Even among the Mob; the Westies were feared. Starting with a partnership between two sadistic thugs; Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone; the gang rose out of the inferno of Hell's Kitchen; a decaying tenderloin slice of New York City's West Side. They became the most notorious gang in the history of organized crime; excelling in extortion; numbers running; loan sharking; and drug peddling. Upping the ante on depravity; their specialty was execution by dismemberment. Though never numbering more than a dozen members; their reign lasted for almost twenty years―until their own violent natures got the best of them; precipitating a downfall that would become as infamous as their notorious ascension into the annals of crime.
#17859 in BooksColor: Paperback; Picador 1999-09-01 1999-09-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .33 x .98 x 5.49l; .76 #File Name: 0312243359356 pagesGreat product!
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This is a wonderful book. Now the people of Rwanda are showing us that forgiveness is the only way out of hell. Read it. Now.By le fayI read this book many years ago and I highly recommend it. I recall reading an article in my local newspaper in 1994 about a mass migration of people from Rwanda to eastern Congo. Until I read this book; I didn't realize that these "refugees" were Hutus fleeing Rwanda after Paul Kagame's RPF had taken the capital; Kigali. Now in November 2015; 21 years later; it appears there is a potential genocide brewing in Burundi; Rwanda's mirror image country to the south.I was heartened to read the positive reviews of this book that were written in 2015; largely by young people who read it in school. This story isn't history; it's background and it is as relevant today as it was the day it was published. And; unfortunately; it's still happening all over the world.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great insightBy PP JJThis book gives a fascinating insight into the Rwandan genocide and associated subjects like the questionable motives destructive actions of international aid organisations the UN (and Western governments); the broader conflict in the region in the 1990s and the social and political development of Rwanda itself. The scope of the book is broader than the genocide itself but far from being a meandering detour the post-genocide story of the camps- the Hutu extremist groups reforming in exile and the eventual return is a compelling one in itself and without it any account of the Rwandan genocide is incomplete.Not quite as necessary is the coverage of the relief organisations but I think the issues the author has highlighted are very worthwhile considering. We're used to thinking of relief organisations as infallible; benevolent and also neutral actors in disaster situations and we also take their knowledge of the situation as Gospel; yet accepting the authors views as correct; the various NGOs collectively and their staff individually were creating a very dangerous situation and had a wholly inadequate understanding of what was happening around them. Arguably they were in the process of underwriting and unwittingly facilitating a second genocide before military intervention came. Though it's an allegation not made explicitly; the author hints at a financial motive (not personal corruption I might add) to the various aid agencies continuing their work; describing the work more than once as "lucrative". Also the policies of various Western governments and the UN; whether by design or effect; were heavily pro-Hutu; even following the genocide and this is deservedly highlighted in the book. These aspects are not absolutely necessary to the narrative of the genocide itself but they're certainly not superfluous given the wider scope of the book and I think to be properly informed of the genocide you should be aware of this element of the story.I was surprised to read the criticism of the book detailed on its' Wikipedia page and I fundamentally disagree with it. While not going into a huge amount of detail of the act of genocide itself the book gives a detailed account of the political and social history of Rwanda taking complexities and nuances into account and identifies the trends that led to the genocide. I agree with the author that it's not simplistic to identify as principle villains those who destroyed a society by inducing the majority to hack hundreds and thousands of their neighbours and friends to death with machetes; even in a region as bloody as this.The author generally does take positions on many issues surrounding the conflict; whether you agree with him or not that is to be appreciated in an age when journalists (then; like now) are determined to find the middle ground on many stories even when the narrative that results is clearly ridiculous and itself biased. No doubt the fact the author takes positions will itself be described as "biased" by some but the author makes a very strong case for each of his positions and his own thoughts are not hidden in biased language or questionable assertions. The reader can make up their own mind on the authors views.The author does not delve deeply into the specific details of the killing as a whole; as he points out it was designed to look spontaneous; but you do get a sense of the sheer terror felt by the victims through the many people he interviews. Their accounts are harrowing and the accounts of the violence are bad enough but what I found most shocking was how devious many ostensibly respectable turned out to be. Their duplicity; especially when it came to old friends and neighbours; is difficult to accept on a human level. For example there is the account of a massacre in which it's alleged a preacher encouraged his co-religionist Tutsis; many known to him; to shelter in a particular Church compound before he returned with machete wielding gangs to murder them.This is a truly excellent book; my worst criticism of it would be that some sentences aren't well written and lead to confusion; and I'm glad I read it; it has engendered in me a much greater interest in this part of the world and serves as a jumping off point for many other subjects; 19th century colonialism; pre-European African society; the ongoing conflict that has claimed millions of lives and more broadly subjects like psychology and sociological areas like tribalism; social structure and so on.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great book for learning about Rwanda GenocideBy E. RediferYou want to know what happened in Rwanda in 1994? What led up to it and what happened afterwards? It's all here.I bought this to read on my Kindle on a flight to Rwanda. What an awful thing that happened there.Fortunately the country seems to have recovered well; and people seem quite happy today.This author goes into great detail telling what happened. A few times I thought he left the facts and got into his own opinion; but that is minor. He tells the story from the point of view of the people - and he talked to lots of people.You want to understand why government corruption; deception and propaganda is bad? read this book and understand where it can lead.Highly recommended.
