The Honored Society

by Michael Gambino

With this blistering and revelatory crime epic, Michael Gambino, grandson of the original "Godfather, " aims for the gut and catapults readers straight into the heart of the Mafia--a world he knows... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743442792
• ISBN13: 9780743442794
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Great Book for Sopranos Fans

Two thoughts struck me as I read this book: one, for a gangster, Michael Gambino is a damn good writer... and two, I wonder if the creator(s) of The Sopranos had access to the galleys of this book, because the tone is awfully close. The Sopranos was a landmark show, with topnotch writing and storylines, and this book is just as entertaining. After reading it I discovered that Michael Gambino was not in fact Michael Gambino. Not even a Gambino. The real writer of The Honored Society apparently was a "nameless" ghost writer who got royally shafted when the hoax imploded. Which points to a greater irony that everyone upset about this fiasco seems to have missed: it's perfectly acceptable for any celebrity (and some well-known authors) to claim authorship of books actually written by "ghost writers" -- but for a shill to publish a fake fictional autobiography is a cardinal sin. Where was all the high-and-mighty outrage when a real, hands-on writer was being paid a small fraction of the writers fees on this project, while some "famous" joker was claiming the lions share based on his alleged family name? Had the hoax not been exposed, it all would have been hunky-dory... just another book created by an industry standard and perfectly acceptable hoax of another kind. (Maybe the exposed scandal was just karmic, after all.) All that aside, this fast-paced and colorful novel is a welcome relief from the usual dry reportial accounts of mob life penned by crime beat reporters. Of course it would never have been published in the first place if the "author" hadn't concocted his clever hoax, because publishers wouldn't have given either the faux mobster or his very talented ghost writer the time of day in today's celebrity driven marketplace. Instead of pulling this book from the shelves, the publishers should have cut a deal with the real Michael Gambino, and played up the hoax as part of the book's promotion. A very lucrative movie would have followed, and everyone would now be happily counting their money. Instead, all the scandal proves is the total lack of imagination among today's corporate executives. Bottom line: if you enjoyed The Sopranos grab a copy of this book while it's still available. It's a fun read, filled with the kind of cocky antics that only hard-boiled wiseguys can deliver, tempered with notes of "sincere" repentance undoubtedly injected by the ghost writer to make the main character more likable. Forget all the negative reviews here, most of which were probably ghost written by publishing industry clones.

The Honored Society review by L.F.

The Book The Honored Society written by Michael Gambino is an auto biography on his life in an organized crime family. Michael Gambino is very descriptive and talks about almost everything you can think of. Michael Gambino also talked about many of the problems faced by men in his profession so if organized crime or the honored society as Mr. Gambino would call it interest you then you would enjoy this book a lot. The book begins with Michael as a young boy and continues with him rising rapidly through the ranks of a powerful Chicago organized crime family. In the book Michael Gambino tell you about loan sharking, shakedowns, the rackets, ext. The book is truly one of the best book I have ever read because of how deep he goes into detail. The book The honored Society is interesting, entertaining, and it keeps you coming back for more. It's a book you just cant put down and believe me I read the book two times. I would have to agree with many of the opinions stated by Michael Gambino. For example Michael said he Mafia should be called anything but the honored society. I would have to agree with this opinion because there are many rats that would turn on you at any moment. You also may never know when you might have to kill your best friend or if may be the other way around. This book has affected me greatly. It changed the way I thought about the Mafia and the way it works. Overall I think this book was outstanding. Michael Gambino covered everything possible and he covered it with so much detail that it was unbelievable. I strongly recommend this book to anyone that has interest in organized and to people that don't.

who cares who he is

Come on people,,,this is fiction isn't it? Who cares who he is or where he is actually from. He has written a book that tells it like it really is whether he lived the life or not. How many other authors write under a different name? Lots....

Great Book!

This is an awesome book I really like it. it tells you all about the mafia and how he grew up and lived with the mafia. This book is really good. If you ever want to know the truth about the mafia and how their bussinesses run and the things go through, this is the book to read. Its incredible

Fact or fiction - love to wonder

First time author Gambino weaves a nasty tale with plenty of violence but not without emotion. His stories may not offer much of "what's new" in Mafia reading, except a unique and important perspective. We see how a person is formed by the way he is raised, with a different sense of duty - and entitlement. It's one of the most "human" Mafia books I've ever read. Furthermore, unlike the tattle-tale tomes of Sammy the Bull et al, there's no spilling the sins of others or placing blame elsewhere. The author shows courage and his characters, vulnerability. There's humor too. A very entertaining and insightful read.