See Naples and Die: The Camorra and Organized Crime [Paperback]

Tom Behan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1848850182 | ISBN-13: 978-1848850187 | Publication Date: April 14, 2009 | Edition: Reprint

A century before the emergence of its cousin, the Sicilian Mafia, the criminal organization known as “The Camorra” was establishing a deadly grip on Naples and Campania. Today, their influence is as strong as ever. Tom Behan’s vivid and riveting account of the Camorra and its shadowy leaders reveals a crime syndicate of extraordinary power and resources. The are involved in the major political parties, the police, judiciary, administrators, and leading figures in the business community. Behan shows how all levels of the Italian state—including the judiciary—are so corrupt and in hock to the Camorra, that all reformist solutions are bankrupt.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Excellent, an exciting read” Carl Levy

"Very well-researched… excellent” Vincenzo Ruggiero, THES

“Fascinating” Paul Brook, Socialist Review

“Lively and readable,… honest and interesting” Mark Galeotti, Modern Italy

About the Author

Tom Behan has lectured in Italian Politics at the University of Reading, La Trobe University, Melbourne and the University of Glasgow. He is currently Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848850182
• ISBN-13: 978-1848850187
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book about the camorra from its birth to near extinction to today's power based by good research, February 24, 2008

By 

Lincoln Han (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: See Naples and Die: The Camorra and Organized Crime (Paperback)

After witnessing the recent months-long garbage crisis in Campania, in particular, Naples, it prompted me to develop a better understanding in the Camorra and their short-sighted and callous crimes and how they were able to thrive for so long. The problem is so deep rooted that one cannot really formulate a practical solution without a solid grasp of Naples' (or the region of Campania's) history, culture and people. Whether you agree with the solutions hinted by the author or not, the facts are clear to see and you can see that a solution is neither simple nor easy.

Caserta is a place that had its city council dissolved more times due to Mafia infiltration than any other places in Italy. I lived there.

I first read Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano, who wrote more graphical and vivid style book on the Camorra. I wanted to learn more, so I bought See Naples and Die: Camorra and Organized Crime by Tom Beha, this book is a more formal approach to the Camorra problem starting from its root during the Kingdom of Naples monarchy.

It explores the history of the region during the last days of the Kingdom of Naples, which gave rise to the Camorra because the ruling class wanted to keep the citizens in order and deter them from revolution. At one point, the Camorra was on the verge of extinction, but made a come back after World War II as the American was their ally. During the years of the Christian Democrats (whose corrupted political system neither embrace the value of Christians nor Democrats), the career politicians helped the Camorra's further rise to power by exchanging favors for votes.

The system is corrupt. Most politicians are corrupt, instead of wholeheartedly bring justice and orders to society, they have been actively undermining the society by bedding the Camorra. This book gives a big view with a strong emphasis on the political system's dealing with the Camorra and how this helped to create a powerful economic empire in Campania and elsewhere where many local people are depended on the Camorra. Whereas Robert Saviano's book tend to focus on the smaller picture of the elements in the Camorra economy such as how certain products get to be delivered, how they kill someone, and where the clothes are made, etc.

I just selected some disturbing excerpts from the book, but there is much more than these:

"It is no longer simply a question of the Camorra manoeuvring votes toward 'friendly' politicians in exchange for favours and protection. Many politicians of the Christian Democrat era have been accused, and some convicted, of being part of the Camorra. The question is no longer one of 'bad government' or clientelism but in some cases total commitment to a violent and illegal organisation". -p. 217

"Galasso was on the run at the time from a 10-year-sentence for Camorra membership and extortion: 'What made me almost laugh was to hear the ideas put foward to this future MP; I heard Vito talking about fighting the Camorra, and even though I was on the run I was due to meet him in a few minutes.. He told me that he knew all about my situation and promised to take an interest in it particularly as regards my trial at the Court of Appeal in Naples, as he had lots of friends within the judiciary"

"..several police officers whose 'salaries' from the leading crime families ranged from $1300 to $2800 per month. .. In February the former head of the Naples Flying Squad was arrested...regularly faked investigation into the criminal activities of the Camorra factions who were paying them, while arresting members of rival clans." p. 234

"Harsh sentences at the main trail create the perceptoin in the public's mind that criminals are being convicted and put behind bars. Once public interest wanes and few years pass, the sentences are then either drastically reduced or simply overturned on appeal." p.237

However, this is not to say that all judges are corrupt and linked to the Camorra, far from it. Investigating magistrates are probably the people most at risk from assassination, they work in inadequate conditions, and in the majority of cases are really dedicated to their job.

Furthermore, senior judges are also senior members of the Italian state. As a group, for decades they turned a blind eye to the rampant corruption and bribery among politicians and the busienss community, as well as politicians' links with organised crime." p.239

"an unemployed seller of contraband is far more likely to spend time in jail than a gang leader acued of murder or drug trafficking".

Agostino Cordova, Federal prosecutor said,"In Naples the state is a vague, virtual and random entity. I'm only talking about the official one. The only one that people in Naples fear and recognise is the Camorra."

Buy this book, and buy two other books: Gomorrah and Excellent Cadaver.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A thorough, but dry analysis of the Camorra, April 24, 2006

By 

Vidar (Bergen, Hordaland Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: See Naples and Die: The Camorra and Organized Crime (Paperback)

After finishing John Dickie's engaging and eye opening book "Cosa Nostra : A History of the Sicilian Mafia " I decided to try to learn a bit more about Naples' version. Tom Behan's book is thorough and well researched. I know that because he is not afraid to present table and statistics, and then analyse them. There are a total of nine tables in this book dealing with things like "Sectoral employment in Campania, 1991", "Councils classified as damaged before and after May 1981" and so on... Tom Behan has a Marxist solution to the problem of the Camorra: "(...) any strategy for defeating organised crime has to involve the overthrow of the ruling class and their capitalist system through the creation of a completely different system." As a lot of Marxists Behan likes to think in groups, and human beings are often lost in that type of thinking. The victims and the members of the criminal organization are treated in a disinterested fashion. We never get to know them like we do in Dickie's book, and personally I lost all interest in knowing more about the organization and the region. I would only recommend this book if you are going to write a paper about Naples, the Camorra, and Campania.