Man of Honor, A Paperback – January 20, 2003

I don’t know how truthful the book is, but it provides an interesting look inside organized crime from the 1920’s until the 80’s. Mr. Bonano had an amazing life. He glosses over the more brutal history and portrays himself favorably. He admits there were some crimes and killings that were wrong. He makes a case defending his lifestyle as part of his culture, upbringing and that his people often had to resort to illegal enterprises to survive. There is a basic code of honor that followed him through life. A harsh sentence of justice was imposed on those in his sphere who broke the rules they lived by. He insists that killing people in some cases is necessary and even right sometimes. Taking justice into their own hands. A society structure that was fairly common when life was hard and less civilized.

I'm not going to get into a big long thing here. Two things you should know: Joe Bonanno is a liar and a coward. Read the book, it doesn't take long to figure this out. And two, this might be the closest and therefore most disturbing look into the psyche of a mafioso in publication right now. When I say disturbing, I don't mean gory or violent. For a "mafia" book, there is very little of that to be found which is obviously intentional. What I find most disturbing is that, even without violence or gore, it doesn't take long for you to hate Joe Bonanno as you see just how little honor this man possesses. The way he is able to rationalize his cowardice, the way Bonanno is able to make his lack of a spine or integrity seem like a principled set of values is nothing short of abhorrent. That's what makes this such a fascinating read. We know what happened. The truth of the historical and legal record bears all of this out and yet you get a complete retelling of these events with an innocent Joe Bonanno leading the charge as the man on the white horse out to save eroding values from the lack of moral direction found in the new world. It was hard to read to be honest at times because you just feel gross taking in this man's, this murderer's lies and distortions of truth. It's worth the read if for nothing else that it gives some pretty clear insight into the deluded and self-centered mind of a killer who believes himself to be the model of honor. For anyone who may have grown up fantasizing about being a made man, this is the book that will leave you feeling peevish for the desire. And while there are a number of good things about this book, the same cannot be said for the man that is its subject.

I, like many others, read with skepticism as Bonanno describes a fascinating life full of adventure and change in “the Volcano,” his euphemism for New York City. Bonanno’s detailing of the history of the Italian-American Mafioso inspires a sense of nostalgia that romanticizes “men of his tradition,” particularly Bonanno himself.While pop culture’s accounts’ of life in the mafia leads one to believe that nothing good can come from this way of life, Bonanno provides an alternative view spanning back to 19th century Sicily.I find it hard to believe that one could finish this book without questions about the validity of Bonanno’s portrayal, however, I find it as equally hard to believe that a true student of history, an untold history, to quote the popular Netflix series, would not find this book to be resourceful in helping to piece together the evidence about what it means to be an Italian, a Sicilian, and, more universally important, the power of the paternal influence on a community.While the book does not provide many answers about Bonanno’s criminal history, it provides rich biographical detail about the history of the American Mafia, largely centered around the northeast. This is a must read for those interested in the mystic of the mafia.

Great and educational book.

We (my husband and I) had great fun reading this and poring over pictures. My husband was an Irish child reared within a Sicilian family in South Philly. We saw and read stories of people he knew in the neighborhood; who, indeed, supported his mother and helped rear him. Uncle Tony bought his ticket to Woodstock. Uncle Tony was in the Family hierarchy and took care of the local neighborhood, supporting many poor Italian mothers and promoting Italian businesses. There's a picture of him in the book. He was not related to my husband genetically. There is prejudice in this ethnic culture; but if you become family, you are family. (Though my husband could never become a 'made man', thankfully.) I married into it; and I'm family. I hope this book has the effect of showing another explanation of those terrible battles in our major cities during Prohibition. There is still Family; but it has been changed by US corporate culture's individualism and it's encouragement of greed. Bononno shows how it happened; and the best of Sicilian Family culture. That said, it's the rest of the grisly truth he must have worked to leave out; that view we learned from TV and movies, that screams MISSING from this book. This is a good book that gives missing pieces; so glad to know this history. Maybe some very talented author, preferably from within the culture, can someday combine the two extremes that make up this culture and give a fuller picture.