Dan Possumato

Giuseppe Musolino was very interesting person -- an Italian brigand who was accused and convicted with false testimony of a crime he did not commit. Soon after being imprisoned, he escaped and then spent the next three years extracting revenge. Revenge in Calabria is a vendetta, and can be taken upon not only those who did you harm, but also their family. I didn't get a feeling of having gotten to know the man. Possibly with the information available, this was the best portrait Possumato could paint. Mixed in with revenge were some acts of kindness and generosity to strangers but some of the revenge seemed to dip into blood lust. Here is a protagonist who is not entirely likable nor entirely despicable. The book was competently if not brilliantly written and left me wondering if the system does not provide us with justice, if it is right to take it into our own hands.… (mehr)

3.5 ⭐️ Rounded up

I really enjoyed this short story about the Italian Robin Hood. I had never heard of this historical figure, but thought that his story was very interesting and that he himself was certainly a character whose charisma encouraged attention. The author clearly researched his ancestor thoroughly, and did a great job of chronicling his life with interesting sources. I especially liked reading about and seeing the posters for the Hollywood adaptations of his life, thus proving that his celebrity really spanned across oceans.… (mehr)

Very intriguing (if sadly short) recapping of the life of Giuseppe Musolino, a man who happens to be the author's third cousin and who may (or may not) have committed a ton of crimes. (I think you can buy that there were several murders in the middle, but It was quite interesting to read, though it makes you wish there was much more there. Sometimes our history sources don't tell us enough, though, so I at least appreciate that he was honest in that regard.

Well worth your time to read, especailly as it's not that long.… (mehr)