THE GANGSTER'S COUSIN: Growing Up In The Luciano Family Paperback – June 23, 2019

he Gangster’s Cousin: Growing Up In The Luciano FamilyI found this to be an informative read by author Salvatore Lucania, giving an accounting of what it was like for him growing up in his family in New York. He’s the namesake and cousin of Charles “Lucky” Luciano. I enjoyed his narration throughout as he shared different episodes that happened to him and various friends even in his teens that were pretty amazing. For instance, he and two other buddies were bootlegging Chanel No. 5 perfume at age 16. He got married at 17, and had quite a bit saved from his bootlegging to get them an apartment. Sal was smart, and mostly stayed ahead of the game, even growing up with the dreaded nuns and brothers, once he figured out how to get out from under their control and punishment. He had some wise guys mentoring him, and he always got good advice, no matter the subject.After he’s grown, he goes on some really crazy journeys that you’ll just have to read to believe, and they have nothing to do with New York. He gets himself into some of the most incredible situations I’ve read about as he follows his way to finding himself, along with trying to make a living over the next couple of decades. It does read more like fiction at times. But he always seems to manage to meet really good friends who are around at key times in his life, and that's always important.I’d recommend it to mob and memoir readers, and there is also some great new info at the end for Mafia history fans in the last chapter. I really enjoyed this one!

I chose this rating because I knew something's that was written in this book. To be true. It's a must read

A modern-day Huckleberry Finn, young Sal navigates the streets of Harlem, defying the ways of people in power—including the bullies in his neighborhood, the Jesuit Priests who run his school, and his own mafia family culture. No one gets out of childhood sane, and Sal is no exception. But he does get out of it smart. He wises up to the death trap of the ordinary working world and escapes his job hauling 100-pound cement bags. From the United States across four separate continents, Sal explores multiple ways to escape the ordinary life, finding himself in unique situations and meeting funny characters along the way. He also experiences the inherent corruption of the US justice system, and discovers the truth about the secret world of outlaw figures like his cousin and namesake, Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Explore the world through Sal’s unique perspective, and find out why he strives so hard to stay ahead of a different type of criminal class—the people who make the rules.This was a pretty good book. I am a huge fan of mafia movies and documentaries so I was really looking forward to this book. I enjoyed following Sal’s tales of his past and seeing names very familiar to me. I recommend.**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I became a friend of Sal Luciana's 8 years ago when he contacted me after reading my anti-cult book (American Guru). We connected over his life story, struggles, and his authenticity through all the travails.Now Sal has written The Gangster's Cousin, his own fascinating account of how he proved himself from childhood on throughout his life - that he could through determination remain free from all imprisoning expectations and power structures.Surpassing his mobster family roots Sal has, throughout his long life, found his own authentic way rather than fitting into any system, whether it was early on with involvement in his family's ties to mobster affairs, to organizing a large anti-poverty program in New York, and on to spreading his wings while seeking out spiritual fulfillment in several organized spiritual groups including Scientology where he was a manager and on to being involved from the ground up with the spiritual teacher Adi Da in playing a key part in setting up that community in California.Sal’s life is much more than a story about his roots; he began as the gangster’s cousin, but that was only his beginning. Read this account of one man’s journey always seeking his true, authentic way regardless of what life threw up at him. There is an inspiring lesson and example for most of us in this book."I bought this book and was not paid nor encouraged to write this review."

In reading the Gangster's Cousin, I find it hard to believe that anyone can remember conversations from years ago. Not worth the money.

This has to be one of the weirdest books I've ever read in my whole life. Like the other reviewer mentions, the author has done some incredible things. It's fascinating to read about all the unexpected directions his life has taken. Outlaw living, Scientology, rehab programs for veterans, cults...this man has seen and done some stuff in his life. Unfortunately, issues with mechanical details such as punctuation, capitalization, and grammar were pretty distracting.The memoir reads a lot like the kind of rambling story you might hear from someone in person. For example, topics jump about in a sort of "stream of consciousness" way and the story often goes on tangents and digressions of varying lengths before returning to the main thread. The digressions can be a bit confusing, but I enjoyed reading about the author's thoughts on such a variety of subjects as organized religion, government/military corruption, and the nature of the soul.There is also, as you'd expect, a great deal of inside information on day-to-day life around the mafia and how various deals and issues went down which would be of interest to mafia buffs. The last chapter is entirely devoted to his cousin, in fact.Note: I received this book for free from the publisher.