Customer Reviews

Son of Scarface

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I picked this book up, I expected it to focus on the Capone connection and to be ligther in content. I was skeptical that someone could come out and make the kind of statements that the author was making. However, after reading the book, I can see that the story is less about the Capone connection and more about the pain of child abuse which was inflicted upon the author and his mission to try to heal and move on from that abuse. The process of discovering who the author's father was and why he was never around to stop the abuse was really the catalyst for the intensive investigation into his father's life which lead to the Capone connection. So although the mystique and intrigue of the Capone factor of the story was what initially drew me and probably others to the book, the real mission of the author is what kept me reading it as I wanted to find out the answers to the same questions the author was trying to answer. I recommend the book for that reason and encourage folks to look past the sensationalist factor of the book to the real story as I think you will find it very interesting.

If you are intrigued by this book because you are interested in personal memoirs and psychology, you won't be disappointed. The family dynamics described are fascinating.

If you are intrigued by this book because you are a crime buff interested in Al Capone, you may be in for a let down. His research disagreed with other things I've read, making me think it was rather sketchy. In the end, I wasn't convinced his father was the illegitimate child of Al Capone.

However, he did convince me that there was something quite suspicious about his father's past, most likely mob-related and that he is beginning to get to the heart of a mystery well worth pursuing. I do believe his father could indeed have been connected with the Chicago mob. I think someone with clout really did go to a significant effort to obscure his father's origins. I think there's an uncanny resemblance between the author and the Capone family.

Personally, I feel the publication of this book was very premature and that the author should have waited to present his story until he'd stabilized it better with more research. As it stands, the message of the whole book can be summed up in two words, "Well, maybe..." It ends with a big metaphorical ellipsis. In closing it, I couldn't decided whether I leaned more toward it being possible or improbable and that was frustrating.

This book shows just how powerful the all mighty dollar is. The facts uncovered by this author/detective/truth seeker are truely intriguing. His constant digging to get at the truth will help you to understand how information can be buried or changed with the amount of your bank account or your control in society. Mr. Knight recounts situations that will have you thinking, something fishy is going on here. A must read.
When you read the book do not pass over the collection of articles and pictures they tell a story in themselves.

In "Son of Scarface," author Chris Knight takes readers on a historical journey as he sets out to discover his father's true identity and his own heritage. Knight also recounts his own rather disturbing upbringing. But lest you think this is a sad tale, be assured that Knight's story is also peppered with touching moments of how his "guardian angels" checked in and provide much-needed nurturing, and clues to his own origins, along the way. Knight's breezy, sometimes comedic tone makes for an enjoyable read full of twists and turns and larger than life characters, proving that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Definitely a great conversation book/ beach read.

I met Sonny Capone at The Grotto restaurant in Miami in the 1970s and he was nothing like the photos of the author's father. There is absolutely no real evidence presented here to support the assertion that Sonny Capone or some other supposed offspring of Al Capone was his father, other than the author seems to have a facial resemblance to Capone. This book seems to be more the product of a serious personality disorder the author suffered as a result of child abuse and the attempt to create a fanciful alternate reality for his life.

Again, no new photos or documents to prove anything he claims. The sections of Chicago Outfit history he attempts to review as background are mostly twisted out of context.

His conclusion that Al Capone was likely gay is an insult to serious historians and a slap in the face to the Chicago Outfit.

It is amazing that a repetitious and ridiculous book like this was allowed to be published let alone be found in public libraries where I read it in a less than an hour sitting...

Chris Knight Capone's moving novel "Son of Scarface" is not another book about Al Capone. What it is, is the unnerving story of an abused child, through the eyes of the child abused, seeking to unravel the mysterious life of his beloved father and the mother who physically and emotionally battered her son and daughter.

"Son of Scarface" is a book about healing and the tribulations of one man's lifelong struggle to identify the past and heritage hidden from and denied him.

William Knight, Chris' father, lived a life of assumed identity using a fraudulent birth certificate. While stories of William's life surrounded the young child, all Chris cared about was the love his father showered on him. When William died, a not-so-random comment at the funeral sparked the desire in Chris to learn just who William Knight was.

Merely thirteen years old, Chris took the first steps toward what would become a seemingly never-ending quest to know who he is. Decades and numerous private investigators later, Chris, and the documentation he possesses, hold little doubt William Knight was a son of Alphonse Capone.

But the reader needs to remember, this story is about the child molded in to the man he is through a father's love and a mother's abuse. Today, Chris remains a resolute advocate for the welfare of children. He has personally raised thousands of dollars for organizations helping children, and a portion of every book he sells goes to the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Arthur and Joyce Miller


Myths are exploded, anecdotes crumbled. What remains as fact is highly distilled.
Chris Capone gives us far and away a sharp picture that I have never had of this enigmatic figure and family.
My wife and I have found it most exciting, thought provoking with sadness and gaiety, and feel certain you will find it fine reading, so much so that you will likely not put it down until you have completed reading the entire book.

SON OF SCARFACE is the account of Chris Knight's quest to discover his heritage and learn about his dad. During the quest he connects the dots to his grandfather, Al Capone. The book includes all the efforts and blind alleys and obstacles Knight struggled with.

I read the book from beginning to end without pause. The writing is compelling and superior to almost every mystery-whodunit I know of, and the subject, Al Capone, cannot be more fascinating. I mean, when you think of the Roaring 20s, who comes to mind: Al Capone, Babe Ruth, Rockefeller, and Lindberg. Its not possible to be more American than these 4 men.

Definitely 5 star quality.

The title grabs you right away: Son of Scarface. You dive in expecting to be assaulted with a lot of lurid true-crime details, treading the same kind of ground as any other book about Al Capone. Instead what you get it something more akin to Pat Conroy than Mario Puzo - there's true crime here, but it's of the personal variety. As Chris Knight Capone explores his family and uncovers the puzzles of his past, he struggles to come to grips with not only his father's domestic violence, but also his own bizarre and sequestered upbringing. What emerges is the unexpectedly personal story of a boy and his journey into manhood, who also happens to be the grandson of the most notorious gangster who ever lived. Highly recommended.

This book is a dynamic read as you enter a secretive world full of mystery and heartbreak. Surprisingly suspenseful at times, the author brings to life the human side of a legacy some would rather forget, yet it is a mystery the author is compelled to unravel in order to find his true identity. Replete with deadends and shadows of strange characters, one man's quest is shrouded with a seemingly impenetrable curtain set up to protect those that bear his legacy. A refreshing change from historical reporting, this book is more about the impact on family and how that bears on an individual's sense of self. Worth the read!