num_pages: 400
description: The Italian-American mafia has its roots in a mysterious and powerful criminal network in Sicily. While the mythology of the mafia has been widely celebrated in American culture, the true origins of its rituals, laws, and methods have never actually been revealed. John Dickie uses startling new research to expose the secrets of the Sicilian mafia, providing a fascinating account that is more violent, frightening, and darkly comic than anything conceived in popular movies and novels. How did the Sicilian mafia begin? How did it achieve its powerful grip in Italy and America? How does it operate today? From the mafia's origins in the 1860s to its current tense relationship with the Berlusconi government, Cosa Nostra takes us to the inner sanctum where few have dared to go before. This is an important work of history and a revelation for anyone who ever wondered what it means to be "made" in the mob.
language: English
title: Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia
titlecomplete: Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia
genres: Biography, True Crime, History, Politics, Crime, European History, Historical, Italy, Italian Literature, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 3325
places: Sicily
awards: awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: ALCS Dagger for Non-fiction
publisher: Palgrave Macmillan