num_pages: 249
description: It was a big bestseller when it was originally published in 1969. It became a major motion picture that provided Robert DeNiro with one of his earliest film roles. Its title has entered into the language as a catch phrase. And it's terrific fun!The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is the story of Papa Baccala, a Brooklyn Mafia boss, and Kid Sally Palumbo, a would-be capo who "couldn't run a gas station at a profit even if he stole the customers' cars". There's also Kid Sally's grandmother, who will go to extravagant lengths to see her boy make his mark. A love interest? Sure. Kid Sally's sister tumbles for an artistic type who rides a bicycle and has recently arrived from Calabria...The high adventure begins with a six-day bike race that is only partly responsible for a rash of obituary notices reading: "Died. Suddenly". Eventually it all gets worked out in fine Sicilian fashion -- and, in the end, everybody gets his, in a manner of speaking.
language: English
title: The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight by Jimmy Breslin
titlecomplete: The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight by Jimmy Breslin (1969-11-20)
genres: Crime, Classics, Literary Fiction, Novels, Thriller, Comedy, New York, Fiction, Humor, Mystery
ratings_count: 914
publisher: The Viking Press