Attention getter: Kill little Jimmy.
Boss: Um, listen Sammy. I want you to take care of our little buddy Jimmy. See, he lost some of our more expensive merchandise to the Nunziatos.
Sammy: What do you want me to do, boss? What do you want me to do?
Boss: Take him out to eat and tell him his don doesn’t care that he lost the merchandise. Then take him to see the sights. When he’s not looking, tell him to be prepared to meet his old buddy Tony, then scratch him!
Sammy: Sure, boss. Sure.
While we all would hate to be in little Jimmy’s position, I’m sure some of us wish we were alive in the Roaring Twenties when flappers and bootlegging were all in style.
My book: The Gangs of Chicago by Herbert Asbury.
My topic #4: Real-life connection.
The book Gangs of Chicago is explained by the title. The connection I made was with the whole mafia part of the book. Growing up, I wasn’t really into anything kids my age liked. Mafia guys are so cool. They have funny names like Sammy, Jimmy, and Tony. And the cool ones never seem to die. They are dressed as if they are going to a funeral and seem to talk out of the side of their mouth. Even Tony Soprano does that. They also have funny accents. But the best part is that mafia guys, no matter how ugly, face filled with scars, pimples on their forehead…
They always seem to get the ladies. I saw the movie The Godfather” and knew I had to join an Italian mafia. There were two problems though: I wasn’t Italian.
Apparently, the 1920s happened a long time ago. So, I did the next best thing – I started my own Mexican mafia at the age of 6. Our name was the Aztecios. We were the toughest Mexican mafia around, and the only one around. But, over time, like any mafia, my cronies slowly departed. Three of them, to be exact. Javier moved away, Jose wasn’t allowed to go outside, and Jack’s mom didn’t want him to play our little game anymore because she thought the whole mafia idea was stupid. She said, Eres loco,” which means “you’re crazy” for those of you who don’t understand. So, my dream of being a mafia boss ended. Until HBO ran a pilot of a new show called The Sopranos. After that, I renewed my mafia vows because I knew I had to become Tony Soprano. Why? Because no one messes with him. He is one bad mama jama, and if they mess with him, well, if you watch The Sopranos, you know what happens to them. The book mentions all of the more famous Chicago gang members and should be read by everyone who has ever been interested in the mafia and anyone interested in Chicago history. Thanks.
