The Art of Manliness An Insider's Guide to the Rise of the American Mafia
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Jan 15, 2024 Louis Ferrante, a former mobster and author of "Borgata: Rise of Empire," shares his unique insights into the origins of the American Mafia. He reveals how Sicilian influences shaped mafia culture and why Louisiana, not New York, was pivotal in its American beginnings. Ferrante discusses unexpected WWII collaborations between the mafia and the government, and why J. Edgar Hoover initially avoided confronting organized crime. His transformative journey from mob life to chronicler offers a compelling glimpse into this intricate world.
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Ferrante's Criminal Past
- Louis Ferrante started as a car thief and progressed to truck hijacking, leading him into the Gambino crime family.
- Imprisoned and facing life, he educated himself, became a writer, and achieved international bestseller status.
Sicily's Influence on the Mafia
- Sicily's history of foreign conquerors created a culture of self-reliance and distrust of central governments.
- This environment fostered strong family units (borgatas) which laid the groundwork for the Mafia.
Feudalism and the Mafia
- Feudalism's structure, with its lords, vassals, and oaths of loyalty, mirrored the Mafia's hierarchy.
- Sicilians, comfortable with this system, adapted feudalism into a family-oriented structure after its decline.
