A nice series of anecdotes that give a view into the italian underworld during the early-mid 2000s. Fun read and dispels alot of misconceptions about organised crime. However Saviano has been accused of plagiarism enough times where you should approach his work with some doubt, he also claims this book is semi-autobiographical which i just flat out don't believe. But between these stories there are valuable takeaways.
The economic power of the Camorra System lies exactly in its continual turnover of leaders and criminal choices. One man’s dictatorship is always brief; if the power of a boss were long-lasting, he would raise prices, create a monopoly, making rigid markets, and keep investing in the same sectors rather than exploring new ones.
Instead of adding value in the criminal economy, he would become an
obstacle to business. And so, as soon as a boss takes over, others ready
to take his place start to emerge, figures eager to expand, to stand on
the shoulders of the giants they helped create. Something that the
journalist Riccardo Orioles, one of the most astute observers of power
dynamics, always remembered: “Criminality is not power pure and
You and @dulla should check out The Vory by Mark Galeotti as well as Sharing this Walk by Karina Biondi. The first is a deep look into the historical roots of russian organized crime as well as its present. The second is an ethnography on the PCC, an influential Brazilian prison gang. The author's husband was incarcerated in a PCC controlled prison which gives the book an interesting slant.
Will check out and thank you! Offer extends to yourself and anyone else if you wanna join the GC! We've got 7 or 8 members in it so far, so the biggest of the ones I have here by far.