Secrets of Life and Death: Women and the Mafia [Paperback]

Renate Siebert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

Secrets of Life and Death is the first book to focus on women whose lives are entangled in the workings of the mafia. Drawing on courtroom testimonies, interviews, contemporary journalism and recent research, Siebert cuts through the mafia's myth of honouring women to expose the harsh realities for women living with, and fighting against, the mafia. With careful attention to the socio-economic realities of southern Italy, she looks at what it actually means to live in the mafia's shadow. She explores the gains and costs of being a mafia wife in New York or Palermo, probing the emotions underlying women's mafia loyalties and the sexual lure of the mafioso. In vivid and often harrowing detail, Siebert examines women's growing resistance to a culture of death and dangerously intensified masculinity. Alongside the public stories of the wives of murdered judges, policemen and politicians, she places the extraordinary accounts of women who have taken a stand against their own mafia upbringing or have spoken out as witnesses, at enormous personal cost. It is women's courageous initiatives, Siebert shows, which have led to the development of local anti-mafia organizations and recent mass protests in the face of violent intimidation. Poignant and incisive, Secrets of Life and Death breaks the code of silence to tell a story that is both haunting and inspiring.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This recounting of the involvement of women in the Mafia as both victims and participants (often the line between the two is blurred) is moving because its subject is so affecting. But while Siebert (a German-born professor who has lived in Italy since 1970) does a fine job of quoting various autobiographical writings, she fails to provide much structure to clarify the role of women in general. She basically admits as much on the final page, sighing, "I have no concluding words. I am exhausted and emotionally fraught at the end of this involving journey through the good and evil in our present." The numerous quotations are divided into three parts dealing with the Mafia and gender, women on the side of the Mafia and women working against it. There is a wide gap between the author's academic analysis and the brutal facts reported. For example, Siebert invokes Hannah Arendt's theories on the banality of evil in trying to explain the pull of this cult of death, but the simple words of the women speak more powerfully: "I saw the dead man's feet; he had been placed face down and covered with only his feet sticking out but I saw the white socks, the socks I'd washed yesterday for my son." One of the most interesting sections deals with housewives who acted as drug couriers between Palermo and New York because security forces rarely suspected them. One such woman laments that the judge failed to send her to jail when she was caught, as her husband was in prison at the time and she would have preferred to join him rather than take care of their eight children by herself. While this work is far from perfect, details such as that one make it valuable, particularly to English-language readers who may not have access to many of the original texts.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Ably translated by Liz Heron, Renate Siebert's Secrets Of Life And Death is the first book to focus on the women whose lives are entangled in the workings of the mafia. Drawing on courtroom testimonies, interviews, and recent research, Siebert cuts through the mafia's myth of honouring women to expose the harsh reality for women living with, and fighting against, the mafia. With careful attention to the social realities of southern Italy, she looks at what it means to live in the mafia's shadow. She explores the gains and costs of being a mafia wife in New York or Palermo, probing the emotions underlying women's mafia loyalties and the sexual lure of the mafioso. In vivid, and often harrowing detail, Siebert also examines women's growing resistance to a culture of death and intensified masculinity. Alongside the public stories of the wives of murdered judges, policemen and politicians, Siebert places the extraordinary accounts of women who have taken a stand against their own mafia upbringing or have bravely spoken out as witnesses, at enormous personal cost. It is women's courageous initiatives which have led to the development of local anti-mafia campaigns and recent mass protests, in the face of violent intimidation. Poignant and incisive, Secrets Of Life And Death breaks the code of silence to tell a story that is both haunting and inspiring. Secrets Of Life And Death is a critically important and essential addition to any organized crime reference collection, women's studies reading list, and an astonishing book for any non-specialist general reader as well. -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Verso (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185984023X
• ISBN-13: 978-1859840238
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,087,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Curious, June 1, 2009

By 

John Ongman "Tommye Rodrigues" (North Carolina mountains) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets of Life and Death: Women and the Mafia (Paperback)

This book is filled with interesting facts. Unfortunately, it is written like a college text and is far too technical for casual reading. It is truly a formidable study of the role of women in the context of the mafia. Fascinating but not for the casual reader.