Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires Paperback – October 4, 2016

As I was totally immersed watching episodes of “Inside the American Mafia” on Netflix, I realized that Selwyn Raab’s interesting and invaluable commentary was what made the series so great. His authoritative knowledge and storytelling ability compelled me to order his book, FIVE FAMILIES, as I was watching the series. If there is one source I would recommend about understanding the “nuts and bolts” of Mafia in America, it would certainly be FIVE FAMILIES.The basic premise of FIVE FAMILIES is to illustrate how the crux of the American Mafia evolves around the happenings of the five major crime families in New York City (Luchese, Gambino, Genovese, Colombo and Bonnano). Paralleling the families’ stories is the gradual acceptance of the US government to acknowledge the Mafia’s existence and eventually formulate a plan to combat it. Raab does a magnificent job in presenting the birth, rise, decline (and likely resurgence) of these families and does so in a manner that is both entertaining and absorbing. Even more impressive is that FIVE FAMILIES manages to simplify the massive, interweaving complexities associated with these organizations to a level that most readers will appreciate. This meaty volume of 700+ pages provides an abundance of detailed information, but Raab graciously divides the material into 60 digestible (10-12 page) chapters that keeps readers focused. Miraculously, the book never became a tedious grind; I find it rare to read books this size that don’t either bore me to tears or eventually challenge my will to finish.FIVE FAMILIES is pretty much a chronological affair through the 1960s, when the families began to exploit their power. The period from the 1970s to the early 2000s, Raab informally groups chapters by family to better illustrate their peaks and subsequent downfalls in a more concise manner. This 70s-00s era provides much more intricate and juicy storylines as the US government’s willingness to fight the mafia resulted in a number of Mafiosi willing to violate their codes of silence. Much of the book describes the nitty-gritty of the violence perpetuated by the families (both within and outside the families) and the shady rackets that pretty much explains why everything in New York City costs so much (even candy bars). The power and the reach exerted by these families is eerily shocking. Ironically, the pages of mindless bloodshed is accompanied by stories that are both humorous and quirky. The plethora of gangster nicknames peppering each page (and the rationale behind the names) is a gem in-and-of itself. It was easy to see the basis for almost every significant Hollywood presentation of the Mafia being outlined in the book … even the fictitious “Sopranos”.What I appreciated most about FIVE FAMILIES is that it easily presents itself as being an authority on anything-everything related to the American Mafia. No stone is left unturned in this book as every major gangster from Luciano to “the last Don” Joe Massino (and everyone in-between) is addressed. Additionally, every significant mafia-related event is covered in satisfactory detail. Whether it be the famous Apalachin bust in 1957, the Kennedy assassination(s), the brutality of “Gaspipe” Casso, “Chin” Gigante’s decades-long mental illness ruse or the Teflon-turned-Velcro John Gotti trials … FIVE FAMILIES covers it ALL. More interesting is how the federal government went from turning its back to the Mafia’s existence to aggressively tackling each one of the five families by using the most powerful and effective tool in its armory: RICO. Each subsequent chapter is as engrossing as the previous.For anyone interested in the American Mafia, I cannot think of a better primer than FIVE FAMILIES as it provides such a comprehensive understanding of the entire organization (as a whole and each individual family) … it’s a one-stop-shop type of resource that entertains from beginning to end. While I have read several books that focus on specific mafia stories or individuals (Roy DeMeo, Nicky Scarfo or Richard Kuklinski), I have yet to see a book that ties everything together as well as FIVE FAMILIES manages to do … Selwyn Raab bats this one out of the park.

I have always been fascinated with the idea of the Mafia or Cosa Nostra. This author gives you a very detailed description of just how these families formed, operated and have now become embedded in American society. The link between the families and the assassinations of the Kennedy clan is also worth noting. Highly recommended reading.

Good books about the American Mafia are few and far between. Most of the ones I've found seem to be self-serving memoirs by former members and associates of organized crime, written in conjunction with professional ghost-writers. These books are okay, but don't really provide me with what I want: a good, solid, informative history of the American Mob and the efforts of law enforcement agencies to eradicate it.I recently discovered just such a book: "Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires" by Selwyn Raab. Here is a definitive history of the five great crime "families" of New York, written by a former "New York Times" investigative reporter who is also one of the foremost recognized authorities on organized crime in America.In "Five Families," Raab traces the rise and decline of the five most powerful and influential crime borgatas in the United States - so-called "families" named after their most famous bosses: Bonanno, Columbo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese. These five Cosa Nostra "families" gradually became so powerful that they essentially ruled nearly all of American organized crime from the early 1930s until the 1990s, when their influence was severely diminished by the concerted efforts of local, state, and Federal investigators and prosecutors.These families were initially organized in 1931 by Charles "Lucky" Luciano, who was, at the time, one of the most notorious gangsters in America. Luciano proposed dividing criminal enterprises in New York City into five "families," with a governing "commission" of bosses. Each borgata would be organized into crews led by "caporegimes," or "capos." There was also a body of strict rules by which all members would live.Raab points out that for nearly six decades, The Five Families' criminal enterprises ran practically unchallenged in New York. Their power and influence gradually expanded into Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other major American cities. It was estimated that, during the Five Families' heyday in the 1970s and '80s, billions of dollars were illegally diverted from the American economy through criminal activities that included gambling, loan-sharking, extortion, drug trafficking, fraud, hijacking, robbery, kidnapping, and murder.Raab also traces the efforts of state, local, and Federal law enforcement agencies to bring the Five Families to justice. A heroic and dogged group of investigators and prosecutors, most notably FBI Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone (of "Donnie Brasco" fame) and U.S. Attorneys Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Chertoff, used provisions of the newly enacted Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to indict, convict, and sentence to long prison terms many of the Five Families' most powerful and notorious gangsters.I found "Five Families" one of the most fascinating books I've read in a long time. The book is packed with information that's presented in an easy to read and understand manner. Selwyn Raab is obviously a gifted writer whose style drew me in from the book's first paragraph.It's unfortunate that the Kindle version of "Five Families" is of such poor quality that it seriously distracts from Raab's outstanding research and writing skills. Nearly every page of the Kindle version contains serious typographical errors like wrongly italicized words, incorrect punctuation, and even misspelled words. These errors occur frequently enough for me to deduct one star from my otherwise five-star rating. They all should have been eliminated by more careful proof-reading and editing.Despite this serious technical flaw, "Five Families" is an important addition to the literature of organized crime, and should not be missed. Highly recommended.

This was a great book overall. Raab's writing style is engaging, and, of course, the subject is hugely fascinating. Raab is able to make the characters come alive with funny and sometimes bizarre anecdotes about life inside the mob. Although not a hagiography, Raab does offer a sympathetic portrait of the times and high water mark of la cosa nostra in old New York. Totally readable and enjoyable.

Can’t wait to read!! Got my book fast! Print is a little small considering the size of the book. But still can’t wait to read!

The first book I've read in recent years. Got me glued to it and could not put it down. Simply an awesome and great book if you like the Mafia theme.

This book is so full of information it is hard to put down. It is very intriguing and really gets the mind going. A must read for everyone.