Customer Reviews
Scholarly study of self-mythologising secret society - By: Mr. Tristan Martin, 09 Mar 2007 
John Dickie has written, in Cosa Nostra, a scholarly history of the Sicilian mafia, as befits a senior lecturer in Italian Studies.
Dickie traces the genesis of the mafia back into the early nineteenth century, where it flourished in the lemon groves of Palermo & surrounding towns & villages. This feudal environment was a breeding ground for local tyrannies, a situation that survived the introduction of both industrialisation & capitalism. Dickie then traces this torturous history through nearly two bloody centuries of violence, political corruption & graft, the fascist crackdowns on organised crime, the Communist opposition to the mafia, the life & times of foot soldiers & bosses & the brave anti-mafia investigators & prosecutors.
What must be emphasised about this book, is that it is not a speculative account of mafia legends based on speculative & unsubstantiated hearsay but a thoroughly researched & unsensationalist history, sourced from interviews, court documents & official reports. Those wanting a tabloid, 'true crime stories' legend will be disappointed by the sober prose of this book.
John Dickie should be congratulated from separating the facts from an often self-justifying & mafia-perpetuated fiction. This book is rich in (mostly unsavoury) characters & especiallly in geographical detail, the descriptions of the citrus groves, the towns & cities of western Sicily, the fuming sulphur mines, the bombproof court houses. It should also be noted that this book focuses almost entirely on the Sicilian mafia & not the Italian-American mafia (though there is of course some overlap, mostly during the events of the Second World War), so again, those who want some insight into Sam Giancana, Carlos Marcello, et al, will not find this book to their liking.
In short, John Dickie has produced a reliable study of a hugely mythologised secret society. He never lets us forget that, for alll the talk of rustic chivalry & men of honour, the mafia's power resides in one inescapable fact: its ability to murder people & get away with it.
Ending makes up for a dull read. - By: , 15 Jun 2005 
The first two-thirds of the book is quite boring & dull & only when you get to the last third does the book pick up with any interest. I am also amazed that the author can pick moments & dates in history when the mafia actuallly began to exist.
Not the best history on the mafia to be written- Peter Robb's Midnight in Sicily in much better.
Thoroughly researched, a genuine history of the Mafia - By: Mr. Cj Wareham, 16 Jul 2004 
I picked this book up on impulse while waiting for a flight to Sicily to visit my girlfriend. I expected it to be another typical Mafia book, with rumours & gangster confessions related as fact - enjoyable but ultimately worthless as a historical study. However, what Dickie has actuallly written is a real, academicallly convincing history of the Mafia. The bibliograpy is impressive, while Dickie has also studied large amounts of official records such as court & police documents, as well as interviewing leading Sicilian magistrates.
The result is a study that conforms to the high standards of books I used during my History degree - analytical & thorough. Despite this academic rigorousness, the Cosa Nostra is a fast paced, enjoyable read. Dickies prose style is entertaining, definitely provocative in a number of places, but the more contentious analysis is always backed with convincing evidence. The descriptions of links between the Sicilian & American Mafia are well balanced, explaining their significance without detracting from the emphasis on the Sicilian side of things. The topic of political corruption is also well handled, especiallly 'the sack of Palermo'.
All in alll, I would recommend Cosa Nostra to anyone with an interest in Sicily, the Mafia, the seedy side of Italian politics or just looking for a damn good read. I can also recommend a visit to Sicily itself - it has a wealth of stunning architecture, beaches & culture.
Dispel any myths - By: , 22 Jun 2004 This is a gripping read about the history of the Sicilian mafia. For myself, not being academicallly educated in the topic, it seems very well researched & evaluated. It tries to give objective evidence of events & build up a picture of what the mafia has meant to Italy both politicallly & on grass root level. There are times when I was a bit lost because my lack of background but the style is pretty accessible. If anything, it's inspired me to read more about the mafia. I appreciated the factual style because this topic has often been glamourised.
Cosa Nostra. - By: , 28 Apr 2004 Absolutely bloody brilliant, accurate, well written, factuallly flawlessand lively.John Dickie's research seems to be boundless.I was almostembarassed to keep referencing this book so many times for my final yeardissertation.It covers the entire history of the onorata societa, & isentirely engaging; to anyone reading this web page & slightly interestedin the Sicilian mafia, it's a book which can not put down.Trustme...interested in this topic?Buy this.
