Gotti's rules The story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the demise of the American mafia

Anastasia, a veteran crime reporter and acknowledged expert on the American Mafia, takes us deep inside the infamous Gotti family. The book is based on the testimony of John Alite, one of John Gotti Jr.'s right-hand men for many years. Where he can, Anastasia confirms Alite's story through secondary sources (the FBI, interviews with other people in the know), but for much of the information here, especially concerning Gotti's methods of doing business and his so-called rules of leadership, we essentially have to take Alite's word for it. That's not a criticism of the book; it's just something readers should be aware of as they take this compelling, occasionally frightening, often surprising journey into the world of organized crime. As always, Anastasia writes with crisp, clean prose and shies away from stereotyping his subjects, preferring to present them as ordinary people who happen to be living extraordinary lives. For anyone fascinated by organized crime, this is a must-read.--Pitt, David Copyright 2015 Booklist

Few readers of true crime who are familiar with La Cosa Nostra will find anything particularly new in the latest from Anastasia (Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family). The book is a straightforward and unsurprising account of the Gambino crime family since the mid-1980s, from the perspective of killer-turned-FBI cooperator John Alite. Anastasia accepts Alite's account at face value, resulting in a simplistic rehashing of events. Anastasia even admits he made no effort to talk to "anyone in the Gotti camp," which he justifies by stating, implausibly, that doing so would only lead to a meaningless "he said, they said" narrative. This overreliance on Alite dictates the book's focus on Junior Gotti, rather than his father John, the Teflon Don; this is a drawback, as the story of the younger mobster is significantly less interesting and Alite's flat perspective hardly compensates. B&w photos. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

John Alite-admitted criminal, Mafioso, and friend-turned-enemy of John A. "Junior" Gotti-tells his side of Junior's story with the help of crime writer Anastasia (The Last Gangster). Junior, who took the helm of the Gambino crime family after his father (John Gotti, aka the Dapper Don, aka the Teflon Don) was convicted and sent to prison, was not a competent leader, according to Alite. Gotti has responded by writing and self-publishing his own book (Shadow of My Father) and releasing it just ahead of this title, with the he-said, he-said controversy currently playing out in New York newspaper headlines. This account tells how Alite first met Junior as a young man and quickly became enmeshed in criminal activities with him. It is framed by Gotti Senior's "rules," such as, "drug dealing is prohibited and punishable by death": Alite shares stories of the Gottis breaking every rule. He also describes Junior as being more into the celebrity and power that came with being a Mafioso than honoring and following the old-school traditions. This is the story of Alite-his crimes, flight from authorities, capture, prison experiences, extradition, and finally his testimony against Junior, whose trial ended with a hung jury. VERDICT Given the Gotti family's high profile and continued interest, this should appeal to true crime and mafia aficionados.-Karen Sandlin Silverman, Scarborough H.S. Lib., ME (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.