Rating: 
Summary: Gotti The Rise And Fall
Review: The "RISE AND FALL" of "GOTTI" was a book that I really enjoyed reading and found very interesting . The book really described how the notorious John Gotti (leader of the Gambino family, which is one of the most powerful , and most respected mob familes in the history of the mafia) gained both wealth and control of the Gambino family. It had actual facts on his early life as a criminal thug in East New York and other parts of New York . The book also revealed how he lived his personal life , and his life as a man of business with a heart bigger than a lion. It describes how Gotti was first considered an "EARNER", as other members of crime families would refer to it. He would go and highjack trucks, make his money in one day, and spend it all mostly at horse tracks or illegal off track bets.The book kept good track of timing on how and when Gotti was going to be the next fierce leader of his crime family . The number of arrests and court cases also were on point with those that were kept on records of news reporters , lawyers , and judges . It lead the readers like myself to have enough knowledge of what he was doing wrong and what cases would put him away behind bars for good. I enjoyed this book because it has plenty of details of one true gangster who was at the top but was being taken down by one who was close to him . For those who are interested in knowing the real Gotti and what he was really about from start to finish, I suggest you read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Lies, lies, and more lies!
Review: This book is nothing but lies. First off, the Favara incident wasn't like that at all! Favara hit little Frankie and dragged him 200 ft and Frankie then landed into a neighbor of the Gotti's yard. The Gotti family (the ones who were home) saw young Frankie lying there on the ground bleeding to death. And then a few days after the accident, Favara held party's at his house with loud music. He was not very sympathetic towards the Gottis with doing that. He could've held off for a while. No wonder Mrs. Gotti hit him with a baseball bat--I would've too! And besides, everyone who has researched John Gotti's case should know that he was railroaded from the getgo. The feds went on a seek and destroy mission with their "kick their asses" attitude. Our country is going to hell in a handbasket! And it is so contradictory the way Bill CLinton can order killings of some 30 people and more, yet they arrest and slap a lifetime sentence on Mr. Gotti for murder when he was not the one who commited murder--it was sammy "the king of all rats!" The govt is the biggest "mafia" in the world. They get away with murder, while people who did not commit murder (Mr. Gotti) go to the can for it! And what about OJ? He is as murderous as you can get and where is he?? He is on his big fat ass living it up saying hell yeah, I beat the govt! Well, this is your govt and for now it is mine. Hard to swallow huh?
Rating:
Summary: Warmed over rehash
Review: This book to me is an example of everything that is wrong with so-called mafia books. Every bit of information in here is second and third hand -- from newspaper articles, mostly, that were themselves based on law enforcement sources, people far removed from the events they describe. This book reveals not one single insight about the man it is supposed to be about. On top of all that, this book is sloppy -- it reads as if it were quickly thrown together to capitalize on the Gotti media blitz, of which Jerry Capeci, Gene Mustain and others have been living off for at least the last ten years. Move on, gentlemen. the mafia is dead.
Rating: 
Summary: True Crime?
Review: This is an engaging story. Like most mafia based entertainment, it gets your attention and has some kind of strange "tough-guy" appeal. It does a good job of detailing Gotti's life and the organization of the Gambino family, which is really all I asked for from the book. It is not, however, particularly well written or convincing. It reads a lot like a 450 page New York Daily News police report, which is good in that it has the facts, but gets a little dry after a while. To spice things up, the authors obviously had to rely on a lot of heresay and innuendo to fill out the details they could not have possibly gotten first hand, which gives it a little bit of a false feeling. This is the best and most accurate source I have about the Cosa Nostra, however, so I think it valuable for that reason. If you are interested in the mafia or Gotti, this is a good book, but if you are not already interested in the subjects, this book certainly won't demonstrate their appeal.
Rating: 
Summary: Expert journalism turned biographical
Review: This is the best book on John Gotti, there is no question about it. Capeci & Mustain provide an entirely objective, intelligent and succint synopsis of the short reign of the flamboyant mobster from his rise until his inevitable fall, to define the namesake of the book title. The text is legible, concise, and matter-of-fact, without personal opinions or confusing dialogue that is not properly formatted. One could almost consider the book a well-researched and reader-friendly FBI briefing minus the capitals. There are many books available on John Gotti, and the Gambino family, but none are as carefully scrutinized and well-displayed as Rise And Fall. The addition of photographs is a plus, as they give the reader a glimpse of whom the press referred to as 'The Dapper Don' in all his Brioni, Armani and Hugo Boss glory. But the man himself is not glorified for the book, rightfully, and any romanticisms that remained ingrained in the minds of mob buffs is duly erased in this novel, for it is a blow-by-blow account of a ruthless mob boss, a liar, a bragger, a criminal and a killer. In fact, the aftermath of the gangster's demise resonates justice, and brings a sense of pride to a once-corrupted American justice system. Capeci is, as always, the cream of organized crime media. 9/10
Rating:
Summary: Gotti was a chump
Review: This was a decent book (written by the guy who did Gangland for the Daily News), but I have never understood the fascination people have with John Gotti. He was not the "gangster's gangster," he was a loudmouthed publicity hound who believed his own press. A guy like him is death to the syndicate; he focuses the attention of the media (and therefore law enforcement) on him, and therefore everyone associated with him.
Gotti was a clown, possibly one of the worst bosses ever. His idiocy and hubris destroyed the most powerful Family in America.
If you want to read about the real mob stars, read about Tony Accardo, Gaetano Lucchese and Meyer Lansky.
Rating:
Summary: Gotti was a chump
Review: This was a decent book (written by the guy who did Gangland for the Daily News), but I have never understood the fascination people have with John Gotti. He was not the "gangster's gangster," he was a loudmouthed publicity hound who believed his own press. A guy like him is death to the syndicate; he focuses the attention of the media (and therefore law enforcement) on him, and therefore everyone associated with him.
Gotti was a clown, possibly one of the worst bosses ever. His idiocy and hubris destroyed the most powerful Family in America.
If you want to read about the real mob stars, read about Tony Accardo, Gaetano Lucchese and Meyer Lansky.
Rating:
Summary: Gotti was a chump
Review: This was the first book I read on Gotti, and at the time I enjoyed it. I think it's pretty impressive, all the information Capeci and Mustain rounded up for this; they are good writers. The story is repetitive, though. Who wants to know every single insignificant detail of Gotti's rise to power? His 'public'? hehe. Again, let me tell you, Capeci and Mustain are great writers, I thought their book 'Murder Machine' was a lot more interesting than this. If you're really interested in Gotti, though, I recommend you read Underboss; it's told in Sammy Gravano's own words and that makes it REALY interesting. I bet Gotti loved this book, probably did a lot for his ego. He refuses to be interviewed for it, though, because he wanted to appear as though he was sticking to the old cosa nostra rules.
Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: This was the first book I read on Gotti, and at the time I enjoyed it. I think it's pretty impressive, all the information Capeci and Mustain rounded up for this; they are good writers. The story is repetitive, though. Who wants to know every single insignificant detail of Gotti's rise to power? His 'public'? hehe. Again, let me tell you, Capeci and Mustain are great writers, I thought their book 'Murder Machine' was a lot more interesting than this. If you're really interested in Gotti, though, I recommend you read Underboss; it's told in Sammy Gravano's own words and that makes it REALY interesting. I bet Gotti loved this book, probably did a lot for his ego. He refuses to be interviewed for it, though, because he wanted to appear as though he was sticking to the old cosa nostra rules.
Rating: 
Summary: Repetitive Slow Read
Review: With proper editing, this book could have been reduced to a quarter of its length. Other than being extremely repetitive, the book is also a slow read. It is not surprising the authors are journalists. You should read Sammy the Bull's Underboss first, then pick up this book to get a different perspective.
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