Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia

John Dickie's book on the history of the Sicilian Mafia is a landmark in investigative and historical journalism. The uncovering of the inner workings of an organization that, for obvious reasons, kept few or no written records is in itself a Herculean effort. There is nothing like it in the annals of journalism. It is far and away the most comprehensive portrait of organized crime ever written, but in addition to Mr. Dickie's brilliant and exhaustive research, his insights and writing style elevate the work to highest levels of journalism. The book opens with an extraordinary dissection of the assassination of the crusading Sicilian Magistrate, Giovanni Falcone, whose murder galvanized the Italian people, and the Pope himself, to finally stand up against the Mafia's two centuries of outrages. Then Mr. Dickie explains how Massenet's extraordinary opera, Cavalleria Rusticana -- used in both Raging Bull and The Godfather III -- helped created the myth of Sicilian Mafiosi as "Men of Honor", an aberrant term if ever there was one. A flawless, unflinching masterpiece of investigation and composition. Bravo, Mr. Dickie. James Dalessandro, author of "1906"

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.

The praise given by critics and reviewers when this book was first published in 2004 are easily understood and justified when reading it in paperback format. While many earlier books have largely relied on a review of recent Sicilian history and events post WWII (Norman Lewis, Claire Sterling) or focussing on a very specific area (such as Alex Stille's "Excellent Cadavers" on the story of investigating magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino), this is the first real recent effort I know of in English to write a full history of the Sicilian Mafia under its correct name of Cosa Nostra. This is faciltated by the recent outpouring of Italian writings based on the vast amount of new information and evidence now available and which Dickie fully acknowledges in his book. In addition Dickie has also researched a number of historical sources and reports which have been largely ignored by previous English language writers. What really places this book above the rest is: Dickie has proven much better at covering the 19th century foundation of Cosa Nostra (and its earlier roots in Sicilian society) and then tracking this organisation's development of being a very tightly controlled killing machine exterminating any competition through the 20th century to date - the fact that nearly half of the book is devoted to the period before the end of WWII reflects this approach. He has avoided the trap of spending too much time on the US Mafia with its more public image and history, instead only referring to it as it actually impacts and helps our understanding of the Sicilian society's history. Finally he has done a much fuller job than many prior books in tracking the Cosa Nostra linkage through Sicilian politics with Italian political history since Italian unification in late 19th century and especially since WWII, with the rise of Christian Democrats party who dominated Italian politics, especially under Andreotti. He makes a very strong case that without such political links and Rome's constant vacillation, Cosa Nostra would never have become as endemic and protected from the forces of law and order. One ends the book feeling that the whole tragedy while not at an end is certainly moving into a model seen in many other countries, where criminal or terrorist elements have realised their best chances of survival are lower profile protection and corruption activities plus control of drugs, kidnapping and prostitution rather than seeking to always be in the public eye. This development as the book explains was almost wholly down to an almost public civil war started and executed by Leggio and Rinna with numerous public killings between 1970 and 1982. The murdering of a number of high profile police and anti-Mafia lawyers and politicians, ultimately created the environment where Falcone and Borsellino were able to achieve the maxi-trials in 1986 which used pentiti (defectors) such as Tomasso Buscetta. This led to many (but not all) leading Cosa No

I couldn't put this book down. Mr. Dickie is careful to steer away from sensationalism, but the book is fascinating as well as factual. The author dispels certain myths associated with the Mafia, and gives a clearer view of an organization that has long tried to remain unseen. There is a lot of interesting Italian history included, which I really enjoyed since I have been living in Italy for several years now. From its first known beginnings, to the present, this book explains the history, the methods and the mentality of the Mafia. It is chilling, but it's a must read for those interested in the subject--and for those who think they aren't.

This well-researched and fascinating book covers the history of the Sicilian Mafia from it origins in the 1860's until the present day. The author, John Dickie, obviously spent a lot of time researching an organization, which actually goes out of its way to remove all traces of its existence. The book exposes a lot of myths and corrects some common misconceptions about the Mafia, e.g. the Mafia started not in a poverty stricken area but actually in a prospering lemon-export region of Sicily. And thankfully the author presents two maps, one of western Sicily and one of Italy, right at the beginning so the reader can easily follow the geographical references throughout the text. The text is separated into chronological segments in which the Mafia's rise is set into historical and political context. The author exposes how the Mafia operates - extorting storefront businesses, infiltrating wealthy commercial enterprises, buying politicians/judges/policemen, smuggling goods, and of course murdering. The author sets right a very important misconception, i.e. the Mafia only kill each other. That is wrong. The Mafia will threaten/intimidate/kill ANYONE (including honest citizens, women, and even small children) who stands in their way. Organized crime and the terrorism it creates, as the author points out again and again, can only thrive at the connivance of protecting officialdom (at times even including the US gov't) and the usual apathy of the citizenry. The book introduces us to the Mafia's major figures throughout its history, such as Baron Turrisi Colonna, Cola Gentile, the Greco Family, Don Calo Vizzini, Salvatore Guiliano, Tomasso Buscetta, Lucciano Leggio, Toto Riina, Bernardo 'the Tractor' Provenzano, and many more. It also introduces us to the really courageous men (and women) who actively fought it, such as Dr. Galati, Ermanno Sangiori, Emmanuele Notarbartolo, Cesare Mori, Judge Giovanni Falcone, Peppino Impastato, Guiseppa di Sano, and many more. The book ends discussing the possible links between one of Prime Minister Berlusconi's lieutenants and the Mafia. From what I can understand from the book, the Mafia is truly scared when it loses its political backing. This happened a couple times throughout its history, and it was devastating for the Mafia, i.e. during Mussolini's reign and in the late 80's and early 90's. The Mafia can be defeated, but everyone has to make a stand - zero tolerance. This even happened in the Mafia's heartland in Palermo, producing real results. This was a great book! I highly recommend it.