Mobfather

I know I might be breaking omerta but this is a good read , all the books I read about the Philly mob was very good tho. I recommend this book .

I liked this book. I would rate it 4.5 to 4.75 stars. It told of how a mobster's life affected his marriage, and his relationship with this sons growing up, his downfall. I agree with the other reviewer who said that it is a Philadelphia version of Goodfellas. I would say it's a cross between Goodfellas and a Bronx Tale the movie where the boy starts running errands for the mob, and gets involved in it like the son Bobby in this story.

This book takes an interesting look at the South Philadelphia crime syndicate, and the effects of its main character on his family. Tommy DelGiorno was a small time hood from South Philadelphia who rose to become a full-time mafia soldier. He was ruthless and greedy, and far from kind to his family. In time, DelGiorno's world began to unravel, and he turned government witness. This book does more than just cover the mob life from the view of the hood - we also get a look at what it was like to be the wife or sons of such figure. This book is readable and interesting, but never rises to the level of top mob books like "Wiseguy" (by Nicholas Pileggi) and other volumes.

There have been many books that have recounted the trials and tribulations of the gangster lifetyle. The author's previous work, Blood and Honor, is one of the finest to illustrate the day to day life of the wiseguy as he manuevers to make a buck and stay out of harms way from his supposed friends. "Mobfather" takes a different course. It tells the mafia story from a family perspective. The Del Giornos are an average couple who marry in the mid-60's and have two sons. Tommy works at UPS but soon starts to make money on the side bookmaking. Their marriage crumbles as Tommy Del gets deeper into the Philadelphia underworld, eventually rising to the position of caporegime in the organization. His ex-wife hates the viloent, pompous man he has become. Tommy Del's sons are torn as one sees the father as the criminal that he is and the other wants to be just like him, "a man of respect". The book does a wonderful job of illustrating in human terms the personal effect a father's choice to be a criminal and a murderer have on the people who love him. Soon the hunter becomes the hunted as Tommy Del sours in his position and becomes a marked man. He becomes a witness and drags his fractured family through the nightmare of witness protection. This fascinating book compliments Anastasia's other works on the mafia and is worth reading by anyone who comes across a copy.

If you've seen GOODFELLAS, you'll have a good idea of how this story will unfold. I actually loved this book because I've lived in the Philadelphia area all my life; as a matter of fact, the town in which I grew up, Sharon Hill, is directly mentioned in the book. So if you're a resident or native of Philly or its suburbs, you'll probably enjoy this.I appreciated the insights I received from Maryanne and Bobby. We don't often see exactly how a person's Mafia associations directly affect the members of his family. In MOBFATHER, Tommy Del's actions are unapologetically displayed for all the world to read -- made for a very interesting read!I deducted one star because the reasons for Nicky Scarfo wanting Tommy Del dead were rather vague. Was it merely because Tommy Del was a sloppy drunk and a braggart? To me, those seemed to be his biggest flaws. Aside from this, he seemed to follow all the instructions handed down by his superiors, including orders to kill.The motif of this book is that if you're involved in organized crime, you will pay for its power, riches and glamor with your life --even if you're not murdered.

"Mobfather" does a good job in describing the daily mayhem of moblife for everyone involved. The author gives rich detail in the description of Tommy Delgiorno's rise from numbers writer and bookie to mob captain overseeing loansharking, drug dealing, extortion, and gambling operations. It also gives good detail as to the horrible way he treated his family and how they finally decided to break away and have nothing to do with him. The description of Frank D'Alfonso and Broadway Eddie was an unexpected bonus in the book. I recommend this book to anybody interested in the South Philly/South Jersey mob!