Full name: The Honoured Society: The Sicilian Mafia Observed

Author: Norman Lewis Year: 1964 Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: History, Non Fiction Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Goodreads Amazon ISBNs: 9780907871484 0907871488

A dissection of the Mafia, past and present, combining history, sociology, suspense, horror, and superb travel writing. Originally published in 1964, Lewis describes how, after Mussolini came close to destroying the Mafia, the U.S. Army returned them to power in 1944. Henceforth, they infiltrated every aspect of Sicilian life, corrupting landowners, the police, the judiciary, and even the church. In one of the most astonishing chapters, Lewis tells the story of how an eighty-year old priest led his monks on escapades of murder and extortion, frequently using the confessional box for transmitting threats. Lewis exposes its origins, its code of honor, its secrecy, and its brutality. The Honoured Society is the perfect companion for any traveler to Sicily, and a gripping armchair read. Similar books: The Missionaries by Norman Lewis Midnight In Sicily by Peter Robb Excellent Cadavers by Alexander Stille Voices of the Old Sea by Norman Lewis Cosa Nostra by John Dickie The Italians by Luigi Barzini Men of Honour by Giovanni Falcone Dead Wake by Erik Larson The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson Six Frigates by Ian W. Toll 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer The History of Jihad by Robert Spencer Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck The History of Surfing by Matt Warshaw Washington's Immortals by Patrick K. O'Donnell Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga American Gun by Chris Kyle Mythos by Stephen Fry