Customer Reviews

My Life in the Mafia

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"My Life in the Mafia" was a fascinating book to read. I took it with me when I went in the hospital. In the three days I was in, I completely read it despite constant interruptions by nurses and doctors. I couldn't put it down.

Tereza was a smart guy. When he became involved with the Mafia, they were mostly running "Shylocking" and "Fence" operations, both of which were risky and not extremely profitable. He soon learned the inner workings of the Mafia, the protocols and rules, and gained the trust of a lot of middle-level bosses. He started out small, but soon came up with a plan to run gambling junkets to the Caribbean and Haiti with wealthy people. He scammed them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars each and walked away. His feelings about their loss: "They were suckers".

After successfully running many, many scam and gambling operations he was arrested and sentenced to a fairly short prison sentence. That was not uncommon for Mafia people. They would do their time, maybe get out early if they had a good lawyer or paid the right official, and be back at the game.

But that didn't happen with Vincent. While incarcerated, his former friends broke the Mafia code and refused to take care of his family financially. They then threatened and made an attempt on his daughter's life. Helpless behind bars, Vincent discovered that his family was penniless and afraid. To protect them he turned to the FBI and struck a deal. In exchange for his testimony, he and his family would enter the witness protection program.

His testimony put many former enemies and a few close friends behind bars.

This is a fascinating story that offers a real view of what it is like to live in the world of organized crime, how a Mafia person thinks, and how they really operate. Very highly recommended.

Although Vincent Teresa was never actually a made member of "LA COSA NOSTRA",there is no doubt he went as high as a unmade member could go.This book tell's about his own rise and fall into the Patriarca family,the loan sharking,the fixed horse races,the rackets and the suffering his own family went through when the author decided to turn into a federal witness against his old partners in crime.A serious read for organised crime fans.

This book not only chronicles the rise and fall of a big time mobster but also is a great resource for Mafia historians. Teresa provides a candid look at exactly how the old mob once operated and compares it to the modern mob. The writing is so intensely personal that the reader soon stops thinking in terms of "good guys" or "bad guys" and learns exactly how it is that such distinctions are not so easy to make

This is a good read because it gives you glimpse into the office (Patriarca family) when Patriarca himself was about to experience fantastic growth in the rackets. Teresa would later come back and haunt him in the 70s during his trial. A good read told by a man who was there and experience all of la cosa nostra.

fascinating book of how it really was. UPDATE>>>>>>> Vincent Tersea died with his family by his side...still in hiding in 1989

i have been tring to find this book, it has to do with my family. (munge) was my grandfather. I called him dado. I would really like a copy of this book if i could find it. i would like to to a family history on the rossettis' I barely remember him. But i remember he would sit me on his lap and i would smoke his cigars.

Thank you for making it so easy to recieve used cheaper books in great shape!!

This title fits right between Bonnano's autobiography and Jimmy's book with Ovid Demaris. For the reader who can weight the facts with the opinions, this is a decent account of what organized crime's all about.

This was the first book I read and it was definitely the Ultimate. It displays the life of Mafia in Italy and is very knowledgeable as regards to the terms of the Mafia and how it operates. The story is about a Mob Leader who turned into a legal witness of the law. this Book Is SIMPLY AMAZING....... (_)?

Anyone from New England, and particularly Providence, will find this a fascinating read. Most of the book concerns the mid-1960's gang war that left a slew of dead bodies all over Boston and Providence. If you're at all interested in the true story of Raymond Patriaca and his band of merry men, this book is for you. The author, by the way, became a federal witness and his whereabouts is a well-kept secret.