Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness

Podcast you're probably familiar with the American mafia.

At least there's betrayal in popular culture.

But how did this infamous secret society come to be?

Louis Ferrante traces its origins in the first volume of his slated trilogy on the subject, entitled

Borgata, Rise of Empire, a history of the American mafia.

While there's been plenty written on the mafia, Ferrante, who is incarcerated for being a mobster himself, offers the first insiders

history of this crime organization.

Tain the show, he shares the surprising influences on the formation of the mafia in Sicily,

why Louisiana and not New York was actually

the mob's American Plymouth Rock, the unexpected collaboration between the government and the

mafia during World War II, the real reason J.Gru Hoover didn't go after the mob, why that hands-off approach changed,

and much more. After the show's over, check at our show notes at Awim.IS slash mafia. All right, Lufia. All right. All right Luperante welcome back to the show.

Hey, thank you Brett.

Thanks for having me back.

So the last time you're on the show, you shared your personal experience in the mafia but for those you haven't heard

that episode can you give us a thumbnail sketch of your background? Sure I

started stealing cars when I was a kid, probably around 13, mostly for joy rides.

Eventually we got into stealing them for parts, selling the parts to different collision shops in the area.

And that morphed into a chop shop. I ran a chop. in the

shop shop I ran a chop shop for a few years all through high school I was running a

chop shop I would steal cars after after school sometimes go out at night

...