Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story

by Bill Bonanno

Book Overview

No one can tell the true story of the Mafia in America better than Bill Bonanno. He was there. He lived it. Bill Bonanno was born into a world of respect, tradition, and honor. The son of legendary mafioso Joe Bonanno, Bill was a "made" member of the Mafia by the time he was in his early twenties. He was rumored to be the model for The Godfather' s Michael Corleone and was the subject of Gay Talese's best-selling Honor Thy Father. Now retired, Bill...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312203888
• ISBN13: 9780312203887
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

great book

To whom it may concern: I found this book very informative. If you want to learn about the history and the kind of life styles that were lived during the true mafia era, this is it. You will learn all about the Kennedy's and other very interesting items in history that everyone has been wondering about. You will want to read all that there is about the mafia after reading this book!

You Want the Truth...?

You can't handle the truth!!... Some people may be skeptical upon listening to Mr Bonanno's accounts of his life which include close interaction with individuals who may or may have not changed American history.I am not among you. I mean the guy was there! He lived it! What more could you want??!!I thought this was an incredible look into the world of Cosa Nostra. The author does a fantastic job in putting you right in the middle of the drama, action and suspense.The way he demonstrates time and again the differences between the "old school" and the "new breed" of mafioso is truly enlightening. An abosolute must listen for any Mafia buff.

Bonanno's Bound By Honor: A Mafioso's Story

This is a fascinating book. At the risk of arguing with Mr. Bonanno, I should point out that anger and honor do not go together very well, no matter how just the cause may seem. According to him, the Mafia is descended from the Sicilian underground which fought for Sicilian independence when foreigners invaded, and he criticizes some of the upstarts and street toughs (especially with holdings in Cuba and the East Coast) who took over the American Mafia and moved it toward Dope and other non-Sicilian interests. However, without rage and anger, I doubt whether such things would have occurred (if they did). Bonanno also attacks the FBI's CoIntelPro (Counterintelligence program) for helping to destroy the Mafia's power, as well as the wrong decision of the upstarts to deal in dope, and claims that the Florida Mafia assassinated President Kennedy for botching the Bay of Pigs invasion. I have no idea whether these were true or not, though it is quite possible, but I again point out that anger, whether on the good side or the bad side, is one of those things that enables the overstepping of power. We need some anger to start fighting back, but we need Love and Calmness to triumph.

Bound By Honor.....Very interesting book....

I was going through the reviews and ran across one from a Mr. Corrado. Sir, the family is very honorable, and very much sophisticated more so than yourself. I purchased the book and found it to be quite interesting and able to introduce you to the lifestyle. As for the Kennedy assasination, the people that were all involved with eachother at the time, I wouldn't be suprised if Kennedy was taken out by the Mafia. You have to know the side of the Kennedy family that was involved as well as the Bonanno's to know that an assasination could have very well happened taken place on order. I loved the book and look forward to reading more like it.

This book reveals the truth about the Kennedy Assassinations

This is a well written book that describes the fact that the Mafia was an alternative form of government fashioned to protect Italian imigrants from corrupt police and politicians. This is one of the reasons for the Kennedy assassinations.