Reviews and Praise
Reviews
for MOB RULES
"Just interviewed Louis Ferrante, author
of Mob Rules, an ex-mafia man's guide to business. Funny, insightful. Can't wait
to read his book."
--Matthew Bishop 9/15/2011 via Twitter for BlackBerry® Twitter.com/@mattbish
(Matthew Bishop is co-chair of The Economist's Ideas Economy: Human Potential:
The Next Level of Competition 2011 Summit, and is the US Business Editor & New
York Bureau Chief for The Economist.)
"An excellent example for business wisdom
seekers. Ferrante shares cogent business advice for employees, middle managers,
and bosses. A colorful and surprisingly practical business primer." --Publishers
Weekly
"[Mob Rules] pours out spicy tales of Mob lore to make its management points, an
approach most execs couldn't refuse." --New York Post 3/20/11.
"Wiseguy's Wisdom. Worthwhile, sometimes humorous tips on how to succeed in
business." --New York Daily News
"He never got an M.B.A. but ex-mobster Louis Ferrante learned enough about
business on the street." --Crain's New York Business
"Former Gambino family associate Louis Ferrante has delivered one of the wisest
and wittiest collections of reflections on life and business ever penned by a
wiseguy."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"The Mafia Management Guru."--BusinessWeek
"Useful lessons for entrepreneurs and even middle managers."--London Financial
Times
"Mob Rules is packed with case studies highlighting the techniques of great
practitioners (with) historical insights."--The Week (London)
"Mob Rules is a collection of lessons that can be gleaned from the long and
colourful history of the Mob and applied to the legal business world."--CTV
Canada
"Mob Rules lays out the ways the rules of the Mafia can be applied in pursuit of
straight-world success, injecting historical parallels and real-life anecdotes
along the way."--New York Post 6/13/11
"Louis Ferrante's talent for storytelling shines through in Mob Rules."
-Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy and Casino
"Louis Ferrante is a wise guy in every possible sense of the word. His wisdom is
extraordinary and his writing style immaculate." -David Black,
screenwriter and producer for Law & Order
"I knew John Gotti better than anyone, and if he were alive today, Mob Rules
would be his favorite book."
-George "Fat George" DiBello, caretaker of John Gotti's South Queens social club
during the don's reign
"Finally, Lou brings all of the Mafia's wisdom and business acumen together in
Mob Rules and shows readers how they can apply the mob's best practices to their
own businesses."
-Rita Gigante, daughter of the late mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante
A veteran mobster who walked away from “The Life” with his
head held high offers road-tested life lessons that served
him well inside and outside La Cosa Nostra.
Some Mafia dons have their heads blown off. Others live long
enough to expire peacefully in their own beds. In either
event, Ferrante—who left prison behind eight years ago to
become a well-respected author—insists that today’s CEOs,
middle managers and employees would do well to learn a thing
or two from their counterparts in the underworld. Building
his case in concise, economical prose, Ferrante draws on an
extensive knowledge of world events, mob lore and personal
experience to deliver an engrossing effort that reads like a
rousing memoir, meditation on world history and Mafia exposé
all in one. Who would have thought that George Washington
had so much in common with Lucky Luciano, the “Founding
Father” of the American mob, or that there was something
good to be said for “Scarface” Al Capone? In eschewing mob
violence, Ferrante has nonetheless retained an appreciation
for the way the mob operates as a successful business
enterprise. When it works, Ferrante writes, it’s a blueprint
for the way businesses in the “legit” world ought to
operate. And when it doesn’t, it’s a sobering cautionary
tale for every over-reaching CEO, power-hungry middle
manager and clueless employee.
Punctuated with the dark humor you’d expect from a graduate
of the streets, a thoughtful treatise with implications far
outside the boardroom.
~Kirkus Review
Sopranos fans, take heart: it turns out the mob is not only
full of ethical heavyweights but an excellent example for
business wisdom seekers. Ferrante (Unlocked) spent years in
the Gambino crime family, finally choosing to go straight
while in prison. He shares his wisdom with cubicle jockeys
and nervous managers everywhere--and reveals that aboveboard
businesses are far more nefarious than the organized-crime
variety. Ferrante argues that no self-respecting loan shark
would offer the terms of your average credit card company,
and even the Mafia doesn't employ the tactics of a
collection agency. Through stories of his own compatriots
and famous mobsters, Ferrante shares cogent business advice
for employees, middle managers, and bosses: make them an
offer they can't refuse (offer to work on commission),
harness the power of networking, make your own luck,
motivate your people, never embarrass someone in public,
reward loyalty. A colorful and surprisingly practical
business primer.
~Publishers Weekly
Reviews for
UNLOCKED
"It is very rare when someone from the world in which Louis
was raised has the heart of a writer. Criminal experiences
don't usually lead to great insights, while many of today's
grad-school writers have very limited life experiences.
Louis Ferrante is different. He has lived in both worlds."
~Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy, and Casino
"As someone who tends to be a magnet for Mob stories, I'm so
glad this one found me--not so much for the mafia aspect,
but for Lou's amazing story of self-education and re-birth
during his prison sentence."
~Lorraine Bracco--Actress, Goodfellas and The Sopranos.
"In Unlocked, Louis tells the story of his transformation
from a wise guy to a wise man--a stunningly written account
of renewal, one of the best books of our time."
~David Black, Producer and screenwriter for Law and Order,
Monk, CSI: Miami, 100 Centre Street, Miami Vice, and Hill
Street Blues
"Reads like a Puzo novel on steroids...a raw brutal
memoir...this true crime account does not resemble any of
the cardboard wise guys of the tube or the silver screen. It
definitely grabs the readers attention."
~Publishers Weekly
"Remarkable transformation from mobster to scholar...tells
his story with immediacy and candor, employing a prose style
that underscores his authenticity...In straightforward
language, he spares you none of his life's unflattering
details."
~Library Journal
"Laugh-out-loud funny. Heart-wrenchingly sad. Unlocked is a
rare treat."
~Baltimore Jewish Times
"Engaging, funny, and fascinating. Readers can't help but be
amazed and shocked."
~San Diego Jewish World
"His capers are constructed with insider knowledge prized by
readers of Mob genre...Ferrante tells his story as an
encouraging one."
~Booklist
"Very well written, at turns disturbing, funny and
astonishing...an example of resilience."
~The Jewish Week
"Hardly your typical ex-mobster...a hard-boiled tale of
crime, punishment and redemption...incredible story."
~Newsday
"Lou Ferrante writes of redemption in a memoir that's
already been optioned for a movie...To hear {him} speak
seriously about his life is to hear the story of a man who
once brutalized others and vows to change...He tries to
provide some insight into his own behavior."
~LA Times
"Written with terrific candor effortlessly incorporating
street talk into his masterful storytelling...Ferrante's
vignettes of heists and thievery, sprinkled with capers
involving gambling and women, make for great reading...reads
like a Scorsese movie...Ferrante's time in prison is a
trying but thoughtful period. Even through the rigors and
trials of this dark experience, Ferrante maintains his
ability to captivate his reader with his
storytelling...Ferrante's engrossing memoir is one that
works, period."
~Jewish Book World
"If you think that you are too set in your ways to ever
become a different person, read this book...A well-written
story that holds your attention from the very first page."
~South Florida Jewish Journal
