A Man of Honor

The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno

By: Joseph Bonanno

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

"Friendships, connections, family ties, trust, loyalty, obedience - this was the 'glue' that held us together." These were the principles that the greatest Mafia "Boss of Bosses", Joseph Bonanno, lived by. Born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Bonanno found his future amid the whiskey-running, riotous streets of Prohibition America in 1924, when he illegally entered the United States to pursue his dreams. By the age of only 26, Bonanno became a don. He eventually took over the New York underworld, igniting the "Castellammarese War", one of the bloodiest Family battles ever to hit New York City.

Now, in this candid and stunning memoir, Joe Bonanno - likely a model for Don Corleone in the blockbuster movie The Godfather - takes listeners inside the world of the real Mafia. He reveals the inner workings of New York's Five Families - Bonanno, Gambino, Profaci, Lucchese, and Genovese - and uncovers how the Mafia not only dominated local businesses, but also influenced national politics. A fascinating glimpse into the world of crime, A Man of Honor is an unforgettable account of one of the most powerful crime figures in America's history.

©1983 Joseph Bonanno (P)2017 Tantor

An honorable book

I love this book, not because I myself am a Bonanno, but because it has supported so much that I personally felt about family and what Sicilian traditions really mean. I would have people come up to me say, "Oh you're part of the mafia too? Should I be scared?" But they would always laugh as if I was joking when I would say, "there is no such thing as the mafia." However, I could never put into words how to best describe why that is. This book did a wonderful job at explaining it. By the end of this book, the idea that these traditions are dead is simply not true. I feel it within me and while things have changed, I have a sense of how to keep some of these traditions of family alive with pride.

A must read

This is so much more than the tale of a former mafia boss. This is an indictment on the federal authorities and another perspective of the early families from Sicily and their operations and traditions in the US. It is spoken from the heart and well worth the audio experience.

A great look into the mind of a complicated and misunderstood man

A truly great story and I found that his story once he was out of New York and no longer the father of the family and in Arizona just as intriguing and interesting if not more than his time in New York

Excellent

I found this to be a fascinating memoir. It is written in a courtly manner and somehow manages to make the life of a Mafia Don a noble and even ethical experience. My one major gripe is the public knowledge that one of his captains was the biggest heroin dealer in mafia history. I don’t find credible that somehow this gentleman was not aware that his family was dealing in drugs that he was profiting from this Business he repeatedly describes as repugnant.

The backstory of “the tradition”

I enjoyed the narrator and the layout of this book although it was simplistic and vague in many details that certainly must have a company this lifestyle.