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Rebel Girl and the Godfather

Rebel Girl and the Godfather

By Decker, Jeffrey Louis

Published by State University of New York Press

English 362 pages 2025
Estimated reading time: 6 h 38 min
PDF

About this book

The story of how an Italian American housewife and community organizer battled a Brooklyn Mafia boss and political activist for the hearts and minds of a white working class in revolt. Finalist for the 2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in the Biography category This is the true story of a rivalry between a pair of improbable social justice crusaders––Mary Sansone, an Italian homemaker, and Joe Colombo, a Mafia boss––set against the backdrop of Brooklyn's racial and ethnic feuds of the 1960s and 1970s. From her basement kitchen, Mary Sansone launched the Congress of Italian American Organizations, a social-action coalition operating multimillion-dollar programs on behalf of the Italian poor. From his office suite high above Madison Avenue, Joe Colombo defied omertà to commandeer the Italian American Civil Rights League, an audacious anti-defamation organization that convinced thousands to join sidewalk pickets and mass demonstrations. When, around 1970, Mary and Joe's paths finally cross, they battle each other for the hearts and minds of a white working class in revolt. This book challenges stereotypes of the docile Italian wife and the parochial Mafioso by recasting these actors as a rebel girl and a renegade wiseguy. It offers an alternative history of the 1960s and 1970s, when it was presumed that white ethnics living in urban America were predisposed to responding to the civil rights movement with backlash and the women's movement with scorn.

Availability

Rebel Girl and the Godfather is available as PDF at 9 online bookshops. Bookshops carrying it include Bajalibros Argentina, Bajalibros Latam, Bookshop Uruguay.

Language
English
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Frequently asked questions

In what formats is Rebel Girl and the Godfather available?
Rebel Girl and the Godfather is available as PDF at 9 online bookshops.
Where can I buy Rebel Girl and the Godfather?
You can buy Rebel Girl and the Godfather at Bajalibros Argentina, Bajalibros Latam, Bookshop Uruguay. Compare every option in the list on this page.
How long does it take to read Rebel Girl and the Godfather?
At an average reading pace, Rebel Girl and the Godfather takes about 6 h 38 min to read (362 pages).

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