Unputdownable book

It’s such a long time since I’ve posted anything and I’m truly ashamed but this I have to share with everyone. While in Italy recently I read one of the most fascinating books I have ever had my hands on. It’s called The Good Mothers, by Alex Perry, and is a factual account of how Italian women in the Calabrian mafia, the Ndrangheta, were persuaded to testify against their men. There is so much information in it, including the many years of extraordinary surveillance Italy allows and all the court cases to bring down or severely weaken the most powerful families. While reading it I kept saying I would be glad when I finished it as I was getting to really resent doing other things, feeling like they were keeping me from the next chapter which I couldn’t wait to get back to! It was particularly fascinating to me as we visited Calabria last year, only a few years after the end of the trials in the book and I recognised things we thought must have been mafia connected, such as several bridges built over roads where the bridges were not connected to anything at all and so were useless. We did find the Calabrian people very friendly and welcoming though. We also met The Hairy Bikers in a mountain village on the toe, which has nothing to do with this topic whatsoever - sorry!
I do hope some of you will be inspired to read this book. I just tell everyone about it. I would be interested to know what others think.

Thank you, la alma, I am certain that it must be a fascinating book worth reading. For those who do not have the time but who are interested in the story, this article gives a good summary
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/22/the-women-who-took-on-the-mafia

There is always time to read a good book. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you. The article is a summary but reading it is nothing at all like being immersed in the book and is no substitute. If you are interested PLEASE read the book. It is brilliant.

I was intrigued by the sound of this book so downloaded it to my Kindle and it was a really good read- thanks for bringing it to my notice.  I preferred Midnight in Sicily (which is more about Sicily and the mafia)by Peter Robb as I felt it had more research behind it but, having just come back from a trip to Calabria I wanted to know more about the 'ndrangheta, especially as they have been in the news recently both for activities in Calabria and here in Rome. Highly recommend both books for background information for anyone going to Sicily or Calabria or just to help towards some understanding of the history and present activities of the mafia.

I must get Midnight in Sicily. Another book that came to my attention recently which sounds interesting is Across The Big Blue Sea by Katja Meier. Has anyone read it?