A review by xxstefaniereadsxx
The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia by Sal Polisi

dark informative slow-paced

4.0

 Salvatore "Crazy Sal" Polisi was introduced into organized crime via an Uncle before he even hit double digits. He began getting into mischief in school, before joining the United States Marine Corps. He received medical discharge for faking mental illness, and was able to fake out many psychologists that he was forced to talk to over the years. He became an associate of the Colombo crime family, were he was an enforcer. He eventually switched over to the Gambino crime family, were he was linked with John Gotti. He managed a night club, called The Sinatra Club, which was a wiseguy hangout. (Some notable names other than the Gotti's that frequented the club are Tommy DeSimone, Henry Hill, and Jimmy Burke- the men who Goodfelllas was based on.) The descriptions of other wiseguys, the crimes that were committed, and some other activities he had knowledge of were certainly interesting to read about, especially if you like a mob book as much as me. One thing about this book that took me aback was the mention of the JFK assassination as being a mafia hit. That has been a conspiracy for as long as I can recall reading about mobs and Kennedys. Honestly, it does hold some weight as the Kennedy family had some seedy connections, but hearing this story was actually not what I was expecting to read about. The only part that I found slightly dull was when Polisi was on the stand after having turned witness. I would be interested in reading more from him, as I am sure he had more stories to tell than the ones mentioned in this book. Overall, it was a good read.