
Mafia Democracy
How Our Republic Became a Mob Racket
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Michael Franzese
-
By:
-
Michael Franzese
About this listen
"It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity." (Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince)
Greed. Lies. Corruption. These are the foundational elements of the American Mafia story. Here, the pursuit of power overshadows even the desire for a dollar, and self-interest outweighs the greater good.
It’s a world that’s foreign to the average American—or is it?
The values of our democracy and those of Mafia culture are separated by a thin line that’s quickly disintegrating. No one sees this more clearly than former mob boss Michael Franzese. Born into one of New York’s most feared crime families, Michael spent eight years in prison before he walked away from the Mafia for good. Now, he’s sharing the undeniable parallels between mobster and politician.
In Mafia Democracy, Michael exposes our government for what it’s become, revealing the psychology behind the gangster lifestyle and how these ideologies have infiltrated the landscape of American politics. With in-depth investigation and astounding examples, this book is your chance to see politicians through a new lens, hold them accountable, and reclaim the democratic ideals that once united our great nation.
©2022 Michael Franzese (P)2022 Michael FranzesePeople who viewed this also viewed...
-
Blood Covenant
- The Michael Franzese Story
- By: Michael Franzese
- Narrated by: Michael Franzese
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sworn member of the Colombo crime family in New York City, Michael Franzese was considered the biggest moneymaker in the mob since Al Capone. At age 35, he was number 18 on Fortune Magazine's list of the 50 most wealthy and powerful Mafia bosses in America. But then he did the unthinkable. He quit the mob. Franzese met Camille Garcia, who turned his world upside down with her innocent beauty. He fell in love with her, married her, and began a new life that didn't include the Mafia.
-
-
interesting book
- By ron on 03-12-14
By: Michael Franzese
-
I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse
- Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss
- By: Michael Franzese
- Narrated by: Dave Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By age 24, charming mob boss Michael Franzese was one of the wealthiest people on Fortune magazine’s survey. As one of the rare people who quit the mob and lived to tell about it, Franzese has a unique perspective on how business is done. And one thing he noticed was that the way he made millions per week in business inside the mob can be applied to doing business outside the mob (minus the illegal part).
-
-
Amazing
- By RCLEM011@FIU.EDU on 11-27-21
By: Michael Franzese
-
The Five Families of New York
- 5 Books in 1: The Complete History of America's Notorious Mafia Organizations
- By: Mafia Library
- Narrated by: John Raynar, Lee Sterry, Daniel Winski, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In "The Five Families of New York," Mafia Library presents a gripping account of the ascension and decline of New York's foremost crime syndicates, from the legendary Lucky Luciano to the notorious Paul Castellano and John Gotti, and beyond. Through vivid storytelling, the book chronicles the relentless assault waged against these five families over two decades, a campaign that stands as the most successful law enforcement effort of the last century.
-
-
Excellent book
- By Jason P. on 08-14-24
By: Mafia Library
-
The Life We Chose
- William “Big Billy” D’Elia and the Last Secrets of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Family
- By: Matt Birkbeck
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The “adopted” son of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino, for decades D’Elia had unequaled access to the man the FBI and US Justice Department considered one of the leading organized crime figures in the United States. But the government had no real idea as to the breadth of Bufalino’s power and influence—or that it was Bufalino, from his bucolic home base in Pittston, Pennsylvania, who reigned over the five families in New York and other organized crime families throughout the country.
-
-
Interesting read about mafia
- By J. Frantz on 03-12-24
By: Matt Birkbeck
-
The Biden Crime Family
- The Blueprint for Their Prosecution
- By: Rudy Giuliani
- Narrated by: Rand Archer
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Biden Crime Family is a short, engaging description of the evidence that supports the case that President Joe Biden and his family are deeply corrupt. They are so corrupt that when former New York mayor and US attorney Rudy Giuliani first stumbled across evidence of what they were doing in Ukraine, it reminded him of his experience prosecuting the five mafia families that used to run New York.
-
-
Great précis
- By Dallas on 06-24-25
By: Rudy Giuliani
-
A Man of Honor
- The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno
- By: Joseph Bonanno
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Joseph Bonanno found his future amid the whiskey-running, riotous streets of Prohibition America in 1924, when he illegally entered the United States to pursue his dreams. By the age of only 26, Bonanno became a don. He eventually took over the New York underworld, igniting the "Castellammarese War", one of the bloodiest Family battles ever to hit New York City.
-
-
A must read
- By E. Orlando on 05-03-17
By: Joseph Bonanno
-
Blood Covenant
- The Michael Franzese Story
- By: Michael Franzese
- Narrated by: Michael Franzese
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sworn member of the Colombo crime family in New York City, Michael Franzese was considered the biggest moneymaker in the mob since Al Capone. At age 35, he was number 18 on Fortune Magazine's list of the 50 most wealthy and powerful Mafia bosses in America. But then he did the unthinkable. He quit the mob. Franzese met Camille Garcia, who turned his world upside down with her innocent beauty. He fell in love with her, married her, and began a new life that didn't include the Mafia.
-
-
interesting book
- By ron on 03-12-14
By: Michael Franzese
-
I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse
- Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss
- By: Michael Franzese
- Narrated by: Dave Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By age 24, charming mob boss Michael Franzese was one of the wealthiest people on Fortune magazine’s survey. As one of the rare people who quit the mob and lived to tell about it, Franzese has a unique perspective on how business is done. And one thing he noticed was that the way he made millions per week in business inside the mob can be applied to doing business outside the mob (minus the illegal part).
-
-
Amazing
- By RCLEM011@FIU.EDU on 11-27-21
By: Michael Franzese
-
The Five Families of New York
- 5 Books in 1: The Complete History of America's Notorious Mafia Organizations
- By: Mafia Library
- Narrated by: John Raynar, Lee Sterry, Daniel Winski, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In "The Five Families of New York," Mafia Library presents a gripping account of the ascension and decline of New York's foremost crime syndicates, from the legendary Lucky Luciano to the notorious Paul Castellano and John Gotti, and beyond. Through vivid storytelling, the book chronicles the relentless assault waged against these five families over two decades, a campaign that stands as the most successful law enforcement effort of the last century.
-
-
Excellent book
- By Jason P. on 08-14-24
By: Mafia Library
-
The Life We Chose
- William “Big Billy” D’Elia and the Last Secrets of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Family
- By: Matt Birkbeck
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The “adopted” son of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino, for decades D’Elia had unequaled access to the man the FBI and US Justice Department considered one of the leading organized crime figures in the United States. But the government had no real idea as to the breadth of Bufalino’s power and influence—or that it was Bufalino, from his bucolic home base in Pittston, Pennsylvania, who reigned over the five families in New York and other organized crime families throughout the country.
-
-
Interesting read about mafia
- By J. Frantz on 03-12-24
By: Matt Birkbeck
-
The Biden Crime Family
- The Blueprint for Their Prosecution
- By: Rudy Giuliani
- Narrated by: Rand Archer
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Biden Crime Family is a short, engaging description of the evidence that supports the case that President Joe Biden and his family are deeply corrupt. They are so corrupt that when former New York mayor and US attorney Rudy Giuliani first stumbled across evidence of what they were doing in Ukraine, it reminded him of his experience prosecuting the five mafia families that used to run New York.
-
-
Great précis
- By Dallas on 06-24-25
By: Rudy Giuliani
-
A Man of Honor
- The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno
- By: Joseph Bonanno
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Joseph Bonanno found his future amid the whiskey-running, riotous streets of Prohibition America in 1924, when he illegally entered the United States to pursue his dreams. By the age of only 26, Bonanno became a don. He eventually took over the New York underworld, igniting the "Castellammarese War", one of the bloodiest Family battles ever to hit New York City.
-
-
A must read
- By E. Orlando on 05-03-17
By: Joseph Bonanno
-
Mafia Prince
- Inside America's Most Violent Crime Family and the Bloody Fall of La Cosa Nostra
- By: Phillip Leonetti, Scott Burnstein, Christopher Graziano
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mafia Prince is the first-person account of one of the most violent eras in Mafia history - "Little" Nicky Scarfo’s reign as boss of the Philly family in the 1980s - written by Scarfo’s underboss and nephew, "Crazy" Phil Leonetti. The youngest-ever underboss at the age of 31, Leonetti was at the crux of the violent downfall of the traditional American Mafia in the 1980s when he infiltrated Atlantic City after gambling was legalized, and later turned state’s evidence against his own.
-
-
Guilty pleasure.
- By A reader lives a thousand lives before they die. on 03-28-14
By: Phillip Leonetti, and others
-
The Gotti Wars
- Taking Down America's Most Notorious Mobster
- By: John Gleeson
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Gotti was without a doubt the flashiest and most feared Mafioso in American history. He became the boss of the Gambino Crime Family in spectacular fashion—with the brazen and very public murder of Paul Castellano in front of Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan in 1985. Not one to stay below law enforcement’s radar, Gotti instead became the first celebrity crime boss. His penchant for eye-catching apparel earned him the nickname “The Dapper Don;” his ability to beat criminal charges led to another: “The Teflon Don.”
-
-
I spoke to soon.
- By Ductman on 04-20-24
By: John Gleeson
-
This Thing of Ours
- How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage
- By: Cammy Franzese
- Narrated by: Cammy Franzese
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A handsome Italian film producer. A beautiful Mexican dancer. A match made on a movie set and a lavish Beverly Hills wedding. The beginning of Camille Franzese's story takes on the shade of an exotic fairy tale. But a closer look at her marriage to mafia capo Michael Franzese exposes more than a decade of anguish endured in the shadows of her husband's crimes. The fear of arrest, the prison sentences, the house raids from federal agents - Camille lived through it all. Discover how Camille's devotion to her marriage and her faith in God's larger plan led to deliverance from devastation.
-
-
Great story, bad reader
- By Julio P. on 05-06-21
By: Cammy Franzese
-
Mob Rules
- What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman
- By: Louis Ferrante
- Narrated by: Louis Ferrante
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As an associate of the Gambino family, Ferrante relied on his instincts to pull off some of the biggest heists in US history. By the age of 21, he had netted millions of dollars for his employers. His natural talent for management led Mafia bosses to rely on him. After being arrested and serving an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence, Ferrante went straight. He realized that the Mob's most valuable business lessons would allow him to survive and thrive in the real world.
-
-
Very sound advice!!!
- By Ken on 02-17-25
By: Louis Ferrante
-
Mob Daughter
- The Mafia, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, and Me!
- By: Karen Gravano, Lisa Pulitzer
- Narrated by: Karen Gravano
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Karen Gravano is the daughter of Sammy “the Bull” Gravano, once one of the mafia's most feared hit men. With 19 confessed murders, the former Gambino Crime Family underboss - and John Gotti’s right-hand man - is the highest ranking gangster ever to turn State’s evidence and testify against members of his high-profile crime family. But to Karen, Sammy Gravano was a sometimes elusive but always loving father figure. He was ever-present at the head of the dinner table.
-
-
Interesting story but she is a terrible narrator!!
- By Stacey Neal on 09-22-12
By: Karen Gravano, and others
-
Wiseguy
- By: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese - introduction
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos, Corey Brill, Hillary Huber, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the true crime best seller that was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film masterpiece GoodFellas, which brought to life the violence, the excess, the families, the wives and girlfriends, the drugs, the payoffs, the paybacks, the jail time, and the Feds...with Henry Hill’s crackling narration drawn straight out of Wiseguy and overseeing all the unforgettable action.
-
-
Finally unabridged
- By Rodney on 12-16-19
By: Nicholas Pileggi, and others
-
Black Mass
- Whitey Bulger, The FBI, and a Devil's Deal
- By: Gerard O'Neill, Dick Lehr
- Narrated by: John Rubinstein, Christopher Evan Welch
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this gritty New York Times best-seller, the true story of a crooked deal between the FBI and the Irish Mob is exposed. By providing a penetrating look into the mean streets of mid-1970s South Boston, the author shows how two kids from the neighborhood cross paths again years later, ending in the biggest informant scandal in FBI history.
-
-
Excellent!
- By John L. Mahan on 06-18-15
By: Gerard O'Neill, and others
-
Wiseguys and the White House
- Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made
- By: Eric Dezenhall
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gangsters and presidents have long captured the American imagination, but how much does the underworld actually affect presidential power? How deep are their “connections”? As Eric Dezenhall reveals in this eye-opening history, in some instances, one couldn’t have functioned without the other. From Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Richard Nixon to Joseph R. Biden, the mob has done presidential dirty work, including attempts to assassinate foreign leaders, harass America’s enemies, and put our chief executives in office.
-
-
Heavily biased, especially against republican presidents
- By J. R. on 04-15-25
By: Eric Dezenhall
-
Sonny
- The Last of the Old Time Mafia Bosses, John "Sonny" Franzese
- By: S.J. Peddie
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John "Sonny" Franzese reportedly committed his first murder at the age of fourteen. As a "made man" for the Colombo crime family, he operated out of his Long Island home specializing in racketeering, fraud, and other illicit deeds he would deny to his dying day. His career in organized crime spanned over eight decades - and he was sentenced to fifty years in prison for robbery. This is the true story of an old-school Mafioso as it's never been told. Newsday reporter S. J. Peddie interviewed Franzese in prison and uncovered a lifetime of shocking secrets from the legend himself.
-
-
Absolute BS
- By Lingerfelt on 04-20-22
By: S.J. Peddie
-
Unwoke
- How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America
- By: Ted Cruz
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a book both articulate and desperately needed, bestselling author Senator Ted Cruz provides a long overdue argument against the woke takeover of education, big business, the media, and Hollywood.
-
-
This is one of top listens
- By chas on 12-12-23
By: Ted Cruz
-
Five Families
- The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires
- By: Selwyn Raab
- Narrated by: Paul Costanzo
- Length: 33 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo, and Lucchese. For decades these Five Families ruled New York and built the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra) into an underworld empire. Today, the Mafia is an endangered species, battered and beleaguered by aggressive investigators, incompetent leadership, betrayals, and generational changes that produced violent, unreliable leaders and recruits.
-
-
7326451
- By Mark on 10-13-16
By: Selwyn Raab
-
The Cigar
- Carmine Galante, Mafia Terror
- By: Frank Dimatteo, Michael Benson
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The son of Sicilian immigrants, Camillo Carmine Galante was raised in Manhattan's Little Italy and by all accounts born bad. By fifteen he was terrorizing the streets of New York's Lower East Side, scoring high marks for the "errands" he was running for his La Cosa Nostra elders. When he turned twenty, Galante was already one of the mob's top enforcers-a sadistic thrill killer and clinically diagnosed psychopath with big dreams.
-
-
Lazy Attempt; Awful Narrator
- By Rich on 05-05-23
By: Frank Dimatteo, and others
Must read
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very Well Done
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wise guy wisdom
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Precise!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
M D
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Everyone should listen to this book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The REAL MAFIA! Our Government
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
And the common belief the government taught us in their schools about the Constitution and the motivation and intent of its framers, simply shows how effective the govt propaganda machine is. We have exactly the govt that the Constitutions FRAMERS intended, perhaps a little better. First, you must realize there is a vast difference between our FOUNDERS and the FRAMERS of the Constitution. There is a reason that of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, there were only 6 who would sign the new Constitution, which was itself a secession document intending to free the govt of our original Constitution. Please, go back and read the letters written by the men who witnessed what was actually happening and walked away from it! The centralized power structure we have with all the unaccountable bureaucracies making laws without legislation, enforcing them without due process, and suffering no consequences for their actions is rooted in Article 2, Sec 2 of the Constitution.
And anyone who has ever argued Original Intent while trying to rein in govt action, is delusional. ORIGINAL INTENT can only be seen if you read the Constitution WITHOUT the Bill of Rights. The original intent included NO PERSONAL RIGHTS! These were added by the states before they would ratify the Constitution. Still it took 6 years to get all the states to agree to this new system.
And finally, ask yourself where you’ve ever seen a law written that did not include the punishment for violation? But the Constitution has NO consequences for its violation! This thing was written to enable abuse, not to control it.
That is why all the accountability measures we see Congress or the Executive posturing over are invariably just smoke screens to fool the foolish who believe this system has any accountability.
No, only the elimination of DC to allow every state to be sovereign can even start to address the problems.
Democracy is doomed Always to failure, for when people realize they can vote money from someone else’s pocket to theirs the system cannot survive but will spiral always deeper into corruption.
Accurate but WISHFUL Thinking
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.