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Nicholas Pileggi

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Wiseguy Mass Market Paperback – May 25, 2010

by Nicholas Pileggi (Author)

4,550

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Nicholas Pileggi’s vivid, unvarnished, journalistic chronicle of the life of Henry Hill—the working-class Brooklyn kid who knew from age twelve that “to be a wiseguy was to own the world,” who grew up to live the highs and lows of the mafia gangster’s life—has been hailed as “the best book ever written on organized crime” (Cosmopolitan).

This is the true-crime bestseller that was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film masterpiece GoodFellas, which brought to life the violence, the excess, the families, the wives and girlfriends, the drugs, the payoffs, the paybacks, the jail time, and the Feds…with Henry Hill’s crackling narration drawn straight out of Wiseguy and overseeing all the unforgettable action.

Read it and experience the secret life inside the mob—from one who’s lived it.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Pocket Books
Publication date

May 25, 2010
Dimensions

4.13 x 1.1 x 7.5 inches
ISBN-10

1439184216
ISBN-13

978-1439184219
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nicholas Pileggi is the bestselling author of Wiseguy, Casino, and Blye: Private Eye. He lives in New York.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books; Reissue edition (May 25, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1439184216
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439184219
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.13 x 1.1 x 7.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #799,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,160 in Organized Crime True Accounts
- #2,419 in Crime & Criminal Biographies
- #2,627 in Criminology (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4,550

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Nicholas Pileggi

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Nicholas Pileggi (born February 22, 1933) is an American producer, author and screenwriter.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by David Shankbone [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

4,550 global ratings

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william l gorski

SUPER ENTERTAINING ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2024

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THIS IS A TERRIFIC WORK: WELL RESEARCHED AND A NICE BLEND OF QUOTES AND NARRATION.

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P. L.

It was worth the wait.

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2021

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I must have seen "Goodfellas" so many times that I can't even remember HOW many times I've seen it. I've been wanting to read "Wise Guy" for YEARS now.......and when I tell people this, they say, "Just watch the film!" Even though, as I've stated, I've seen it MANY times before. You would think that there's no reason to read the novel it was based on, right? Wrong. Nicholas Pileggi's engrossing, fascinating, oft-times frightening (and at the SAME time), very funny "Wise Guy" is something you MUST read to get the full impact of the life of Henry Hill.......who, at the very young age of 12, started on his path of a life of crime that saw him run with some of the most notorious gangsters, killers & con men of his era of organized crime. One of the most striking thing about this tome was that I didn't feel myself sitting and thinking about the film, and wondering, "When's the scene going to happen where Tommy kills Spider?" Or "Hey, when does Billy "Batts" show up"? Instead, you're feeling yourself drawn into Henry's world and finding out things that they DIDN'T talk about in the film. Lots of different characters that Henry was actually more closer to than Tommy or Jimmy, such as one of Paul Vario's sons. The side scams that he used to have with SO many other characters that you didn't even hear about when watching "Goodfellas"........and the fact that Henry, early in his teen years, actually started feeling the desire to get out of "the life" .........by enlisting in the army. Where he actually recounts taking a LIKING to it! But then seeing how he invariably is drawn back into it. One wonders if the line from ANOTHER famous Mafioso figure in movies ("Just when I thought I was OUT........they pull me back IN!"), had anything to do with Henry Hill. There are SO many different scenarios & settings and things that I could go through here as examples that you didn't get to see in the film, but it has to be experienced for oneself. If you've read it, you'll already know what I mean, if you DIDN'T........pick up a copy and see for yourself. For me, one of the things that I really enjoyed of this read is the fact that I'm a born & raised Queens, N.Y. native, and just the way Hill recounts all his experiences (more so in his adult years, he was born and raised in East N.Y., Brooklyn), but his remembering of his nightclub, The Suite, on Queens Blvd., or The Sherwood Diner on Rockaway Blvd.........it reminds ME of those days when, in hushed whispers, people would talk about "certain places" where "pinky rings" used to hang. Sort of nostalgic, in a way.......but NOT in a good way. What is the MOST endearing thing about "Wise Guy" is that in the end.......just like in the film it was made into..... this is NOT the life you would want to become YOUR'S. After reading this, I felt that it could become required reading for juvenile delinquents, or troubled youth. You don't have to send them to a prison on a field trip to get scared straight. Let them read THIS.... they'll get the message a lot faster.

51 people found this helpful

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Al

Good read but the movie was better

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2022

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I can’t believe it took me 32 years to finally read the book that helped create arguably the greatest movie of all time. After reading Wise Guy, I noticed how Scorsese took creative license with some of Henry’s life story but overall, the book generally depicted the movie accurately and provided additional context into Henry’s crazy world. However, in one of those rare instances, the movie was better than the book but still a good read nonetheless.

8 people found this helpful

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Gregory Jones

Great read!

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024

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Especially easy read if you saw the movie.

One person found this helpful

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Book Hungry

Wise Buy

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2011

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I must admit the only reason I bought this book was because I was stunned by the cinematic genius I believed was 'Goodfellas'.
I believe most of the time if a movie is adapted from a book, they're going to have to shorten the movie, therefore leaving out potential plot points and facts that could give us a little more backdrop on the film. I believe the vibe I got from 'Goodfellas' was a much differant vibe then I got from 'Wise Guy'. While I enjoy both, I think if I want a ride through fast mob hits, handsome faces by leading actors, and charming scenes of suited gangsters while cultural music hits relevant to the time period play in the backgroud, I'll stick to the television.
Smooth operations, well planned heists, and crooked thieves reel me in with this page turner from Nicholas Pillegi. The facts are all there, from Luftsana, to point shaving schemes. This book lays out the hard, nitty-gritty bones of mobster life. The book describes it all; how to get money was to hustle; how the men surrounding the book's main character, Henry Hill, were all vengeful, coniving and murdering.
While I don't feel pity for the man once named Henry Hill, (well, he has changed his name multiple times under Federal Witness Protection guidlines, but if I'm correct he has returned to his former moniker, Henry Hill) I do feel pity for the people who had been swept up in the seemingly glamorous lifestyle; mothers, children, friends. I loved this book, I got a great deal of information that was otherwise lacking in 'Goodfellas', and the author seemed to jump from narration to Henry's point of view with great fluidity. I liked the writing style, I liked the size of the book (fits in a purse or bag beautifully),and the story is just as you'd imagine: unflinching, bloody, interesting, and thrilling. I could not put this book down once I opened it. I'm glad I purchased it.

10 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Ralf

Goodfellas zum Nachlesen

Reviewed in Germany on December 7, 2023

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Wer den Film mag, wird das Buch lieben. Schade, dass Henry Hill seine Cleverness zum Schaden anderer eingesetzt hat.

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anderson

The Badfather

Reviewed in Brazil on January 1, 2021

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Diferente de Goodfather, no qual a relação entre os mafiosos é romantizado, aqui a história é outra.
Embora na superfície exista este romantismo, não é preciso procurar muito para verificar que os criminosos não possuem nenhum código de honra qdo precisam salvar a própria pele.
Uma leitura que prende e vale a pena

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Estefanía C

Está súper elegante

Reviewed in Mexico on September 14, 2020

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Lo compré como regalo, me llegó por desgracia en un sobre sin ningún tipo de empaque, entonces tenía un mini rasguño, aunque era imperceptible. Por lo demás es una muy elegante presentación y a la persona a la que se lo di le encantó. Es una gran edición.

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A. Customer

The Don of all Mafia Books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2019

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This is the best book on the Mafia/organised crime I have read to date. If it was possible, I would give it 5+ stars, as I thought it was that good. If you read no other Mafia/organised crime book, read this one. You won't be disappointed.
For those who have seen the film Goodfellas (like I have) and enjoyed the movie (and I haven't met many people who haven't) then this is essential reading as this book gives more detail and also highlights some of the variations that Scorsese has made in the film in comparison to this. I think it makes both the movie and this book even more interesting though.
For those that haven't seen the movie, this book describes the activities of how the Lucchese crime family in New York operated between the 50's-80's from the point of view of street level gangster who turns informant, Henry Hill. Henry Hill was unique in that he had access to many levels and areas of organised crime despite not being a 'made man'. From a young age he was involved in hijacking, robbery, gambling, loan sharking, arms dealing, drugs, extortion, the list goes on. He was friends with Paul Vario (a boss within the Lucchese crime family) and his family (in terms of both genetic and in an organised crime sense), as well as his 'mentor' and friend, Jimmy Burke (a gangster who specialised in hijacking and theft) and other crime figures. This book also has commentary from his wife, Karen Hill, adding a different dimension to the story.
Everything seems to fit together perfectly in this book. How Henry grows up with the mafia, how he hustles, his different schemes, how he meets the different people who influence his life, Paul Vario, Jimmy Burke, Tommy DeSimone, Karen Hill, his time in prison, drugs, murder, his decision to become an informant. I haven't found another book of this genre that comes close to being as readable and entertaining.
This book is from the point of view of a 'street mechanic', someone who knows how everything works and that is what makes it a cut above other books of this genre that are mostly journalistic crime hypotheses or old mafia bosses trying to justify a life of greed and self indulgence as if their crimes are a work of art.
My only regret is that it has taken me over 30 years to read this book (it was published in 1985!) but I shall be purchasing Pileggi's book Casino on the strength of this book. It has a helluva lot to live up to!!

13 people found this helpful

lale

Ottimo

Reviewed in Italy on March 10, 2019

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Come da foto e ben protetto

One person found this helpful

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