Review by reneelu1998 -- Executive Hoodlum by John Costello

[ReneeBrown]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Executive Hoodlum by John Costello is a non-fiction story about “Johnny” who overcomes his violent family past to pursue higher education and eventually secures a successful, high-paying career. Growing up under the shadow of his mobster, con-artist, abusive father caused John to develop deep resentment, lots of aggression and pent up anger. His family life is filled with violence, fear, hatred, and abuse. In this book, John takes us through the many, almost unbelievable, events in his life. The things that have happened in John’s life do deserve a book to be written about them. At first, they may seem embellished or exaggerated, but John was able to learn and grow from these experiences. Constantly walking the line between the mobster, outlaw side of Chicago and his corporate America business contacts, John finds it difficult, but amusing to balance his two completely different worlds.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is not something I would normally read, but I was interested in the story of a person making something of themselves after being dealt a bad hand of cards in life. John does an excellent job in the storytelling in this book, so much so that it sometimes feels like a fiction book. The narrative was engaging, real, funny, and very rich with John’s specific flair in telling the events of his life. Throughout the course of the book there is a very sincere lesson to be learned from what the author went through. Even though John went through many challenging experiences he was still able to rise up and break the cycle of criminality in his family.

One thing I liked about this book was how genuine the narrative was. It is clear that John didn’t write this book just to sensationalize his life. He wrote it because he had something worth sharing to the world. One thing I disliked about the book was a part where he was recalling a time when he was upset with a certain woman in a bar, and he described the woman repeatedly in very offensive ways. That part seemed overly harsh and vulgar compared to the rest of the book’s overall voice.

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because of how well-written and interesting the book is. Every chapter has a new segment from John’s life with different downfalls, successes, and shenanigans. This book was clearly professionally edited as I did not notice any grammatical errors. I think this book is very deserving of a perfect score because of how engaging and clear the story is. There is a large amount of cursing, which I felt was fitting for Chicago outlaws.

I would recommend this book to people who like reading non-fiction and success stories. I would recommend this book for adults because of the high amount of cursing and the frequent adult content, such as descriptions of violence, strip clubs, the Playboy mansion, and other events.

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Executive Hoodlum
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[Wyland]

This book brings about the value of having a positive view of life in spite of the lemons that life may have served us. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[Brendan Donaghy]

He sounds like an interesting character. Great review!

[Bianka Walter]

Sounds like quite the life! I would also write about mine if it was so interesting. Alas...
Wonderful review

[shravsi]

This book seems interesting. But too bad he offensively described a woman. I have not read the book yet. So I can't comment much.

[ReneeBrown]

This book brings about the value of having a positive view of life in spite of the lemons that life may have served us. Thanks for the wonderful review.

Yes, I totally agree with you! Thanks for the comment!

[ReneeBrown]

He sounds like an interesting character. Great review!

Yes, and the best part is it's a true story! Thanks for the comment!

[ReneeBrown]

Sounds like quite the life! I would also write about mine if it was so interesting. Alas...
Wonderful review

I feel the same way haha Thanks for the comment!

[ReneeBrown]

This book seems interesting. But too bad he offensively described a woman. I have not read the book yet. So I can't comment much.

Yes, and there are some other rough parts in it too that come with his upbringing. Thanks for reading my review!