Blood Covenant Essay

This book, which is actually two books in one, has two main parts. Book one which covers from page 21 to page 200 is about Michael Franzese’s life before his conversion to Christianity. In the first paragraph of the book, which is in page 22 of the book, the author says â€Å"To understand me and the path I took in life, it is necessary to first understand my father, mob enforcer John Franzese†¦Ã¢â‚¬  then follows a long story of his father better known as Sonny and his exploits around about 1960s, this first book on franzese’s life as a Mafia leader sets the stage for the second part of the book titled book 2 which is carries the title The New Life in Christ. The book also has a brief photo insert between the two main parts of the book. After the epilogue of the book, there is a small section written by Camille Garcia, Franzese’s wife, which is thereafter followed by afterword then appendix. 2. Express ideas in your own words. Utilize book content, which will support your ideas and conclusions. While it remains a fact that there are some serious holes with the book in that some of the events cannot be pinpointed in a timeline map, there are still some considerations and positive points about he book. Part two of the book basically outlines the Christian life that Franzese lives and other motivational stuff like how to avoid the mafia and so on. 3. Do you as the reader accept or reject the author’s argument? Do they make sense? Do you feel they are accurate or valid? Are they logical? Does the author convey himself as being credible to the reader? I accept the author’s arguments. Even though some of the details are not clear and may need validation, there is a truth to the facts and feelings of Franzese. It has been said that this book, Franzese’s second, is the rendition of the first, called Quitting the Mob which was published in 1992, with some few addition of words. The various issues that raise the issue of credibility to the readers are that since he stole hundreds of millions of dollars. What happened to this money, did the mob get it? Why has the mob never come after him even after testifying to the grand jury? These are some of the questions that are left hanging leaving the reader thinking seriously about the credibility of the story. 4. Has the author included all the important variables or factors in his analysis? For example, are there any inconsistencies or contradictions in his arguments? If so, what are they? No. the author has failed in a number of ways. Some of the information that is provided by Franzese is either in the public domain or cannot be independently verified. His claim that he had met by his own admission, stole hundreds of millions of dollars don’t answer some primary questions like: what happened to the money? How come the mob never came after him after he testified in front of the grand jury? How did he break parole and many other questions? 5. To what extent if any is Franzese different from Sammy `the Bull` Gravano? What are their similarities? Did you find on individual more believable that the other? Why? While Franzese turned to a Christian and totally ignored the Colombo family to which he had swore an oath to, Sammy turned to be a CIA informer on the activities of the Gambinos. He had a plastic surgery to hide from the mob but continued to live a life of abandon and violence after leaving the US witness Protection Programme. While Franzese changed because of the girl he met, Sammy changed to be an informer because his then boss, John Gotti, wanted to alienate him so that Sammy could be seen as the mad one after their arrest. Franzese and Sammy are similar in that they have both written books on their lives with the mafia. Franzese has written two books, Quitting the Mob and Blood Covenant while Sammy wrote a book called Underboss. They are also recorded as the first top ranking members of the mafia who turned on their oath, Franzese to Christianity and Sammy to a Spy. Finally both of them have been invited for public lectures and motivational talks. Sammy’s story is believable and reliable since it can be backed by other sources like the CIA; this is not the case with Franzese’s story. 6. Given what you have learned about Organized crime were you convinced of the author’s contentions? If not, what evidence would need to be presented to be convinced? There need to be somebody who can verify the stories given Franzese. His public talks and lectures make it necessary for people to really understand what made him do the things he did. 7. What did you find most valuable and least valuable of the information presented by the author? This story gives a not-so-detailed account of the Franzese life with the Mafia. Some of the details provided are a little hazy and difficult to verify, if not outright absurd. When he claims for example that he says that he made a lot of money and that he had connections with other mafia bosses like Jon Gotti, , Don King, Reverand Al Sharpton and others but doesn’t reveal anything he public domain about them make a person somewhat disappointed. 8. The outcome for both Gravano and Franzese are very different. What factors and theoretical perspectives can account for this? While Franzese claims that it was due to the influence of his wife that he left the life of being a mafia, Sammy turned to be an informer when he realized that the then boss, john Gotti, was bent on portraying him as mad and a cold blood killer. This made him to turn into a state witness against the john Gotti. References Franzese Michael. Blood Covenant. Chicago: Whitaker House, 2003