Book review by Mara Wesseling.
Title and author;
My Italians, True Stories of Crime and Courage
by Roberto Saviano
About the book:
The key argument in My Italians is that the Italian mafia is not only an issue of the South but that criminal families have permeated the whole country. Aside drug trafficking and other crimes, they have taken control of (parts of) the food distribution sector, the cement industry, waste management, telecom and more. Stories of crime are interwoven with stories of courage on how society can resist being dominated by the mafia and how many courageous Italians did and continue to do.
Review:
Definitely a good read. This book explains in detail how the Italian mafia operates and how legal and illegal worlds connect. It has it all: corruption, fraud, drugs, criminal infiltration of the state… While the book has been published in 2016 it still feels very relevant. The stories of resistance to the mafia are really uplifting and inspirational. The style is personal and it’s quite short (119 p.) so an ideal to read for an (Italian) beach.
