In Our Blood

by Justin Cascio

The Mafia is usually described as hierarchical, with capos and soldiers reporting to a boss. IN OUR BLOOD proceeds from a different view: that the Mafia's principal organizational units are the mafioso and his immediate family. Pivotal figures in Mafia history, including present-day mafiosi, have direct genealogical ties to one another and to the earliest recorded Mafia gangs in Corleone. Organizing around the sacred bonds of blood, marriage, and godparenthood has proven vital to the success of the Sicilian Mafia in the United States. This fully referenced genealogical history of the Mafia families of Corleone names dozens of gangsters and their relationships to one another. The conclusions drawn from sociological and historical evidence are striking and have implications for Mafia families --- and the rest of us. Whether your interest in the organization, migration, psychology, and family systems of the Mafia is personal or academic, this book is for you.