Review by Amanda Deck -- Executive Hoodlum by John Costello

[Amanda Deck]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Set up by his own father and facing his own possible murder because of it…that’s pretty much business as usual for John. His father – who doesn’t deserve the honor of being called Dad – is a mob-connected con man. John, who shares his father’s name, usually calls the man by his stage name - Mario Casini. John grows up to be a tough, aggressive, street-wise thug as his father insists. Violence and cons are what he learns, but not what he wants. He manages to make his way through school against his father’s wishes, then even graduates from college. He lands a high-paying job, earning promotion after promotion. He has escaped from thug life, but there’s always that pull. The thrill, his friends, and his psycho family all exert their influence on him. He has to learn to balance his two worlds, always seeking equilibrium.

Executive Hoodlum is John Costello’s surprising story. Often, people who overcome a violent upbringing shun the past entirely. John Costello has apparently found himself walking a tightrope between his two worlds. He knows his past is nothing like what he wants for his future, but still acknowledges what good things were there for him. While it may seem unwise to stay in touch with his thug friends, they are his friends. Even though he hated his father, any overture that offered a chance at a decent relationship was too much to ignore. John accepted the overtures a couple of times even when he was pretty certain he’d be conned again. What son wouldn’t? It takes a lot to kill the hope of a child even once they’re grown.

I like that John broke the cycle, the “generational curse” that led child after child into crime in his family. I get the feeling his own children won’t take crime and violence for granted.

I found a few errors but not many. It’s full of street talk, of course, but that’s no mistake, that’s how the conversations and descriptions are supposed to be. I assume he had to change a few things in order to protect the guilty; he did acknowledge that he got mob permission to publish. I am a bit wary of believing the work he does now since it sounds as if he’d require a government clearance. How in the world could he have gotten one?

There was a lot of name dropping, though I only recognized two names: Mohammed Ali (John got to spar with him!), and Scott Baio. There’s nothing to dislike except the fact that this is true! This man, and many other men and women, grew up like this, with horrific experiences and lack of decent values. I don’t know how John was intelligent enough and determined enough to make his way out of repeating yet another generation of crime life, but I’m glad he was. If you’ve escaped this type of experience yourself and aren’t interested in being reminded of it, it’s not for you. I rate this 4 out of 4 stars. Read this if Chicago’s underworld and the story of someone who overcame (and is still overcoming) adversity intrigues you.

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Executive Hoodlum
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