The Godmother, The Gritty True Story of the Lives of Mafia Women, by Barbie Latza Nadeau

Expand

'The Godmother' by Barbie Latza Nadeau

Barbie Latza Nadeau has spent years in Italy, chasing the untold stories of the struggles of mafia women. As a result, her latest book, The Godmother, is a gripping, violent, and shocking true story of the women of Italian organized crime. When Assunta “Pupetta” Maresca put 29 bullets into the man responsible for her husband’s death, she didn’t show an ounce of remorse for the killing. At the time, the pregnant, 18-year-old mafia widow would claim only to have fired “one or two” shots from the back of the car in a move that was motivated by nothing more than “self-defense,” despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise. Pupetta’s, gruesome true story is one of the many Nadeau tells in The Godmother.

The book features an interview Nadeau was granted with Pupetta. An old woman now, Pupetta remembers in extensive detail the bloody struggle of her life, her years in prison, and her relationship with her children. Nadeau delivers her account in vivid color, complete with well-researched context of the history of organized crime in Italy. Her detailed writing style makes the novel fascinating, as well as easy to read. More fascinating still is the great lengths Nadeau went through to collect these stories, oftentimes putting herself in great danger to pry information from those who are less then keen to cooperate.

With detailed descriptions of the lives and journeys of various mafia women, Barbie Lazta Nadeau illustrates a side of organized crime that many avoid: their humanity. Before these women are mafia-affiliated, they are wives and mothers with the ultimate goal of survival. Despite this, Nadaeau paints them simultaneously as manipulative, cold-blooded killers with questionable morals. She takes a deep dive into the betrayal, brutality, and bloody crime that characterizes the life of these women. The Godmother, is thrilling, packed with captivating stories that makes it a must-read for anyone interested in true crime, the mafia, or the lives of powerful women.