story's onset. He claims he is now a "consultant" in Hollywood. I find it difficult to believe that the projects he is involved with are being produced in English.

This book seems to confirm that Henry Hill's real luck flows from having been the central chracter in one of the greatest mob movies ever made, "Good Fellas." Had his story been a made for TV movie instead of a Martin Scorses classic, Henry Hill would be just another broko trying con his way through life.

I bought the book and readily admit to having been had. It was pure garbage.

Henry Hill's new book "Gangsters and Goodfellas" is just his attempt to stay in the spotlight and generate new income for himself. The original book and movie allows this book to be worth reading if your into the mob genere and it is difficult to put down but it doesnt offer much new info that Wiseguys and Goodfellas didnt already offer up except his struggles being in the Witness Protection Program. Most of the book just goes over his mob life and only the last quarter really talks about his FBI protection life.... which may be a good thing.

Being a huge Goodfellas fan, I read Wiseguy and read this book on a recent flight. It is a good book and will help clear up some lingering questions you may have had after Goodfella's. For example your learn , Henry Hill's name in the Witness Protection program was Peter Haines later changed to Martin Todd Lewis and he lived in several states in the mid west before ending up in Washington. You also learn about what he is up to these days. Parts of the book are drawn out with old stories but it doesn't take away from the overall reading experience. Although, it is poorly written with tons of typos and mis-placed words, I got the sense they rushed this book out to beat a deadline (no pun intended) and never proof read it. It looks like they did nothing more than a routine spell check.

All in all if you are a Goodfella's fan you should read this book it will be worth while. I am glad I read it and after the first few chapters the typos and grammar issues are easy to deal with.

The book was written by somebody who didnt make it past junior high school, what did you expect? Anyway, its not a novel so its not very important. All you want are facts and Henry tells the story as if he is talking to you face to face.

The book is a good read, yea a lot of it is a rehash of Wise Guy and Henry does get a little redundant (the guy was a major drug addict, what do you expect) but if you're a big fan of goodfellas and the book wise guy you should like this book. It provides a lot of new information, more than given credit for. The Joe Namath story was hysterical, the Pizza Connection (a drug ring between the sicilian mob and the NY mafia families with the involvement of the Vatican bank) is very interesting and there is a surprising Tommy Desimone tibit. There are other little facts here and there that Henry fills in too.

The second half of the book when Henry talks about the Witness Protection program is not as boring as most reviewers made it out to be, the guy's life was even more out of control in the program and Henry has some funny stories to tell..

Its a good read, if anything Henry's unique ability to tell stories will keep you hooked. He's a naturally funny guy.

Henry Hill should be name-checking Martin Scorsese endlessly, as he's the one who cemented this toilet bug's 'fame'. Looking for a rat who'd tell all, Scorsese had the perfect guy in Hill, whose book Wiseguy (told to Nicholas Pillegi) became the basis for the classic film Goodfellas.

Down but not out, Hill has his own empire of Mafia-lore, with cookbooks, his website, his appearances on Howard Stern and other forums, and now this enlightening book.

Here, Mr. Hill talks about his days after the mob, in Witness Protection, and on the run. He gleefully rats out more of his old buddies, including his own wife, who finally wised up and divorced him. He also names some names, as in who killed who, who is buried where, etc, etc.

If you really like Henry Hill and think you have something to gain by reading even more detail about his life, then go right ahead. The large print and numerous typos should make this a quickie. But if you've had enough of the glorification of a punk, a guy who never got 'made', a guy so low down the pole that nobody would even bother whacking him anymore, then help yourself. Don't think that Hill isn't trying to scheme another Goodfellas movie out of this.

Yes, we should all praise this great American for coming forward with the groundbreaking knowledge of who killed Tommy DeSimone, among other crimes of the century.

I bought this book aprox. 3 yrs. ago at Boarders, and although the price has dropped from aprox. $25.00 for the hardcover price this book is a worthy read. If you are a fan or like the movie Goodfellas, and wonder where he continued his life as a "schmuck" then this book is worth your while. Again it has been 3 yrs. since I have read this title, but if you want to know where Goodfellas leaves off, and what "rat" mob-life is truely about than this title is for YOU. I don't glorify snitching, but this is one of the last GREAT mob-life first person stories you will ever read. Not great, but not awful dispite what the reviews say.