Borgata: Clash of Titans - (Borgata Trilogy) by Louis Ferrante (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This epic three-volume history of the mafia continues with Borgata: Clash of Titans, covering 1960 to 1985, as the mob comes into conflict with the American political elite--and confronts internal wars that will shake the organization to its foundations. The first serious external threat to the mafia's existence in America comes from U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who repeatedly expresses his desire to eradicate organized crime in America. Kennedy unleashes the full force of the U.S. Justice Department, including a slumbering FBI that Kennedy will drag into the fray, to the apparent dismay of long-time FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The mafia's unforgiving response is executed by Louisiana don Carlos Marcello along with Florida don Santo Trafficante, who together take aim at the attorney general's brother, the president of the United States. With the president dead and the attorney general out of office, things return to normal for the mob--but internal problems begin to appear within a number of borgatas, shaking the mafia to its core. Mobster Joe Valachi becomes the first-ever public informant when he testifies before a senate sub-committee, while Brooklyn mobsters Larry, Albert, and Crazy Joe Gallo launch an insurrection against the founder and leader of their borgata, Joe Profaci. While the Gallo-Profaci civil war is winding down, don Joe Bonanno challenges the mafia's ruling body, the Commission, in a situation that decides if the Commission's central authority can overpower the autonomy of each individual boss. As he did in the first volume of this epic history, Louis Ferrante continues to debunk myths while adding new insights into other mafia mysteries, such as the feud between mafia capo Anthony 'Tony Pro' Provenzano and union leader Jimmy Hoffa, revealing the most plausible scenario of why Hoffa died, how he was killed, and what happened to his body"--

Book Synopsis

This epic three-volume history of the mafia continues with Borgata: Clash of Titans, covering 1960 to 1985, as the mob comes into conflict with the American political elite--and confronts internal wars that will shake the organization to its foundations.

The first serious external threat to the mafia's existence in America comes from U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who repeatedly expresses his desire to eradicate organized crime in America. Kennedy unleashes the full force of the U.S. Justice Department, including a slumbering FBI that Kennedy will drag into the fray, to the apparent dismay of long-time FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The mafia's unforgiving response is executed by Louisiana don Carlos Marcello along with Florida don Santo Trafficante, who together take aim at the attorney general's brother, the president of the United States.

With the president dead and the attorney general out of office, things return to normal for the mob--but internal problems begin to appear within a number of borgatas, shaking the mafia to its core. Mobster Joe Valachi becomes the first-ever public informant when he testifies before a senate sub-committee, while Brooklyn mobsters Larry, Albert, and Crazy Joe Gallo launch an insurrection against the founder and leader of their borgata, Joe Profaci. While the Gallo-Profaci civil war is winding down, don Joe Bonanno challenges the mafia's ruling body, the Commission, in a situation that decides if the Commission's central authority can overpower the autonomy of each individual boss.

As he did in the first volume of this epic history, Louis Ferrante continues to debunk myths while adding new insights into other mafia mysteries, such as the feud between mafia capo Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano and union leader Jimmy Hoffa, revealing the most plausible scenario of why Hoffa died, how he was killed, and what happened to his body.

Review Quotes

"This is the second volume in Louis Ferrante's Borgata Trilogy, a history of the American Mafia. Mr. Ferrante knows his subject. An erstwhile employee of the Gambino crime family, he served eight-and-a-half years for robberies and hijackings before he sank to writing books. His first volume, Rise of Empire, described how the American Mafia stayed close to its roots in the feudal and post-feudal societies of Sicily and southern Italy, while also becoming distinctively American. Clash of Titans describes the trouble that came with success. Like The Apogee in John Julius Norwich's 'Byzantium' trilogy, or Pax Britannica in Jan Morris's eponymous trilogy, Clash of Titans is the centerpiece of a triptych. The pace slows as the hinge of the grand narrative turns. Key scenes take on the detail of portraiture. Evidence is assayed, motives are assessed, and considered conclusions are advanced. Ferrante is a fluid raconteur."--Dominic Green, The Washington Free Beacon

"In the second volume in his three-part history of the Mafia, Ferrante delves extensively into a tumultuous period, providing a wealth of background about key players and the struggles that played out in public and behind closed doors. Essential reading for historians of organized crime."--Booklist

Praise for Louis Ferrante's Mob Rules:

"Ferrante is ... the Mafia Management Guru."-- "BusinessWeek"

"Drawing on his experience as an ex-mobster, Ferrante peppers his stories with enlightening morsels about the conditions that facilitated the rise and impunity of organized criminals."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Ferrante shares cogent advice. A colorful and surprisingly practical business primer."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Former mobster Ferrante supplies a fascinating inside look at the history of the Mafia. Ferrante's familiarity with Mafia customs gives flesh and immediacy to what could otherwise be a rote historical tome, but he doesn't draw his authority from affiliation alone: this is a well-researched history in its own right. True crime fans will be captivated."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Leadership lessons from the mob. Ferrante's book is worth the read. Colorful tales of mob life."-- "Forbes"

"One of the wisest and wittiest collections of reflections on life and business ever penned by a wiseguy."-- "Fort Worth Star-Telegram"

"Pours out spicy tales of Mob lore to make its management points, an approach most execs couldn't refuse. Mob Rules lays out the ways the rules of the Mafia can be applied in pursuit of straight-world success, injecting historical parallels and real-life anecdotes along the way."-- "New York Post"

Praise for Borgata: Rise of Empire:

"The book reminds us how violent the mafia was. Borgata is a detailed work that covers the major events in American mafia history. The author produces some highly entertaining insights thanks to his background. Mr. Ferrante is justifiably proud of his research and of having taught himself 'the writer's craft' by reading and studying in his 'dark, dank prison cell' eighteen hours a day."--Bill Heavey, The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Louis Ferrante, author of Borgata: Rise of Empire, the first in a definitive three-part history of the American mafia, is a former Mafia associate and heist expert who served eight years in prison after refusing to incriminate his fellow Gambino family members. Mob Rules was an international bestseller and his Discovery Channel Series, Inside the Gangsters Code, earned him a Grierson Award nomination. Louis lives in Florida.