This is one of the 3 cookbooks that have changed what I eat and the way I cook. Henry Hill has some excellent classic recipes and adds his own little twists to each recipe. Having lived away from major cities myself for some time, I especially could relate to his struggles to find the right ingredients. His mob stories are amusing too.

I read the book cover to cover because it is kind of in a story form. Hill will tell a few stories about a particular place he lived and then give recipes for the food he ate there. I highly recommend this cookbook. It is a must have.

When you grow up with an Italian mom who cooks dishes that nobody else has ever heard of you wonder if you are the only person that has tasted such amazing dishes. Well I don't wonder anymore. The recipes are wonderful. I grew up cooking most of the dishes written about in this book and must say Henry's recipes taste just like "mom's" - in fact just a bit better.... I think this book is extremely well written not only for the "advanced" cook but also for the "novice" cook as I bought a copy for my son and he now uses it to prepare dinner for his family. If you want to cook real "Italian" food - this is your book.

Yeah, I know. No one's holding a gun to my head. But Henry's book is a classic.

I'm a longtime crook, er, cook, and I found that the thoroughness and thought behind these recipes elevated it into the small realms of "best cookbooks I've ever read."

Yeah, I know. From some "rat fork" like Henry. But it's good, really, really good.

He goes through a money-laundry list of typical Bronx-Italian recipes--all the standards, like Sunday Gravy, ziti, pizza, even the infamous scungilli--each one embellished with some anecdote of his life on the run. From supreme wealth and access to the finest authentic ingredients on his home criminal turf to the handful of homogenized American choices from Middle America while penniless on the run. And they're all forkin' good!

Christ, his handlers even get addicted to Henry's cooking, and I can see why: every recipe I made with this book--and I've been around the world a few times--was a hit.

Nothing criminal about that.

Joe Dogs, watch your back.

An excellent collection with great writing. Edgy, evocative, atomshpereic with fully developed character studies that are made even more fascinating by the fact that these are real people and events. The crime reporters explore the conjunction of everyday life and the many faces of pathology. Could not stop reading; can't wait for the next edition.

Although I'm a fan of true crime, most of the genre doesn't meet my standards. Too often I find that it focuses on the criminal and the macabre, gruesome, or sensational aspect of whatever story is being told and appeals to a certain prurience which I find distasteful. Often, the victims are forgotten or neglected in favor of the criminal, whose story may be more interesting or titillating. This remarkable collection, however, includes only well-told stories from respectable publications. Most of the 17 stories are riveting and will linger with you long after you've finished the book. These are true human interest stories which never ignore the real tragedies involved. Kudos to the editors for managing to find such quality stories. I can't wait for the next edition!

This book is a wonderful read!! It contains 17 articles written in the past year by excellent journalists from various magazines such as: GQ, SPIN, THE NEW YORKER, ATLANTIC MONTHLY, ESQUIRE, VANITY FAIR and more. The variety makes it nice because you get to read different styles of writing by different authors on different subjects. The subjects too are a variety in range: "The Cheerleaders" focuses on a town in New York hit by tragedy after tragedy; "A Prayer For Tina Marie" is a wonderful article about a woman who murdered her two kids in an unthinkable way (much worse than Andrea Yates); "Flesh and Blood" is about the murder-for-hire by pro football player Rae Carruth... AND MUCH MORE!! With such quality of writing, you don't want to miss this book. I am really hoping that more of these will be published!!

Great book. Great detail.A must for anyone who has seen the film. Gives you a 100% more info and detail.

Sure, if you're not into the film "Goodfellas" that much or if you don't care for screenplays, then chances are that this would be rather worthless to you. Might as well find something else to buy, because this isn't going to do anything for you.

But, if you DO love the film and would like to read the screenplay, then this is just the thing for you. Written by Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi, "Goodfellas" is an amazing script that sucks you in right away.

Henry Hill has always wanted to be gangster, as he states in the very beginning of the film. This is his story of how he became one and everything he had witnessed and experienced. It's a tragic story of how good things always have to come to an end. It's also about how power and money can grab hold of your life until it's too late to turn back. A tale full of crime, murder, paranoia, and greed, "Goodfellas" is a trip down Mafia Lane that you will never forget. This is Mr. Hill's story.

The script is based on Nicholas Pileggi's novel, "Wise Guys," which is also based on a true story. The dialogue is sharp and very realistic and gives us a window into the lives of people in the Mafia. It is a very quick read, only about 130 pages. That's pretty short, considering that the movie was at least 2 and a half hours long. But, it's just dialogue, which is why it is very easy to read it quickly. I finished it in less than a day.

If you love the film "Goodfellas," and are interested in reading screenplays, then this is the perfect book for you. Here's your chance to relive some of your favorite moments, this time in writing. A very fine screenplay, it is.

Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" is, hands down, the best gangster film ever made. "The Godfather" created the mythical imagery of mob families that was forever buried by this gutty, bloody real life drama. Based upon the true story as told by the film's main character, Henry Hill, "Goodfellas is the best filmed example of the real life glamour and woekmanlike drudgery that goes with being a wiseguy. It is difficult to imagine a show like "The Sopranos," for example, had not "Goodfellas" reinvented the gangster film genre.

Ray Liotta is excellent as Henry, but the movie's real showcases are the performances of Joe Pesci and Robert DiNiro as his partners in crime. Pesci in particular gives a tour de force performance that is downright frightening. Other first rate performances come from Lorraine Bracco as Henry's Jewish wife and Paul Sorvino, whose performance as a real life Godfather could not be more different than Marlon Brando's.

This film is a must see for anyone who enjoys gangster movies. It also has to rank as THE best American movie of the 1990s.

After watching Goodfella's, I just had to read the book which inspired this movie. To say this book was exceptional reading, is an understatement! I could not put this book down. It was filled with facts that were not in the movie and I found myself laughing and crying as Henry Hill told his story. The end was very sad. Reading as Henry ratted out all of his mafia friends. I just heard about Henry Hill on the radio. Picked up with drugs. His wife divorced him after 20 years and I believe he no longer has protection due to his criminal activities. Anyway, my advice is to read this book! Excellent!

After watching Goodfellas, my favorite movie of all time, I felt compelled to read the book it was based on. The book did an incredible job of revealing the roller coaster life of a mobster in captivating detail. The strech of the mafia's power was absolutely fascinating. I found myself always cheering for the bad guys and their carefree lifestyles. In the end, however, we find that crime does not pay. It was a shame to watch Henry Hill rat out every friend that he ever had. This is a tremendous book for anyone who enjoys reading about the mob, or crime in general.

Like most others i had already seen the movie "Goodfellas", so i expected quite high things from this books, and i wasnt dissapointed.Although Henry Hill was not a made man in the Lucchese family, he was very close to some top guys including capo Paul Vario who eventually some say rose to underboss in the family,and at one point in the book even mentions meeting with Thomas Lucchese himself,so he did seem to have an good inside knowledge.You had to love Jimmy Burke in the book (de niro's character in the film)i thought they must have exaggerated him in the film but it looks like they didnt.The book takes you on a rollercoaster ride through 20 years of scams, murders and robberies, culminating in the now infamous Lufthansa airline theft from JFK airport,which in the end ripped apart this colouful and charasmatic crew and tuned Hill into an informant, (mind they always have some excuse dont they?)Any mob buffs out there who havnt read it, read it. For me its the best out of the lot.

The first time I opened the book, my eyes were filled with tears. Recipes, photographs, vignettes, even poems...the whole magic of the book overwhelmed me with nostalgic memories of my New York Italian grandparents and relatives. The recipes are pure Italian soul food ... simple and satisfying. I have made several dishes - manicotti, lemon chicken, marinara sauce, to name a few. They all came out wonderful. Of course, like every Italian cook, I adjusted most of the recipes to my liking.. my own personal touches and that's what makes Rao's recipes so wonderful - so easy and roomy enough for you to make your own classics. I would like to add a comment about the other reviewer's (below) statement on Ralphie's in South Philly. It's a fine restaurant and I have their cookbook however I find the cookbook to be poorly written. For the Cream Cake recipe, it fails to give the size for the cake pan. Rao's Cookbook is very reliable...and it's a work of passion and magic.

If you're an Italian-American, (or want to cook like one), this is a must have book. It will evoke memories of the wonderful times, sights and aromas of family dining in your neighborhood Italian restaurant. The Italain comfort food recipes, entwined with stories of the Pellegrino family, make this a great read. I know because I own a collection of about 30+ Italian cookbooks.

I first heard about this book while watching Sarah Moulton on the Food Channel. She had Frank Pellegrino and his son as guests, and they were impressive to watch. The simplicity of the recipes appealed to me, so I ordered the book from Amazon.com. What a treat!! So far,I have made the meatballs, the braciole and the Sunday Gravy, as well as the shrimp scampi. Every dish was superb. I followed the authors' advice and ordered a case of San Marzano tomatoes from The Salumeria in Boston, MA, and was very pleased with those as well. Finally, I am able to cook Italian dishes that taste truly Italian, every bit as flavorful and satisfying as the food I have eaten in Boston's North End. This is a definite winner--I can't praise it highly enough.

My rating on this book is really a three and a half, if given the option to rate a half-star, that is.

I enjoyed tremandously learning about the Teamsters, the politicians and of course the Mafia involvement in the Las Vegas casino operations. The book exceled in the abundance of information.

However, the writing itself was not so great therefore lowering the reading experience. Just as in real life, when people tell you their side of the story, it hardly ever concurs with someone else's account. Since the book was really a collage of vaious narrations, the author had a hard time weaving together different points of views and tones. Sometimes readers are left wondering what really happened.

I would recommend this book for people who are interested in information and stories regarding the Mafia. The topic is very interesting, but for those who prefers a bit more drama and fluency of writing, then this may not be your top choice.

This gripping narrative exposes Midwest mob influence in Las Vegas during the 1970-80's. Author Nicholas Pileggi focuses on four major characters. The most prominent was ex-sports handicapper and bookie Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who became an innovative casino manager. Lefty ran the casino at the Stardust Hotel, the location from where the Chicago and Kansas City syndicates skimmed millions in gambling revenues. We also read about Lefty's friend and mob enforcer Tony Spilotro, front man Allen Glick, and Lefty's glamorous but volatile wife Geri. The author describes casino operations, financing by teamster pensions, and gambling executives who knew enough to look the other way. We also see how unchecked greed and ego can destroy casino operators as surely as it does some of their customers. The book's only weakness was that Pileggi seemed to go easy on a couple of the major characters.

"Casino" became a 1995 movie of the same name. Pileggi also wrote "Wiseguy," basis for another excellent mob film ("Goodfellas") by Martin Scorsese. "Casino" doesn't quite match "Wiseguy," but it's a highly readable and informative book.

I found 'Casino' to be an exciting true life story of the real Vegas of the 70's & early 80's. Nicholas Pileggi, has written this book with obvious research and passion, painting a tremendous mental picture of the Mafia and thier control over Las Vegas.

Excellent, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in true life mafia stories and Las Vegas life.