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The President Street Boys
  • Published: 18 August 2016
  • ISBN: 9781496705471
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

The President Street Boys

Growing Up Mafia

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"Mom was finally home from prison, and we were all happy to see her." So begins A SON OF THE MAFIA, Frank DiMatteo's telling of growing up in a Brooklyn family of mobsters in the 1960s--and who became a mobster himself. In honest and sometimes graphic detail, Frank will takes readers into a world they only thought they knew.

“When Mom got out of jail, it was great having her home.”

Mondo the Dwarf. Frankie Shots. Joseph “Little Lolly Pop” Carna. Larry “Big Lolly Pop” Carna. Salvatore “Sally Boy” Marinelli. Johnny Tarzan. Louie Pizza. Sally D, Bobby B, Roy Roy, and Punchy.

They were THE PRESIDENT STREET BOYS of Brooklyn, New York.

Frank Dimatteo was born into a family of mob hitmen. His father and godfather were shooters and bodyguards for infamous Mafia legends, the Gallo brothers. His uncle was a capo in the Genovese crime family and bodyguard to Frank Costello. Needless to say, DiMatteo saw and heard things that a boy shouldn’t see or hear.

He knew everybody in the neighborhood. And they knew him. . .and his family. And does he have some wild stories to tell. . .

From the old-school Mafia dons and infamous “five families” who called all the shots, to the new-breed “independents” of the ballsy Gallo gang who didn’t answer to nobody, Dimatteo pulls no punches in describing what it’s really like growing up in the mob. Getting his cheeks pinched by Crazy Joe Gallo until tears came down his face. Dropping out of school and hanging gangster-style with the boys on President Street. Watching the Gallos wage an all-out war against wiseguys with more power, more money, more guns. And finally, revealing the shocking deathbed confessions that will blow the lid off the sordid deeds, stunning betrayals, and all-too-secret history of the American Mafia.

Originally self-published as Lion in the Basement

Raves For THE PRESIDENT STREET BOYS: Growing Up Mafia
“Frankie D was born and raised in this life—and he’s still alive and still free. They don’t come any sharper then Frankie D. A real gangster story. Read this book!” —Nicky “Slick” DiPietro, New York City

“I know Frankie D from when i was a kid living in South Brooklyn. It was hard reading about my father, Gennaro “Chitoz” Basciano, but I knew it was the truth. Frankie’s book is dead on the money—I couldn’t put it down.” —Eddie Basciano, somewhere in Florida

“It’s been forty years since I’ve been with Frankie D doing our thing on President Street. This book was like a flashback, Frankie D nails it from beginning to the end. Bravo, from one of the President Street Boys.” —Anthony “Goombadiel” DeLuca, Brooklyn, New York

“As a neighborhood kid I grew up around President Street and know firsthand the lure of ‘the life’ as a police officer and as a kid that escaped the lure. I can tell you the blind loyalty that the crews had for their bosses—unbounded, limitless, and dangerous. As the Prince of President Street, Frank Dimatteo, is representative of a lost generation of Italian Americans. If any of this crew had been given a fair shot at the beginning they would have been geniuses in their chosen field.” —Joseph "Giggy" Gagliardo, Retired DEA Agent, New York City

“The President Street Boys takes me back as if it was a time machine. Its authenticity is compelling reading for those interested in what things were really like in those mob heydays; not some author’s formulation without an inkling of what was going on behind the scenes. I loved the book because I was there, and know for sure readers will love it too.” —Sonny Girard, author of Blood of Our Fathers and Sins of Our Sons
  • Published: 18 August 2016
  • ISBN: 9781496705471
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

Also by Frank DiMatteo

Mafia Hit Man Carmine DiBiase
Lord High Executioner
Carmine the Snake
See all

Praise for The President Street Boys

Praise for Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson
OLIVE OIL KING


“I know well the authors of this book, and I can assure you that you’re in great hands. Read on and enjoy, my friends, the story of Giuseppe Profaci, the Olive Oil King!” —Gianni Russo, actor, The Godfather, and author of Hollywood Godfather and Mafia Secrets

“Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson paint an honest portrait of Joe Profaci, the olive oil importer who hid behind piety and pinched pennies while building one of the original Five Families clans until his own greed lit the fuse on a war that nearly burned it all down. This is the real story behind the Corleone myth, told the way only guys who grew up on those streets can tell it.” —Louis Ferrante, internationally bestselling author of the Borgata Trilogy

CARLO GAMBINO

“Finally, Don Carlo receives a fresh look with his cold and quiet calculations, and his unique mastery of Mafia politics. Frank DiMatteo is the real deal and tells a great story along with co-author Michael Benson.” —Louis Ferrante, internationally bestselling author of the Borgata Trilogy

RED HOOK

“Readers who enjoy stories about organized-crime families will appreciate this book. Give to fans of Five Families by Selwyn Raab and For the Sins of My Father by Albert DeMeo.” —Library Journal

MAFIA HIT MAN

“The authors give a detailed account of the suspected assassins [and] don’t shy away from discussing Gallo’s flaws . . . Fans of true crime and Mafia stories will appreciate the insider’s look at the figures and neighborhoods that comprised New York Mob life in the 20th century.” —Library Journal

LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER

“This title will please Mafia fans looking for gruesome details.” —Library Journal

CARMINE THE SNAKE

“Carmine the Snake, written in a conversational style with street vernacular and sprinkled with Frank DiMatteo’s personal anecdotes and reminiscences, offers another look at the infamous crime boss.” —The Washington Times

THE PRESIDENT STREET BOYS

“Takes me back as if it was a time machine . . . Compelling reading. I loved the book because I was there.” —Sonny Girard, author of Blood of Our Fathers

“DiMatteo tells what it was like to grow up with Mob royalty.” —VICE

“The President Street Boys is nothing like any other Mafia-related book I’ve ever read. I loved this book. I will be reading it again in the future. The level of detail is so high, to me, it requires multiple passes to absorb it all.” —Crimespree Magazine

“At times, this book is unsettling. Other times, it’s humorous. No matter what part you're reading, it’ll remain a tour-de-force.” —Criminal Element

Praise for Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson
OLIVE OIL KING


“I know well the authors of this book, and I can assure you that you’re in great hands. Read on and enjoy, my friends, the story of Giuseppe Profaci, the Olive Oil King!” —Gianni Russo, actor, The Godfather, and author of Hollywood Godfather and Mafia Secrets

“Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson paint an honest portrait of Joe Profaci, the olive oil importer who hid behind piety and pinched pennies while building one of the original Five Families clans until his own greed lit the fuse on a war that nearly burned it all down. This is the real story behind the Corleone myth, told the way only guys who grew up on those streets can tell it.” —Louis Ferrante, internationally bestselling author of the Borgata Trilogy

CARLO GAMBINO

“Finally, Don Carlo receives a fresh look with his cold and quiet calculations, and his unique mastery of Mafia politics. Frank DiMatteo is the real deal and tells a great story along with co-author Michael Benson.” —Louis Ferrante, internationally bestselling author of the Borgata Trilogy

RED HOOK

“Readers who enjoy stories about organized-crime families will appreciate this book. Give to fans of Five Families by Selwyn Raab and For the Sins of My Father by Albert DeMeo.” —Library Journal

MAFIA HIT MAN

“The authors give a detailed account of the suspected assassins [and] don’t shy away from discussing Gallo’s flaws . . . Fans of true crime and Mafia stories will appreciate the insider’s look at the figures and neighborhoods that comprised New York Mob life in the 20th century.” —Library Journal

LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER

“This title will please Mafia fans looking for gruesome details.” —Library Journal

CARMINE THE SNAKE

“Carmine the Snake, written in a conversational style with street vernacular and sprinkled with Frank DiMatteo’s personal anecdotes and reminiscences, offers another look at the infamous crime boss.” —The Washington Times

THE PRESIDENT STREET BOYS

“Takes me back as if it was a time machine . . . Compelling reading. I loved the book because I was there.” —Sonny Girard, author of Blood of Our Fathers

“DiMatteo tells what it was like to grow up with Mob royalty.” —VICE

“The President Street Boys is nothing like any other Mafia-related book I’ve ever read. I loved this book. I will be reading it again in the future. The level of detail is so high, to me, it requires multiple passes to absorb it all.” —Crimespree Magazine

“At times, this book is unsettling. Other times, it’s humorous. No matter what part you're reading, it’ll remain a tour-de-force.” —Criminal Element