Noodles tells how he and his partners, Big Maxie, Patsy, and Cockeye, grew from teen-age delinquents into full-blown hoodlums and the overlords of the lower East Side underworld during Prohibition. From petty thievery and errand running for dope runners to participation in most of the rackets you have ever heard of, and from fun with the local nymphomaniac to a different woman every night, this is the general progress they make. It becomes somewhat dull as our heroes are led from one job after another for the Combination, each explained educationally (how to break a strike, dispose of a body, hoist diamonds, bootleg liquor, etc.) and with details of such similarity that events begin to blur. Frank Costello, Vincent Coll, and others eminent in this field land a certain verisimilitude, just as George Washington might to some historical novel. The characters show little growth, though an attempt is made to show that Noodles has a soul- he wonders whether they should kill someone or not, and he reads good books... A verbatim diagram, in the vernacular, which is simple but sordid to follow.

The basis for Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America", this is a long, episodic, but compelling tale of a group of friends from their boyhood to the time they become bosses of New York's East Side. Narrated by the smart one, called "Noodles", this definitely puts you in the mind of the gangster--and an occasionally crazed one at that. The book is very explicit in its sex and violence. There are no good guys here - the author goes into a lot of philosophical tirades against the dishonesty of businessmen and everybody else. And, you know what? In 2010, it still rings true. This is equal to about 3 1/2 or 4 classic Fawcett Gold Medal novels of the 1950s, but the investment of your time will be rewarded with a full immersion into gangsterdom that you won't soon forget. It might help to have a Yiddish dictionary handy, however. ( )