Scan barcode
ellies_92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Saviano ci lascia un'eredità incommensurabile, che paga tuttora a caro prezzo. È un uragano, un turbine, opprimente... insomma un libro che sconvolge e che non permette di guardare più il mondo con lo stesso sguardo. Tutti in Italia dovrebbero leggerlo una volta nella vita, la realtà fa molta più paura della fiction.
Non do 5 stelle solo perché non sono riuscita a familiarizzare con molti nomi, il ritmo serrato di Saviano e il fatto che questi nomi io non li conoscessi prima a volte mi hanno dato l'impressione che fossero messi lì un po' a "lista della spesa" e avrei voluto invece approfondire oltre per comprendere meglio tutte le sfumature.
Non do 5 stelle solo perché non sono riuscita a familiarizzare con molti nomi, il ritmo serrato di Saviano e il fatto che questi nomi io non li conoscessi prima a volte mi hanno dato l'impressione che fossero messi lì un po' a "lista della spesa" e avrei voluto invece approfondire oltre per comprendere meglio tutte le sfumature.
caramay's review against another edition
DNF @ 52%
Too heavy handed on details of isolated scenarios which felt like a slog to get through. This, in turn, affected pacing. Can go days without picking it up or not wanting to pick it up. Nothing up to the moment I chose to DNF is memorable.
Too heavy handed on details of isolated scenarios which felt like a slog to get through. This, in turn, affected pacing. Can go days without picking it up or not wanting to pick it up. Nothing up to the moment I chose to DNF is memorable.
chrisb85's review against another edition
5.0
After visiting Naples I was intrigued by the dark underbelly off this great city. The book did not disappointed also great to read along side watching the TV series gommorah well worth a read .
mizzbooks_'s review against another edition
2.0
I couldn’t finish it for the life of me omg. This book is A LOT and it’s not fiction so if you’re in the mood to actually study and learn this is for you, otherwise put it down and choose another story
dupeskara's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I saw this in a bookstore back in 2021 - I read the back cover and found it very interesting. After buying it, itwas left on its own, until one day I heard about a series of the same name. I watched the show and decided to see of the book was close to what I saw.
To say the least, this is one of the best books to ever exist. The themes, writing - exposition, I was taken aback by the writers words. It showed the real mafia behind closed doors, short stories mixed with articles and eye witnesses.
The book made me realize what I want to be and why is it worth sacrificing my life. Roberto Saviano is my idol, my inspiration to continue researching in this field, even if I never got to be a criminologist.
To say the least, this is one of the best books to ever exist. The themes, writing - exposition, I was taken aback by the writers words. It showed the real mafia behind closed doors, short stories mixed with articles and eye witnesses.
The book made me realize what I want to be and why is it worth sacrificing my life. Roberto Saviano is my idol, my inspiration to continue researching in this field, even if I never got to be a criminologist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gun violence
cindyjac's review
5.0
My fifth book in the "reading the world" challenge. Learning about the depth and brutality of organized crime in Naples and beyond was eye opening and terrifying. The best way to describe the power of this book Is an excerpt from an article the author wrote for The Guardian 2 years ago:
"think about the huge number of people in Italy who live like me, under state-provided armed guard: 585 of us. People whose names nobody knows face threats alone and unprotected, every day of their lives. I think about people who, even though they were known targets, had no protection. The deaths at Charlie Hebdo should make anyone who isn’t trying to change the world feel guilty. It’s easier to say the satirists brought it on themselves than to look in the mirror and confront the image of our own inertia."
Because he was willing to dig into the truth and present it to a world audience he lives in constant threat, with 24/7 protection and isolation. You cannot remain naive to the evil in our society after reading this book.
"think about the huge number of people in Italy who live like me, under state-provided armed guard: 585 of us. People whose names nobody knows face threats alone and unprotected, every day of their lives. I think about people who, even though they were known targets, had no protection. The deaths at Charlie Hebdo should make anyone who isn’t trying to change the world feel guilty. It’s easier to say the satirists brought it on themselves than to look in the mirror and confront the image of our own inertia."
Because he was willing to dig into the truth and present it to a world audience he lives in constant threat, with 24/7 protection and isolation. You cannot remain naive to the evil in our society after reading this book.
zare_i's review against another edition
5.0
Even after second reading, 10 years after, impact of this book is very strong.
Summary of the book would be in the saying that "Devil's greatest trick was to convince the world he does not exist".
This is horrifying story about organized crime organization from the Naples, Italy, called Camorra. This hydra of the international organization, highly decentralized and with its tentacles in both legal and illegal activities all across the world is a for all means and purposes parallel world to the one where your average Joe and Jane live in. They use the people from their own city as guinea pigs for testing drugs to be sent to the rich north of Italy or rest of world, they exploit them mercilessly in the sweat-shops where they produce the knock-offs of the famous brands for dimes, they recruit the youngest into merciless boy soldier troops, once in they cannot get out in any way, and finally they close the circle by killing off their own people by burying poisonous waste in their backyards.
Due to its de-centralized nature Camorra is very difficult to destroy but interestingly organization's activities were not unknown to police and intelligence activities. Persons involved in the crime fighting knew all of the information from the book for years. Effect of this book was that all of this was given to the whole world to read about, not only insiders and specialists in the field. For organization that aims to fly under the radar and remain in the shadows this was the attack they could not tolerate. And because of this Camorra decided to kill the author, forcing him into nomad style of life under police protection and need to change his name and living quarters in regular intervals.
Book is given in very interesting form - author narrates the events but not in standard way you would expect from the non-fiction book. This is more of a crossing between non-fixtion and personal experiences of the author. By presenting facts and details about Comorra in a very emotional way author steps away from the usual dry fact listing, His approach to the story telling leaves a very strong images and impressions to the reader that will surely leave them thinking about the book long after they read it.
Books is a warning tale about what happens when the market is left unregulated. In [for]ever-going search for achieving more for less all market players (be it in clothes, electronics, drugs, weapons, utilities or waste or anything else - even transporting corpses) will always look the other way and deal with criminal elements if they can gain more profit. Author's comments on how Camorra helped the Northern Italy (heavily industrialized) to become what it is by basically destroying the Southern Italy is horrifying tale. If left unchecked legal and illegal economies will become so interconnected that separating them would cause so much problems or even become impossible. And unfortunately this is not something affecting only Italy but whole world - organized crime (Camorra being only one of the players in this shadowy world) is now truly "business" without borders.
Excellent book, highly recommended.
Summary of the book would be in the saying that "Devil's greatest trick was to convince the world he does not exist".
This is horrifying story about organized crime organization from the Naples, Italy, called Camorra. This hydra of the international organization, highly decentralized and with its tentacles in both legal and illegal activities all across the world is a for all means and purposes parallel world to the one where your average Joe and Jane live in. They use the people from their own city as guinea pigs for testing drugs to be sent to the rich north of Italy or rest of world, they exploit them mercilessly in the sweat-shops where they produce the knock-offs of the famous brands for dimes, they recruit the youngest into merciless boy soldier troops, once in they cannot get out in any way, and finally they close the circle by killing off their own people by burying poisonous waste in their backyards.
Due to its de-centralized nature Camorra is very difficult to destroy but interestingly organization's activities were not unknown to police and intelligence activities. Persons involved in the crime fighting knew all of the information from the book for years. Effect of this book was that all of this was given to the whole world to read about, not only insiders and specialists in the field. For organization that aims to fly under the radar and remain in the shadows this was the attack they could not tolerate. And because of this Camorra decided to kill the author, forcing him into nomad style of life under police protection and need to change his name and living quarters in regular intervals.
Book is given in very interesting form - author narrates the events but not in standard way you would expect from the non-fiction book. This is more of a crossing between non-fixtion and personal experiences of the author. By presenting facts and details about Comorra in a very emotional way author steps away from the usual dry fact listing, His approach to the story telling leaves a very strong images and impressions to the reader that will surely leave them thinking about the book long after they read it.
Books is a warning tale about what happens when the market is left unregulated. In [for]ever-going search for achieving more for less all market players (be it in clothes, electronics, drugs, weapons, utilities or waste or anything else - even transporting corpses) will always look the other way and deal with criminal elements if they can gain more profit. Author's comments on how Camorra helped the Northern Italy (heavily industrialized) to become what it is by basically destroying the Southern Italy is horrifying tale. If left unchecked legal and illegal economies will become so interconnected that separating them would cause so much problems or even become impossible. And unfortunately this is not something affecting only Italy but whole world - organized crime (Camorra being only one of the players in this shadowy world) is now truly "business" without borders.
Excellent book, highly recommended.