Review by LindRJar -- Executive Hoodlum by John Costello
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LindRJar
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- Latest Review: Executive Hoodlum by John Costello
Review by LindRJar -- Executive Hoodlum by John Costello
[Following is a volunteer review of "Executive Hoodlum" by John Costello.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Executive Hoodlum is exactly what the title describes: a man who lives his white-collar lifestyle as an adult with the past of that of a hoodlum. John Costello does a marvelous job of telling a story about his life growing up in Chicago and California with a dark childhood filled with paternal abuse while learning street smarts in the process.
Costello starts his story off with a sit-down he had with a few outfit guys in regards to his father scamming them out of a lot of money. This lays down the introduction to his father and their relationship. He details his life growing up in Chicago as well as California in poverty with his mom and siblings while his father leads a double life of wealth. As he gets older he excels in school and goes off to college which will pave his way into the second chapter of his life. As an adult he navigates his way in the world through marriage, fatherhood, and friendships, all while being highly successful with his career; never truly giving up the street lifestyle he grew up knowing.
I enjoyed reading this book because memoirs are a genre I typically enjoy. I especially liked this one because of the tumultuous childhood and early adulthood Costello endured before leading a very successful life. It was also refreshing that Costello is not afraid of being politically incorrect so-to-speak, and he does not hide his personality at all. He shows his abundant confidence even despite the hardships that faced him throughout his life.
There was one minor thing I disliked about this book, which was the picture placement Costello chose. He dedicated a chapter in the middle of his book for the pictures of him, his family, and his friends which would have been better placed either throughout the book in order of reference or at the very end. It was, however, a nice break from the read to see pictures in the middle; it just seemed a little out of place. There were only a few minor punctuation and grammar errors, and thus, this book appeared to be professionally edited. Profanity is used throughout the book and I first noticed one on page 29 paragraph 3 with the word “bitching” used. I would rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars because I loved reading about his life and it was very well written.
This book is great for those who enjoy memoirs or mob tales, or even rags-to-riches type of stories. For those who love the brazen and raw sort of self-expression and not a story that is sugar-coated then this is a must-read. Readers who are not interested in memoirs or autobiographies probably would not enjoy this book.
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Executive Hoodlum
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Executive Hoodlum is exactly what the title describes: a man who lives his white-collar lifestyle as an adult with the past of that of a hoodlum. John Costello does a marvelous job of telling a story about his life growing up in Chicago and California with a dark childhood filled with paternal abuse while learning street smarts in the process.
Costello starts his story off with a sit-down he had with a few outfit guys in regards to his father scamming them out of a lot of money. This lays down the introduction to his father and their relationship. He details his life growing up in Chicago as well as California in poverty with his mom and siblings while his father leads a double life of wealth. As he gets older he excels in school and goes off to college which will pave his way into the second chapter of his life. As an adult he navigates his way in the world through marriage, fatherhood, and friendships, all while being highly successful with his career; never truly giving up the street lifestyle he grew up knowing.
I enjoyed reading this book because memoirs are a genre I typically enjoy. I especially liked this one because of the tumultuous childhood and early adulthood Costello endured before leading a very successful life. It was also refreshing that Costello is not afraid of being politically incorrect so-to-speak, and he does not hide his personality at all. He shows his abundant confidence even despite the hardships that faced him throughout his life.
There was one minor thing I disliked about this book, which was the picture placement Costello chose. He dedicated a chapter in the middle of his book for the pictures of him, his family, and his friends which would have been better placed either throughout the book in order of reference or at the very end. It was, however, a nice break from the read to see pictures in the middle; it just seemed a little out of place. There were only a few minor punctuation and grammar errors, and thus, this book appeared to be professionally edited. Profanity is used throughout the book and I first noticed one on page 29 paragraph 3 with the word “bitching” used. I would rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars because I loved reading about his life and it was very well written.
This book is great for those who enjoy memoirs or mob tales, or even rags-to-riches type of stories. For those who love the brazen and raw sort of self-expression and not a story that is sugar-coated then this is a must-read. Readers who are not interested in memoirs or autobiographies probably would not enjoy this book.
******
Executive Hoodlum
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Executive Hoodlum by John Costello
