Gomorrah

A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System

De: Roberto Saviano

Narrado por: Michael Kramer

A groundbreaking major best seller in Italy, Gomorrah is Roberto Saviano's gripping nonfiction account of the decline of Naples under the rule of the Camorra, an organized crime network with a large international reach and stakes in construction, high fashion, illicit drugs, and toxic-waste disposal.

Known by insiders as "the System," the Camorra affects cities and villages along the Neapolitan coast and is the deciding factor in why Campania, for instance, has the highest murder rate in all of Europe and why cancer levels there have skyrocketed in recent years.

Saviano tells of huge cargoes of Chinese goods that are shipped to Naples and then quickly distributed unchecked across Europe. He investigates the Camorra's control of thousands of Chinese factories contracted to manufacture fashion goods, legally and illegally, for distribution around the world, and relates the chilling details of how the abusive handling of toxic waste is causing devastating pollution not only for Naples but also China and Somalia.

In pursuit of his subject, Saviano worked as an assistant at a Chinese textile manufacturer, as a waiter at a Camorra wedding, and on a construction site. A native of the region, he recalls seeing his first murder at the age of 14 and how his own father, a doctor, suffered a brutal beating for trying to aid an 18-year-old victim who had been left for dead in the street.

Gomorrah is a bold and important work of investigative writing that holds global significance, one heroic young man's impassioned story of a place under the rule of a murderous organization.

©2006 Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., Milan (P)2007 Tantor

Again, with more feeling!

Mr. Kramer's tone and inflection are not contagious. Quite uninteresting. Mr Saviano could have written a better, more compelling story given the information he uncovered. No characters in which to relate. "Preachy" I wanted it to be better.

great listen

the reader was great and the book was amazing! will definitely listen it over and over.

Crazy good

Fantastic story, fantastic narration. One of my all time favourites. Pronunciation of the Italian was really good, kudos to Michael Kramer.

Interesting story with sleep-inducing narration

I couldn't finish it. The story was interesting, but the narrator sounded like he was struggling to stay awake. I know I was.

So good… Noir Naples and Dirty Vignettes

This is the story of Naples, told by someone whose options are limited by rampant criminality. It reads like a noir mystery novel, with insightful vignettes exposing the natural need for wealth diversion. I’ve lived among such people and circumstances, and I find this perspective gripping. Saviano is an author to know…

Not Hollywood romanticism

The best book on the modern Italian criminal system ever written. Narrator is perfect for the subject. An intense and often upsetting account that may even change the way you view the world around you.

Camorra

I loved this book, it was easy to read and it not have a hard time following the book at all. i just wish they would have written it more about various Modern Sicilian Families.

Eye Opener

Well, I knew nothing about the Mob in Italy until I lisened to this book. This is a great book translated from Italian. It gives a clear insight into how organized crime is influencing many aspects of life across the world. It is read well and will keep anyone even marginally interested in the topic listening. IT is disturbing, exciting, informative, and raw. The reader had my earlobes in his hands for hours.

Sacrament of penance is exposure

I wanted to read this book after watching the series. It was So very well done and believable. On a subject I knew nothing about. However, what This author wrote is an absolutely astonishing in depth study of the subject matter. Screenplay and this book are 2 different animals but both phenomenal.

Decent but dated and sensationalized.

It’s pretty dated now, unfortunately, but it’s interesting. He uses a lot of hyperbole and sensationalisms in his book, a lot of his comments on weapons and their effects are straight Hollywood (I’m an actual SME), but it’s an an OK book. He starts off well, but it begins to blur from his experience to regurgitations of other journalistic work and/or law enforcement reports. He’s not really some insider like he portrays, more of a fan boy with a lot of research. He reminds me of a military spouse, yeah, he’s got the jargon down and could play the part, but he’s not an actual insider. For everyone’s knowledge basis, journalists are essentially spies with no flag, which translates to them not having a solid baseline on either side of the firing line. At least with an actual insider or spy, you’d get 50% truth or more based off operational involvement. However, journalists are completely out of whack and have no baseline. Towards the end it is basically just news headlines being read out. It’s a book for civilians with boring lives, for those of us trying to learn from this, it’s mediocre. Honestly, looking at the reviews, it’s sad how pathetic most humans lives are… if you need to live something through a book, well, maybe you should just try living for once.