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Underboss is a 1997 biographical book based on the life of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. The book goes through Gravano's early life up to 1997, which does not cover his re-arrest. The book's author is Peter Maas, who also wrote the book The Valachi Papers. Although Peter Maas is the credited author, Gravano was interviewed multiple times to describe what happened in his life. The book is published by HarperCollins Publishing Company.
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The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian-American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian-American criminal society and organized crime group. In North America, the organization is often colloquially referred to as the Italian Mafia or Italian Mob, though these terms may also apply to the separate yet related Sicilian Mafia or other organized crime groups in Italy, or ethnic Italian crime groups in other countries. The organization is often referred to by its members as Cosa Nostra and by the American government as La Cosa Nostra (LCN). The organization's name is derived from the original Mafia or Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia, with "American Mafia" originally referring simply to Mafia groups from Sicily operating in the United States.
The Valachi Papers is a 1968 biography written by Peter Maas, telling the story of former mafia member Joe Valachi, a low-ranking member of the New York–based Genovese crime family, who was the first ever government witness coming from the American Mafia itself. His account of his criminal past revealed many previously unknown details of the Mafia. The book was made into a film in 1972, also called The Valachi Papers, starring Charles Bronson as Valachi.
To become member of the Mafia or Cosa Nostra – to become a "man of honor" or a "made man" – an aspiring member must take part in an initiation ritual or initiation ceremony. The ceremony involves significant ritual, oaths, blood, and an agreement is made to follow the rules of the Mafia as presented to the inductee. The first known account of the ceremony dates back to 1877 in Sicily.
The kiss of death is the sign given by a mafioso boss or caporegime that signifies that a member of the crime family has been marked for death, usually as a result of some perceived betrayal. It is unclear how much is based on fact and how much on the imagination of authors, but it remains a cultural meme and appears in literature and films. Illustrative is the scene in the film The Valachi Papers when Vito Genovese gives the kiss of death to Joe Valachi to inform him that his betrayal of "the family" is known, and that he will be executed.
References
- ↑ Vincent J. Cannato. The Ungovernable City: John Lindsay and His Struggle to Save New York. Basic Books, 2001. p.391.
- ↑ TIME [ permanent dead link ]
- ↑ Project MUSE
- 1 2 The Valachi Papers, Censorship (accessed March 6, 2011)