{"product_id":"the-mafia-a-cultural-history-paperback","title":"The Mafia: A Cultural History - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRoberto M. Dainotto\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat is it about Tony Soprano that makes him so amiable? For that matter, how is it that many of us secretly want Scarface to succeed or see Michael Corleone as, ultimately, a hero? What draws us into the otherwise horrifically violent world of the mafia? In \u003ci\u003eThe Mafia\u003c\/i\u003e, Roberto M. Dainotto explores the irresistible appeal of this particular brand of organized crime, its history, and the mythology we have developed around it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Dainotto traces the development of the mafia from its rural beginnings in Western Sicily to its growth into a global crime organization alongside a parallel examination of its evolution in music, print, and on the big screen. He probes the tension between the real mafia--its violent, often brutal reality--and how we imagine it to be: a mythical potpourri of codes of honor, family values, and chivalry. But rather than dismiss our collective imagining of the mafia as a complete fiction, Dainotto instead sets out to understand what needs and desires or material and psychic longing our fantasies about the mafia--the best kind of the bad life--are meant to satisfy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Exploring the rich array of films, books, television programs, music, and even video games portraying and inspired by the mafia, this book offers not only a social, economic, and political history of one of the most iconic underground cultures, but a new way of understanding our enduring fascination with the complex society that lurks behind the sinister \u003ci\u003eOmert \u003c\/i\u003e of the family business.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 8.4 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 15, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51770222936352,"sku":"9781780239934","price":17.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/742b5f69dbf89dc3b89606e92b726f14.webp?v=1780367126","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-mafia-a-cultural-history-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}