Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia

must-read for maffia buffs:
I hold a healthy fascination on the maffia and its politics. This book gives an in-depth description of how the Sicilian maffia was entangled into Sicilian and Italian daily life. One can feel the frustration of the lone heroes who made an attempt to defy the Cosa Nostra and its contemptful modus operandi. John Dickie did a good job presenting all the various anecdotes into one large account of the maffia's history: from the gruesome details of the maffia's "business model" to the strenuous crusade against this organisation by a few individuals. However the book shows the same shortcoming that seems to hunt more historical accounts: the lack of comprehensive maps, relationship diagrams and timelines. A lot of names and events are described and will later on in the book be referred back to. It would be a great feature to be able to refer back to a summary, an outline, as a memory refreshment during the course of the book. Helping the reader to maintain a clear overview and understanding of the total account is the difference between a 3 and a 4 star rating. Regardless of the rating, this book is a must-read for any maffia buff in this world.

Educational:
My first mafia book. They way i see it, it provides the readers with a solid picture on what the Mafia is about.It is educational based on collective facts. Back to the basics i would call it. Sikelia as the mother land deserves much attention in the literature and this book is definitely going for that. The locus of attention is in situations from an old era but evidently their effect is manifest in various ways today. Good stuff

Excellent history of a little known world:
Compellingly drawn from original sources, this history reads almost like an insider's confession. Dickie tears away the cobwebs in Western mythology regarding the Sicilian mafia's history to present a credible, well-researched and well-presented picture of this secret but formidable player in Italian and subsequently American economics. Films like "The Godfather" and others are the primary source of information for many American readers. While being a devoted history in its own right, this book occasionally draws parallels between the Coppola film to separate truth from fiction and probability from implausibility. Perhaps the only problem I had with the book was the heroic conclusion that after so many decades of almost untouched power, a recent series of judicial and political setbacks for the Sicilian mafia in 21st-century Italy might have effectively and permanently disabled the mob there.

Unrreal, surreal... anything but real:
I became fascinated with Italy and its history when I was studying italian. Then I became fascinated with secret societies when I was reading about the death/murder if Pope John Paul I and its links with masonic lodges. So the next logical step was to read about the mafia. I am a couple of chapters away of finishing, but I am fascinated with this book. The author does a great job keeping you hooked on the book from page to page. Sometimes it feels as if you were reading a novel instead of real-life events. Once you take a look on this book, it makes "The Godfather" look like a fairy tale. As far as I am concerned, it depicts an accurate account of the mafia and its 'men of honour'.

A superb book of Revisionist History:
The author has written a compelling, well researched and substantial account of the history of the Sicilian Mafia. The bibliography is very impressive as Mr. Dickie has read widely and deeply to produce this book with careful attention to details of persons and events. He argues that the Sicilian Mafia did not originate centuries ago as an Honored Society but contends that its genesis was a criminal organization during the troubled period of 1860 to 1876. Sicily during this period became part of the nation of Italy after decades of rule from Naples as part of the Bourbon Kingdom. During these chaotic years the organization that we know today as the Mafia took shape, organized and began to proper. However its genesis was a complex affair and the author is able to unravel the puzzle and produce a very readable and fascinating account from its beginnings to the present day. One of the most fascinating figures to emerge from the book was the very competent and efficient Ermanno Sangiorgi who was Chief of Police of Palermo at the turn of the 20th century. He conducted criminal investigations made raids and arrests and was able to lay the ground for prosecution of Mafia figures. He produced a very comprehensive report on the Sicilian Mafia with details of criminal family structures, individual profiles, Mafia initiation rituals, codes of behavior as well as it business methods and operations. Despite his best efforts the Mafia survived his attempt to shut it down, however with more support from the government and certain officials he would certainly have seriously weakened it but probably not shut it down. Sadly all the good work Sangiorgi did was filed away and forgotten about and a valuable chance to seriously weaken the Mafia was lost. The author is able to peel away the layers of myth and mist that surround the history of the Sicilian Mafia and reveal an organization that is very adaptable and sophisticated. There is much information about it workings in the affairs of government and private industry as well as its international relationships