Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia - A True Story by FBI Agent Joseph D. Pistone Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, February 1, 1997

This is an amazing story. Joe Pistone is truly a brave individual. That he could infiltrate the mob and help bring many to justice is remarkable.

Great read

Donnie Brasco ReviewIt’s a fascinating story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it’s clearly one of the best mafia biographies. But I do get the feeling he’s playing it a little safe in his writing, like there’s something unspoken bubbling beneath the surface. Maybe some darknesses he’s not willing to reveal. He mentions punching a hole through his bedroom door one time when he’s home with his family. But he never says what made him mad, or if his violence was influenced by his criminal guise. Maybe he’d need a therapist to figure it out himself. But if someone can con ten dozen mob associates for years, he can easily con a reader if he wants to. Maybe he’s being dead earnest, but I’d have no way of knowing.Still, it certainly is an interesting story, and told well. Few people have had this kind of access into the mob, and fewer still were on the side of the fbi, so you’re getting a bonafide unique perspective. He’s no philosopher though, and he doesn’t pontificate much on the psychological toll such an unbelievable job must take. The only real insight into the struggle between “good” and “evil” is that soldiers on the street might not be the smartest guys in the world. Not to say that the FBI are pure either, the FBI takes all the money the undercover agents make and funnels it right to the top. They’re profiting off of crime in their own right.If Pistone wasn’t such an iron will, it might have been a deeper story. Despite hanging out with these people 18 hours a day, working with them for years, often even living together, Brasco doesn’t seem to ever feel for these people, or waiver in his commitment to the law. He sets up all his best friends to possibly get murdered by the mob for harboring an agent, and Joe doesn’t much care. Joseph Pistone is a stone cold gangster in his own right, just playing for a different team.Sure they’re bad guys he’s taking down, there’s no argument against that. But saying “these people should go down,” and living a fake persona for years to make it happen are different categories; not many people can do it, and fewer still would. So like I said, this is a unique book. And worth a read.

If you know Donnie Brasco only by the movie, that's really a shame. I'm not saying the movie is bad, but it come nowhere close to the suspense and masterful storytelling of this legendary FBI agent as this book. I am one of the people who saw the movie first, and like most I thought it was a really interesting story. Then my dad (who is a Mafia fanatic) said that I should read the book. MY GOD way he right. Not only do you learn more about Special Agent Pistone (Donnie) in his time with the mob and how it affected his family, you learn the reality of the life a mobster chooses to live. My biggest shock was the differences between the movie and books. For instance, in the films ending, Agent Pistone is awarded a medal and a check for a few hundred dollars by his superior who seems completely uniterested with what just happened to this man. In reality, Pistone was visited by the Director of the FBI and not only given a medal but received it in front of a crowded hall with a standing ovation and is remembered by Pistone as one of the happiest moments in his life. I understand a movie will take a few liberties with the truth, but after reading the book, it was a shock. People die in the movie who are in real life alive today. Even the real Pistone said that one of the things he didn't like in the movie was when Johnny Depp says he feels he is becoming like the mobsters he is supposed to bring to justice. In the book he states multiple times that he knew what his job was and never thought once that he shouldn't put these mobsters in prison. If you want to know the REAL story of this Legend of the Law, BUY THIS BOOK. I would buy hardcover since it comes with more photos than the paperback and doesn't have the movie poster cover. This is an easy 10/10

This was a fascinating book and I found it incredibly riveting. I had to keep reminding myself throughout the book that the Mafia crews are all vicious animals and deserve no sympathy whatsoever. Agent Pistone did an amazing job in infiltrating this culture, and you went along on this unbelievably wild roller coaster ride with heart stopping, nail biting scenes that kept you turning the pages. It was somewhat comforting to hear Pistone put it into perspective by saying he was only doing his job, as they're doing theirs. I have to admit, I did find myself feeling a little sad with the inevitable results, but the realization is that this is life as they live it and they would have it no other way. I have read countless mafioso books, but I have never absorbed the true sense of what it was like in this underworld as Pistone portrayed it. I only hope he's able to enjoy life with his family somehow without the daily fear of looking over his shoulder. A true Hero and a 10 star read!

Way to small or the print!

I liked this book but the second one was boring.

I purchased this book as a used hardback. The book arrived exactly as described before the date promised. An excellent purchase and great service from the seller.

It is amazing how easily corrupted people can become seemingly overnight in some cases. Easy money, minor consequenses for one's actions all come to light in this book. What a life! In many cases what a short life because of petty grievanses,jealosies and paranoya.Fasinating world or shall I say .....underworld?

Primo libro dell'agente speciale dell'Fbi Joseph D. Pistone, che ha passato 6 anni infiltrato dentro Cosa Nostra americana, finendo per (quasi) distruggerla. é il libro su cui Mike Newell ha fatto il film Donnie Brasco, con Al Pacino e Johnny Depp. Il film è un capolavoro, ma io preferisco i fatti reali. I rapporti tra "Donnie" e Sonny Black e Lefty erano un po' diversi nella realtà, e certi fatti nel film sono stati cambiati.

Livraison rapide. Le bouquin était dans un bon état. Je l’ai dévoré en plusieurs soirs ;)

An absolutely fantastic read. It rivals Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi as one of the best mafia books I've read to date.For those that have seen the film starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, this book will not only compliment the film but add more details and highlight variations that the film made in comparison to the book.For those that have not seen the film, this book tells the real story of how undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone infiltrates the Colombo & Bonnano New York mafia crime families by making friends and gaining the trust of hardened gangsters such as Benjamin 'Lefty Guns' Ruggiero, Dominick 'Sonny Black' Napolitano and Tony Mirra in the late 70's, early 80's, to the extent that Joe Pistone's undercover character, Donnie Brasco, is offered membership into the mafia by becoming a 'made man'.What is so remarkable about this story is that not only is it real but the amount of detail Pistone can remember during his time that he's doing this undercover work (this took place over 6 years) and how he manages to avoid getting detected whilst being put under some extremely stressful and compromising situations. This story also speaks about the human side to Pistone's story such as the stress and aggravation to his family as a result of his investigation.This book is also an education as to the workings, schemes, variety of criminality and internal politics of the mafia throughout the US in the 70's & 80's as described by Pistone and his association with the various gangsters he interacted with and it is also interesting how the FBI manages to use Pistone's role as Brasco to bring in other agents and further their own investigations.Despite its age (it was published in 1987/88) this book will appeal to fans of the film, to those interested in New York organised crime and the mafia and to anyone who enjoys reading true crime books and is also a salute to a very brave and resourceful FBI agent who beat the mafia.But even if you're not wholly interested in these types of books, I'd still recommend this book as it makes for a great story.

It could be a little biased review, given that I have a huge thing for crime thrillers and anything related to organized crime. However, DB is a straight up thriller that takes you to a world that no longer prevails, an era far behind where we are now in every sense. It starts to question our deeper moralities as well, with the swing between the "actual right" and "honoring the human bonds". It's been a while since a gobbled a book like I did this.