Review by LaurenHaupt -- Executive Hoodlum by John Costello
Posted: 08 Sep 2018, 12:34
[Following is a volunteer review of "Executive Hoodlum" by John Costello.]
4 out of 4 stars
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What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In the book that I've just read, John Costello is the perfect example of this statement. Growing up with a lot of bumps and bruises, John was able to stay motivated by working hard and later became a vice president in a billion dollar semiconductor company. His book is called Executive Hoodlum: Negotiating on the Corner of Main and Mean. John Costello is the author of the book.
In his memoir, he talks about his life growing up. His family life was a mess. His loving mom passed away when he was just a child leaving him and his siblings with their abusive con artist dad, stepmom and stepkids. Surviving his family and crazy relatives, he was able to keep the focus on getting a good education. By being very athletic, he was also able to play a lot of sports which helped him escape from a lot of troubles at home. Keeping his head up and staying motivated, he now has a successful career and a big, happy family of his own.
When I first read the summary of this book I had no clue who John was. What interest me right away is when I read that his family had mob connections. I love gangster movies and books so this was a book that I didn't want to miss. I was hooked on the book from the beginning. At the very beginning, there is a section written By Scott Baio explaining how he met John Costello and how he was scared to meet him at first. You learn that the two of them have become good friends. In the first chapter, John is at a cafe surrounded by members of the mafia. They are furious at John's dad and is demanding John to tell them where he is. My first initial thought was, who was going to die. Thankfully no one did. I knew that this book was going to be a page-turner. I was also able to learn something very interesting right away about the mafia. In Chicago, they are not known as wiseguys but as Outfit men. I enjoyed hearing about the differences between living in California vs. Chicago. It was interesting to hear what you can get away with in one state but not the other.
The book had a lot of humor to it. I liked that it wasn't going to be all depressing. Most of the humor has to do with his crazy relatives and friends. Some of the stunts were funny and also their personalities. There was one funny part where his crazy grandma died and a relative and he are standing over her grave to make sure she's really dead. I also liked that the characters in his book weren't always one-sided. Even though his dad was a jerk he did help him pay for school. In the middle of the book, there are a bunch of pictures of him and his family. There are also pictures of celebrities and political figures that you might recognize. One of my favorite pictures was of Henry Hill. It was taken while he was under witness protection.
I think there are a lot of good moral lessons in his book. He teaches you that if you work hard and keep being a good person, good things can happen to you. No matter what walk of life you come from you can always succeed.
I didn't notice anything wrong with the book. Only parts I didn't like too much was when he talked about boxing. I think that boxing is boring. I didn't notice any grammar errors. I would give this story of 4 out of 4 stars. I think people who would most enjoy this book are people that are familiar with him. Anyone who likes mob related stories may also like this book. This book is a little violent so it may not be appealing to some viewers. I enjoyed reading about his life and I hope others do too.
******
Executive Hoodlum
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In the book that I've just read, John Costello is the perfect example of this statement. Growing up with a lot of bumps and bruises, John was able to stay motivated by working hard and later became a vice president in a billion dollar semiconductor company. His book is called Executive Hoodlum: Negotiating on the Corner of Main and Mean. John Costello is the author of the book.
In his memoir, he talks about his life growing up. His family life was a mess. His loving mom passed away when he was just a child leaving him and his siblings with their abusive con artist dad, stepmom and stepkids. Surviving his family and crazy relatives, he was able to keep the focus on getting a good education. By being very athletic, he was also able to play a lot of sports which helped him escape from a lot of troubles at home. Keeping his head up and staying motivated, he now has a successful career and a big, happy family of his own.
When I first read the summary of this book I had no clue who John was. What interest me right away is when I read that his family had mob connections. I love gangster movies and books so this was a book that I didn't want to miss. I was hooked on the book from the beginning. At the very beginning, there is a section written By Scott Baio explaining how he met John Costello and how he was scared to meet him at first. You learn that the two of them have become good friends. In the first chapter, John is at a cafe surrounded by members of the mafia. They are furious at John's dad and is demanding John to tell them where he is. My first initial thought was, who was going to die. Thankfully no one did. I knew that this book was going to be a page-turner. I was also able to learn something very interesting right away about the mafia. In Chicago, they are not known as wiseguys but as Outfit men. I enjoyed hearing about the differences between living in California vs. Chicago. It was interesting to hear what you can get away with in one state but not the other.
The book had a lot of humor to it. I liked that it wasn't going to be all depressing. Most of the humor has to do with his crazy relatives and friends. Some of the stunts were funny and also their personalities. There was one funny part where his crazy grandma died and a relative and he are standing over her grave to make sure she's really dead. I also liked that the characters in his book weren't always one-sided. Even though his dad was a jerk he did help him pay for school. In the middle of the book, there are a bunch of pictures of him and his family. There are also pictures of celebrities and political figures that you might recognize. One of my favorite pictures was of Henry Hill. It was taken while he was under witness protection.
I think there are a lot of good moral lessons in his book. He teaches you that if you work hard and keep being a good person, good things can happen to you. No matter what walk of life you come from you can always succeed.
I didn't notice anything wrong with the book. Only parts I didn't like too much was when he talked about boxing. I think that boxing is boring. I didn't notice any grammar errors. I would give this story of 4 out of 4 stars. I think people who would most enjoy this book are people that are familiar with him. Anyone who likes mob related stories may also like this book. This book is a little violent so it may not be appealing to some viewers. I enjoyed reading about his life and I hope others do too.
******
Executive Hoodlum
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like LaurenHaupt's review? Post a comment saying so!
