{"product_id":"the-cigar-isbn-9780806542379","title":"The Cigar","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the godfathers of American Mafia history, the brutal and blood-stained biography of Carmine Galante, the ruthless Bonnano boss who rose from tenement street thug to masterminding the legendary global heroin trafficking network, the French Connection – always with a cigar in his mouth.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHIS WAR CRY: “I RULE EVERYTHING.” \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFOR HALF A CENTURY HE ALMOST DID.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe son of Sicilian immigrants, Camillo Carmine Galante was raised in Manhattan’s Little Italy and by all accounts born bad. At age ten his home away from home was juvenile detention. By fifteen he was terrorizing the streets of New York’s Lower East Side, scoring high marks for the “errands” he was running for his La Cosa Nostra elders. When he turned twenty, Galante was already one of the mob’s top enforcers­–a sadistic thrill killer and clinically diagnosed psychopath with big dreams: whack his way into controlling organized crime the world over, vowing to kill Mafia chieftains Tommy Lucchese and Carlo Gambino and take control of their mob families.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCarmine “Lilo” Galante’s rise to Mafia star was infamous: hit man for the Luciano and Genovese crime families; named \u003ci\u003econsigliere\u003c\/i\u003e by Joseph Bonnano; he wiped out eight members of the Gambinos; on behalf of Mussolini he assassinated the publisher of an anti-Fascist newspaper. “The biggest dope peddler in the country” according to law enforcement, Galante helped orchestrate one of the largest heroin trafficking operations on record—a power move too dangerous for his rivals in the narcotics trade. The heads of the five New York families decided that the psychotic Galante had to be stopped. On July 12, 1979, finishing his lunch in a Brooklyn restaurant, Galante got what he’d dished out his whole life: a shotgun blast to the face, his trademark cigar still clenched in his teeth…\u003cb\u003ePraise for the work of Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eCarmine the Snake\u003c\/i\u003e, written in a conversational style with street vernacular and sprinkled with Frank DiMatteo’s personal anecdotes and reminiscences, offers another look at the infamous crime boss.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e “DiMatteo tells what it was like to grow up with mob royalty.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—VICE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe President Street Boys\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e “The authors give a detailed account of the suspected assassins . . . don’t shy away from discussing Gallo’s flaws . . . fans of true crime and mafia stories will appreciate the insider’s look at the figures and neighborhoods that comprised New York mob life in the 20th century.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Library Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eon \u003ci\u003eMafia Hit Man\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The \u003ci\u003ePresident Street Boys\u003c\/i\u003e is nothing like any other mafia-related book I’ve ever read. I loved this book. I will be reading it again in the future. The level of detail is so high, to me, it requires multiple passes to absorb it all.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eCrimespree Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “At times, this book is unsettling. Other times, it's humorous. No matter what part you're reading, it'll remain a tour-de-force.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Criminal Element\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe President Street Boys\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e “This title will please Mafia fans looking for gruesome details.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Library Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eon \u003ci\u003eLord High Executioner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Takes me back as if it was a time machine . . . compelling reading.  I loved the book because I was there.” \u003cb\u003e—Sonny Girard,\u003c\/b\u003e author of \u003ci\u003eBlood of Our Fathers\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe President Street Boys\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrank DiMatteo\u003c\/b\u003e is a lifelong Brooklynite, Mafia “survivor,” and publisher of \u003ci\u003eMob Candy\u003c\/i\u003e magazine. He is the author of Mob Candy’s \u003ci\u003eBrooklyn Gangsters\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eManhattan Gangsters\u003c\/i\u003e, and the co-author, along with Michael Benson, of more than half a dozen nonfiction books on the history of organized crime, including his acclaimed memoir, \u003ci\u003eThe President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia\u003c\/i\u003e. A retired gangster and the son of a Mob hitman, his past interviews and appearances include the \u003ci\u003eNew York Post, VICE, Business Insider, Late Night with Johnny P, One on One \u003c\/i\u003ewith Steve Adubato, and as an expert source in the HISTORY TV documentary \u003ci\u003eAmerican Godfathers: The Five Families\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Benson\u003c\/b\u003e is the acclaimed author of nonfiction history and crime books, including \u003ci\u003eGangsters vs Nazis, Hollywood vs Nazis, Evil Season, Betrayal in Blood, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eMoguls, \u003c\/i\u003eco-authored with Craig Singer. He is also one of America’s most accomplished and popular Mafia experts, having co-authored with numerous books on the subject, including \u003ci\u003eCarmine the Snake, Mafia Hit Man, Lord High Executioner, Red Hook, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Carlo Gambino \u003c\/i\u003ewith Frank DiMatteo and \u003ci\u003eMafia Secrets \u003c\/i\u003ewith Gianni Russo\u003ci\u003e. \u003c\/i\u003eHe is a regular commentator, appearing on numerous radio and television shows such as \u003ci\u003eOn the Case with Paula Zahn \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eDeadly Sins \u003c\/i\u003eon ID: Investigation Discovery channel. A recipient of the Academy of American Poets Award, he can be found on Facebook @authorMichaelBenson.","brand":"Citadel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300027584741,"sku":"NP9780806542379","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780806542379.jpg?v=1767738691","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-cigar-isbn-9780806542379","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}