Vendetta: A True Story of the Worst Lynching in America, the Mass Murder of Italian-Americans in New Orleans in 1891, the Viciou

Gambino makes one of the most heinous crimes in American history into a fine narrative. In some parts of the US, hatred of Italians was more pervasive than the animus directed at blacks and for decades Italians - specifically Southern Italians and Sicilians - were placed at the lowest rung of the social scale. This all came to a head when local, state and national officials all played a part in the worst mass lynching in US history. Even the president thought it "a good thing." There are lessons to be learned and Dr. Gambino delivers them in a fast-paced tale of the greed and hatred that resulted in a mass murder.

A simple, if not scholarly, account of a mass murder perpetrated on a number of helpless innocents. This would be a fine True Crime book, but Richard Gambino does not want to simply tell a story America forgot. He delivers the details of the henious crime set in the intrigue of the New Orleans political scene. And gives insight, with historical perspective, to the diplomatic backlash and the response of an apathetic America. A must read for Italian-Americans, who crave a little righteous rage or for those who have any interest in the Immigration debate. This book is a reminder of one of a series of pass sins commited by a "multi-cultural conscious" society.