Review by allbooked+ -- Executive Hoodlum by John Costello

[allbooked+]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Executive Hoodlum" by John Costello.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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I have just finished reading, in record time, one of the most intriguing memoirs I have come across! Executive Hoodlum by John Costello and Larry Elder is about the life of John Costello as he becomes successful in business and life, despite being raised in a life of violence, mob connections, and personal abuse. The book begins with a forward by his good friend, actor Scott Baio; the intricate web of his life begins to show itself right away. The cast of characters that weave in and out of John’s life is as far reaching as anyone can get. These connections include politicians, movie stars, mafia and mob types, as well as high-level corporate executives. Sometimes these worlds collide in interesting fashion.

Early on we see the harsh conditions that John endures as a child. The mental and physical abuse that John receives from his father, and to some extent his extended family, is difficult to read at times. This abuse is a continuing thread throughout and is occasionally a factor in John’s choices in life. Instead of walking away from his family, John faces it head on and is repeatedly pulled into undesirable family situations. This is the part that I find inspiring because he handles whatever comes his way. John does not allow his upbringing to become an excuse for failure, instead, he uses it as a motivation to be better than anyone expects of him. He would not play the victim card even though he had full rights to do so! I believe that this is his recipe for success, and many can learn from that.

Since John did not have parents that were providing a normal childhood for him, he went about doing that for himself by playing sports, doing well in school and getting through college. He met adversity at every turn, mostly from family. This memoir is raw and honest, almost to a fault. John is not always the good guy and he still throws that out there for the world to see. He also does not make excuses for his behavior or that of others. I really liked that about this book. There is no sugar coating for the actions of anyone. He freely lists names of other people and at times I was wondering how they would feel about seeing their name in such a bad light! I also like that the epilogue updates us on the lives of people he mentions in the book.

The only part of the book that dragged a little for me was the description of his time doing crew (in college) and boxing (throughout life). Both activities play a significant part in John’s life and it shows in his sometimes-lengthy descriptions of both. I can’t say that I didn’t like this part, it just slowed down the momentum a little.

I felt that the voice in this book was wonderfully represented. I had not heard of John Costello prior to reading this but I could hear him talking through the words on the page. That does not always come through in memoirs, so it is a tribute to John and Larry that they were able to show me John’s voice.

I am rating this book a 4 out of 4. It is a great read for anyone interested in the mafia, true crime, or engaging memoirs. It does have descriptive fight scene violence - both child and adult - that can be jarring. It appears to be professionally edited as there were no significant errors.

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Executive Hoodlum
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[Uinto]

I like the how the author, John, becomes successful in spite of the hardships he's forced to go through. This calls for reading during a quiet time. Thanks.

[allbooked+]

I like the how the author, John, becomes successful in spite of the hardships he's forced to go through. This calls for reading during a quiet time. Thanks.

It is inspirational in that way, John is able to use his hardship to motivate himself. Thanks for commenting!

[Jlbaird85]

I saw this on my review list, but wasn't sure how good it would be. I'm glad to hear it was an engaging and well written story! Thanks for the great review!

[allbooked+]

I saw this on my review list, but wasn't sure how good it would be. I'm glad to hear it was an engaging and well written story! Thanks for the great review!

I was surprised at how much I liked hearing John's story. I usually don't enjoy this type of genre. Thanks for commenting!

[Hiruni Bhagya 81]

I don't like memoirs very much. But after reading about this book, I think it would be a book I want to read. John's whole life is like a movie. It's just hard to believe these things happen in real life. But, I think this would be realistic. So, I'm interested in reading this book despite my dislike of memoirs and thanks for the great review.

[allbooked+]

I don't like memoirs very much. But after reading about this book, I think it would be a book I want to read. John's whole life is like a movie. It's just hard to believe these things happen in real life. But, I think this would be realistic. So, I'm interested in reading this book despite my dislike of memoirs and thanks for the great review.

I am not much of a fan of memoirs but this one was very different and reads more like a novel. Thanks for stopping by!

[Prisallen]

I just finished this book as well, and I agree with your assessment of it. I think it is very inspiring for people who are going through hard times. Thank you for a great review!

[allbooked+]

thanks

[allbooked+]

I just finished this book as well, and I agree with your assessment of it. I think it is very inspiring for people who are going through hard times. Thank you for a great review!

Thanks for stopping by!

[kdstrack]

John's life does sound inspirational. His method of facing problems head-on is something that we don't often see in society today. I also like the epilogue that updates readers on other characters - this is a helpful inclusion. This looks extremely interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!

[allbooked+]

John's life does sound inspirational. His method of facing problems head-on is something that we don't often see in society today. I also like the epilogue that updates readers on other characters - this is a helpful inclusion. This looks extremely interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!

You are right - people don't necessarily face problems head on and John does so without apology! Hope you find time to read this book. Thanks for commenting.

[Kelyn]

I don't really do memoirs so I will likely pass on this book but it does sound like it could be quite interesting for those who are interested in the genre. I'm glad that John was able to get past his rough beginnings and make a good life for himself. Thanks for the detailed review!

[allbooked+]

I don't really do memoirs so I will likely pass on this book but it does sound like it could be quite interesting for those who are interested in the genre. I'm glad that John was able to get past his rough beginnings and make a good life for himself. Thanks for the detailed review!

I don't normally read memoirs either so I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Thanks for stopping by!

[danielleamy]

It must be interesting to read about how a child grows up being involved in a family of violence. For most , I assume they would go the same way as their family. But this sounds like John managed to turn his life around! I would not have considered reading this before reading your great review, so thanks!