Borgata

This gripping study of the modern Mafia, by former associate Louis Ferrante, provides a unique insider's account of this globally famous organisation. Ferrante's privileged knowledge details every aspect of Mafia life within the critical period 1985-2005, making this history unparalleled in its conception. Ferrante acquaints the reader with the Mafia's formative years - its origins in Sicily and how the social, cultural and economic turbulence contributed to the unique culture in which Sicilians relied on themselves, rather than the government, for justice. The book follows Italian immigrants as they arrive on American soil, exploring how they sought independence from Sicilian control but retained their Old-World code of honour, silence and vendetta. The arrival on the scene of some cunning and ambitious New York mobsters allows Ferrante to explore how the structure of their new underworld empires shaped the American Mafia.