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Saviano’s bestselling exposé of the
Camorra, the mafia that dominates Naples and the surrounding regions, is full
of unimaginable violence, ordinary people struggling to make a life for
themselves, and teenagers being dragged into this dark underworld that will
likely see them dead before they reach forty. He shows how the Camorra hold the
lives of Neapolitans in the palm of their hands. Many work in unauthorized
factories that legally don’t exist, meaning that they are entirely reliant on
them for mortgages and leases. We learn also of the escalating mortality rate
from cancer due to the dumping of illegal toxic waste and that they test new
guns by shooting at shopfronts. For those living under the Camorra there are
reminders of their position at every turn.
It is the individual stories that really hit
home. Many knock-off brand clothing is produced in Southern Italy, of high
quality but selling at a fraction of the price. The workers are highly skilled
yet are paid a pittance. For one, who creates a beautiful suit for Angelina
Jolie, the recipient unknown when he made it, is a source of both great pride
and sorrow when he sees her wearing it on the red carpet on TV. A couple of
months later he is assigned as a truck driver, ruining his circulation and
therefore his ability to make fine clothes. Another particularly harrowing
scene is that of the guinea pig drug addicts used to test drugs are safe before
being put on the market. Abuse of the addicts’ desperation means they know
there’ll always be someone willing even though they know there’s a high risk of
death.
The book is full of detail and names who appear
only briefly before being killed or sent to prison. There is never a shortage
of members waiting to become a boss, and violent power struggles are a part of
daily life. With so many vivid descriptions of cruel killings and torture it is
a stark reminder that even in such acceptance of the dangerous lives they lead
there are still some deaths, some brutality, that breaks through and shocks.
An interesting, at time gruesome read that can
feel a bit of a slog. A detailed account of the brutality of life in the System
by one who places himself at crime scenes and in warehouses to give a first hand
account of the Camorra.
Pick up a copy:
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