My Life Inside the New York Mafia - The Sinatra Club

I enjoyed this book because the author was pretty high up the food chain so he had dealings with a lot of well known gangsters. The stories seem real for the most part and he captures the last throes of mob life.

I am an addicted enthusiast of these low priced crime books but I give this a thumbs down. Mostly observations and never really in the belly of the beast living the brutality of pscocopaths and killers.

Most of these wiseguy books are the same. This was the way of life in my hood ,i grew up in the life,ect. Meanwhile,these guys love when their conning,robbing,getting over until they get jammed up. All of a sudden their facing time or gettin whacked and surprise,they regret their past,they wanna right their wrongs,their embarressed of what they did so they turn and rat their friends out to save their ass. Then they write a book,become friends with thr law enforcement guys who they onced dispised. Also these law enforcement guys should be ashamed"i ended up really liking him". Yeah because you didnt have the balls to do what these guys do so you live your fantasys throught the very people you try to lock up. Real men make their choices in life and stick to them and deal with it whrn they have to. If it means prison,so be it,if its a death sentence desl with it . Dont punk out on your friends to save yourself. Everybody wants to be john gotti until they caught,then they pull a sammy the bull,henry hill. Ahhh its over boys,the real men are a thing of yesterday,and this sal ,you wrote this book and mentioned john gotti so much i thought the book was about him. You should work for a newspaper. They try to sell copies the same way

Interesting, but difficult to follow. Writing style may be the culprit. Although promoted as truth, and it may be, it is sometimes tough to accept because of lack of any documented reference to truth.

Great read. Fast paced, the author writes in such a way that you feel like you are right there. It's a little racey at times but that is what makes this story exciting. I enjoyed learning the behind the scenes operations of the mob and how it finally was brought to justice.

"The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia" mostly takes place in New York during the era of "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas," but these are the real wise guys - not actors - although some were portrayed in Goodfellas including Jimmy Burke and Henry Hill.

This book reads like good fiction but it's more vivid than reality. It's fast paced and filled with dozens of colorful characters - many of them the most famous mob bosses of the last 80 years. It's also filled with sex, drugs, violence, crime and gambling. Much of the story revolves around the Sinatra Club, Sal Polisi's after-hours gambling and hooker joint in Queens where they bet on everything. Who knew John Gotti was a lousy poker player but an ace at chess and Scrabble? They played Monopoly too but substituted real currency for Monopoly -- except for the $500 bills.

In addition to Sally Ubatz (Polisi) you'll meet Burke, Hill, Johnny Boy Gotti, Bald Vinnie, Squeaky, Frankie Hole in the Head, Joe the Mailman, Tommy Two Guns, Quack Ruggiero and many of their associates.

"The Sinatra Club" is social anthropology revealing layer upon layer of first generation Italian-New York mob culture. It consistently entertains with the details that make any culture unique - the clothes, the cars, the dames, the partying, violence and greed. Their social lives were as outlaw as their jobs. You will not be bored.

I READ The Sinatra Club within two days of buying it . All I can say is this book is better then Wise Guys aka The movie GOODFELLA' s is based on. It truly shows the life and death of the five family's

Interesting, but difficult to follow. Writing style may be the culprit. Although promoted as truth, and it may be, it is sometimes tough to accept because of lack of any documented reference to truth.

Great read. Fast paced, the author writes in such a way that you feel like you are right there. It's a little racey at times but that is what makes this story exciting. I enjoyed learning the behind the scenes operations of the mob and how it finally was brought to justice.

"The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia" mostly takes place in New York during the era of "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas," but these are the real wise guys - not actors - although some were portrayed in Goodfellas including Jimmy Burke and Henry Hill.

This book reads like good fiction but it's more vivid than reality. It's fast paced and filled with dozens of colorful characters - many of them the most famous mob bosses of the last 80 years. It's also filled with sex, drugs, violence, crime and gambling. Much of the story revolves around the Sinatra Club, Sal Polisi's after-hours gambling and hooker joint in Queens where they bet on everything. Who knew John Gotti was a lousy poker player but an ace at chess and Scrabble? They played Monopoly too but substituted real currency for Monopoly -- except for the $500 bills.

In addition to Sally Ubatz (Polisi) you'll meet Burke, Hill, Johnny Boy Gotti, Bald Vinnie, Squeaky, Frankie Hole in the Head, Joe the Mailman, Tommy Two Guns, Quack Ruggiero and many of their associates.

"The Sinatra Club" is social anthropology revealing layer upon layer of first generation Italian-New York mob culture. It consistently entertains with the details that make any culture unique - the clothes, the cars, the dames, the partying, violence and greed. Their social lives were as outlaw as their jobs. You will not be bored.

I READ The Sinatra Club within two days of buying it . All I can say is this book is better then Wise Guys aka The movie GOODFELLA' s is based on. It truly shows the life and death of the five family's

I'm a very slow and methodical reader...normally, my mind easily drifts away after a page or two....No such problem existed with this book....a compelling, exciting read from cover to cover...couldn't put it down. Look forward to reading again but but can't remember which dead beat friend I loaned it to.

I was expecting a more polished book. This read like a diary of a mobster and where the same thing happened over and over. I couldn't really tell one chapter from the next. Monday - robbery, Tuesday - do a hit, Wednesday - stake out the horse track, Thursday - beat up guy that owes money from ponies, Friday ...you get what I mean. There was no "meat" to this - written in a manner so "matter of fact" that no matter how bad the hit, wack job, sex scene, or crime committed I was BORED. And I am rather conservative! I had to read this for my book club and it's one of the very few books that I lost interest in and finally gave up 3/4th of the way through. I had something better to do...like watch grass grow. Ugh.

This was a great one. He tells his story perfect. I feel like I'm watching a movie when I read this book. Can't wait for HBO to finish making the series hope they put what is in this book word for word.

This book tells the brutally frank story of a reformed gangster, Sal Polisi, and of the club which he and his friends owned and operated in New York City during the Mafia’s heyday. The book, which may have resulted from a series of interviews, is well-conceived, well organized, and very well written. But the graphic depictions and language used in the book are clearly those of Mr. Polisi; a man who by all accounts was once a worthless, self-centered thug who cared little or nothing about anyone but himself and his pleasures. So, regardless of who actually put the words on paper, when you put it all together you have one hell of a book. Therefore: if you’re interested in gangsters and would like to learn how they think, talk, and act in public and in private, and if you can tolerate X-rated depictions and language, you won’t find a better place to start than this. For despite its crude language, or perhaps because of it, it certainly does provide a realistic picture of gangsters and the world in which they live.

Two things, in particular, struck me in reading the book. I was surprised by the matter-of-fact manner in which this book’s author and his gangster associates readily accepted President John F. Kennedy’s assassination as having been orchestrated and carried out by the Mafia, with Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby the fall-guys, and with J. Edgar Hoover aiding in the cover-up. (Most people didn’t come to that realization until many years later.) I was also surprised to see what a small-time thug John Gotti, the ‘Dapper Don,’ really appears to have been, when he is viewed through the prism of his friends and associates.

Bottom line: I admire this author’s honesty in revealing himself and the life he once led, which certainly casts him in a very bad light. But, I can’t admire the man himself; even though, for one reason or another, he eventually left that life. Nevertheless, he and Mr. Dougherty have produced one of the best books on this subject that I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed "The Sinatra Club." This is one of the best mafia books I have read, and I've read almost all of them.

The good:

-It's a mob story similar to Goodfellas. A low-level associate is around the mafia for most of his life and tells his story.

-This guy did some crazy stuff! Let me say it again, this guy did some crazy stuff!! I won't give away too many spoilers, but my favorite part is when he is in court on trial for robbing a bank, and they show an evidence picture of him during the robbery wearing a white sweater. Well, he was stupid enough to wear the same white sweater to court that day. He was sitting there wearing the same sweater! You really have to read carefully, because he mentions crazy stories like this in one line and then moves on, so they are easy to miss.

-Many famous mobsters are mentioned in this book like Jimmy Burke and Sonny Franzese and others play major roles in it, like Tommy from Goodfellas and John Gotti. You learn the real person who killed Tommy.

-Many unknown mobsters are introduced. Polisi also shares insider information about the Colombo family.

-The main character's life outside the mafia is interesting as well. A lot of mafia books have a main character who does a lot of interesting things in the mafia, but besides that, the character is kind of boring (example: recent book about Al D'arco). Polisi seemed like a fun guy and it makes the book real entertaining. Honestly, he was a very low level associate and a lot of the book isn't even about the mob. Don't let that deter you though, this book is great.

The not so good:

-John Gotti is mentioned so much, more than necessary.. Was this done because they thought it would help sell the book?

-The ending drags on and on...

Summary:

This book is excellent for anyone looking for a fun, exciting and hilarious mafia book that introduces new characters and stories.

Spoilers!

I really wanted to like this book after watching the movie "At the Sinatra Club". The movie was awesome covering only one out of forty-one chapters and various parts of the book.

My dislike for the book is this guy seem to just been trying to get a paycheck. He glorifies John Gotti as if the man was God himself for almost the entire book, but until the very end when he rats on him he acts as if he hated the man. Not one part in this book reveals Gotti doing anything to him negatively as they were supposedly good friends, but Polisi states he enjoyed ratting on Gotti at the end. He admits he snitched to shave years off his sentence. His reason for enjoying what he did to Gotti was because Gotti stated he wanted his sons to follow in his footsteps. He also said he disliked Gotti for having this guy named Favara whacked because the man accidentally ran over his son. My answer is what you expect. Not condoning Gotti's decision to kill the man, but one could expect it. He killed the most powerful made man's son at the time.

Another dislike was his uncle, who grew up during Prohibition era, told him underworld stories about popular figures which he expressed them to make his book spectacular. I will admit the stories are fascinating, but you can read most of those stories in other Mafia books such as Selwyn Raab's "Five Families". Copyright infringement, in my opinion, but those authors gave him permission as they were referenced. That's cheating, forgetaboutit.

My likes would be his uncle's stories, few of his crazy act to avoid prison stories, and his personal encounters with John Gotti. He also told great stories of Tommy DeSimone (Joe Pesci's character in Goodfellas), except his stories were more detailed. OK read, but most information you can get from other books.

I am the biographer of Tony Bennett, Jimmy Roselli and Bobby Darin. I have written about Sal Polisi, most recently in my profile, "Crazy Sal Comes Home" in "New Haven Review." Polisi was close pals with John Gotti. This is part of the real story from close up. Sal enjoyed his days around the Mafia and understands now-at least partially-- what was terrifying and
wrong about it. Still, he seems to have had a good time--too good a time-- and conveys the experience with startling exuberance and immediacy. This enthusiasm limits the book's insight and objectivity but lends it an odd authenticity. Who could be nostalgic about the Mafia? Polisi. If you read just a few books about the Mafia, this should be one of them.

I liked the book and althought delivered late, found it well worth the wait. The story is told with honesty and insight. It is a very kicked back and easy to read, and like it or not, represents a very real part of our history. I think those "mobsters" were really a bunch of rascist bums, but the book was really interesting. In fact, it was amazing! I liked it a lot and have recommeded it to friends and family.

It's Tommy Agro, not Argo. Tip would have stabbed you in the heart with a broken pencil if he knew you spelled his name wrong. But he's dead and so are many others in this book, or in jail. Good stories from the old days from someone who kept the ice cubes cold.

THE SINATRA CLUB is a fascinating history of the mob in NYC told from the perspective of a badass insider in the Columbo family. The language is street-smart, funny and authentic, the exploits jaw-dropping. The story unfolds like fiction (think Goodfellas or the Sopranos) but this is the real deal. I'd secretly like to have gone to the Sinatra Club or some of the other mobbed-up night spots described here - but not necessarily the Neopolitan Noodle shop on the night four innocent bystanders got blow away.

The Sinatra Club would make an amazing movie. But meanwhile, savor the book. You won't be able to stop reading. Upazzo!

I heard the author interviewed on WGN and, being familiar with the area in NYC where the mob activity took place, I purchased the book. I even bought a second copy and sent it to a friend and he enjoyed it as well.

I liked the book and althought delivered late, found it well worth the wait. The story is told with honesty and insight. It is a very kicked back and easy to read, and like it or not, represents a very real part of our history. I think those "mobsters" were really a bunch of rascist bums, but the book was really interesting. In fact, it was amazing! I liked it a lot and have recommeded it to friends and family.

It's Tommy Agro, not Argo. Tip would have stabbed you in the heart with a broken pencil if he knew you spelled his name wrong. But he's dead and so are many others in this book, or in jail. Good stories from the old days from someone who kept the ice cubes cold.

THE SINATRA CLUB is a fascinating history of the mob in NYC told from the perspective of a badass insider in the Columbo family. The language is street-smart, funny and authentic, the exploits jaw-dropping. The story unfolds like fiction (think Goodfellas or the Sopranos) but this is the real deal. I'd secretly like to have gone to the Sinatra Club or some of the other mobbed-up night spots described here - but not necessarily the Neopolitan Noodle shop on the night four innocent bystanders got blow away.

The Sinatra Club would make an amazing movie. But meanwhile, savor the book. You won't be able to stop reading. Upazzo!

I heard the author interviewed on WGN and, being familiar with the area in NYC where the mob activity took place, I purchased the book. I even bought a second copy and sent it to a friend and he enjoyed it as well.

What a great read. Sal Polisi is an amazing story teller and this book is engrossing. Unlike Henry Hill and the Bull Gravano, Sal is not a rat, in my opinion--because he turned his life around in the process, unlike these other two rats.