Donnie Brasco: My Underecover Life in the Mafia - a true story by Joseph D. Pistone with Richard Woodley
London: Hodder, 2006 ISBN 9780340922651
A good read. I had thought that I had watched the movie based on this book, but after reading the book, now I'm not so sure....(maybe I'm thinking of Goodfellas...). Brasco/Pistone was the first FBI agent to go deep undercover, and so this book is very much the first of its genre. What makes this different from some other books is that this is actually true, (ghost) written from the first person perspective, and as such a real insight into the American Mafia as it existed in the 1970s. Up until Pistone's entree, FBI agents only went undercover to expose specific crimes: Pistone spent six years infiltrating the Mafia, finally being pulled out of his role just before he was about to become a made man.
The interest in this book is the insight it gives into the Mafia - how it worked, who worked for whom, what sort of things they got up to, and really just how boring most of the lives of "wiseguys" were. Pistone originally connects with some very small time crooks before he manages to hook up with some wiseguys from the Bonanno crime family, especially Lefty Ruggiero and Sonny Napolitano.
The book catalogues the continual efforts to score cash, from a few dollars selling fake Rolexes, robbery, betting, loan-sharking, and drugs. Everything they do is focused on the next score, whatever it might be. While there is always the threat of violence in everything they do, it is rarely doled out. In fact what comes through in this book is how much politics rules what goes on. There are so many rules about who can do what, who can speak to whom, and how territories and scams get divided up. Also of interest is how the money worked - the captains took a cut of everything their underlings were involved in. Honour among thieves is a concept that seems to run the Mafia, but Pistone shows us how each member tried as much as possible to scam those above them by under-reporting their earnings, even though the consequences for being found out were deadly.
The book contains many transcripts of conversations between Pistone and various wiseguys, and they well illustrate the intricate nature of relationships between made men, and just how easy it was for anyone to mis-step, which could bring serious consequences.
Being undercover for six years is a huge sacrifice, which Pistone briefly touches on, and the danger to himself and his family is mentioned, but not emphasized. He points out toward the end of the book that his activities would have consequences for the wiseguys that he worked with, wiseguys that in some cases he had come to like. Pistone's strength of character and quick thinking helped him immensely in his task.
As the Bonanno family "war" gathered pace, it was deemed too dangerous for Pistone to continue, and there is a short afterword about what happened to some of his wiseguy associates, and how Pistone's life and family changed owing to the work he had done.
If you are a person with an interest in Mafia history and activities, this is well-worth reading.
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