The Mafia Philosopher: Two Tonys

I couldnt finish the book. Every page sounds like the page before, with the author yammering on and on about this guy, that guy, did this did that, I was here I was there. Maybe I should have kept reading hoping something would change, but every page sounds like the page before. I found the Joe Bonnano biograpy far more interesting and readable. Because it was a story, not just some guy talking at you page after page about the same stuff. REDO!.... So I decided to keep reading this book and it got a lot more interesting. Especially the chapters about Anchorage Alaska, where I was born and raised. And all the stuff that went down at the Mining Co. discotheque, with the Brothers MC club. That apparently Sean owned. Where me and my friends used to party every now and then. The Brothers MC club were some bad dudes who eventually became the Anchorage chapter of the Hells Angels. But they never scared the author. Yea I put the book down for a few days but then read it all, It was a great read. Im gonna buy more of this authors books for sure, probably gonna have to have them all.

5 on the writing, I made it a 4 overall because of the unpleasant (but very interesting) topic.To those complaining about the language- that's the way it is. If you don't want to know, go read something else.This book gives real insight into the mind of someone like Tony.It was interesting toward the end to see what insights and lessons he had drawn from his life, and how he coped with "terminal prison" and cancer.Thanks, Shaun.

Well, that was an excellent read. I'm not surprised. The writing was a constant flow of story telling, it's easy to get quite caught up. The chapters pass almost too fast. I loved getting to know Two Tonys. His life was certainly an adventure. He was a man with morals. He was anything but pretentious. He says it as it is.It seems like Shaun Attwood's stint in jail was quite a privilege for other prisoners; he is a walking inspiration with his love of books. Fortunately, he's contagious.

I enjoyed the biographical account of "Two Tonys'" life; starting as a child in Detroit, through his hitch in the Navy and then an unplanned drift into crime. He was attracted to the violence and high living life style of a hood. When drugs entered his life the crimes became more violent and serious. Finally he was convicted for murder and began spent the rest of his life in prison. This part of the book went down pretty well for me but I had trouble getting into the long rants on philosophy, religion, social values, etc. As he told his story to Shaun Attwood who wrote the book a fair amount of British spelling, slang and terminology creeps into the tale. O.K. overall, not great but interesting.

After accepting that Two Tony's voice was profane, the other words of his story are well thought out and have a message of importance -in his words, "for those who do not want to be pissed on and told it is warm spring rain." He makes a case for violence and threat of violence as a source of power, the ultimate control of others. He discusses money and religion as powers to control others. He is especially harsh on religious leaders who enrich themselves by convincing others to support them. In the end, the profanity is all but gone and his thoughts on the meaning of life and death are expressed well. If foul language is a turnoff, reading the almost profanity free last chapters may induce you to read the whole book. If not, you got the most goody for your time.

I loved this book. Whether he meant for it or not, I laughed throughout the book. His stories rang true, and the dialogue! I had to read portions to my husband because I thought they were funny. I've known guys like him, I was a probation officer for many years and this guy has my respect. He never whacked anybody that didn't need it.I also really appreciated the author for telling his story with such clarity and authenticity. There are some real sick people in the world, like Bundy and Dahmer. Two Tonys lived by a code that I know about and although we had very different paths paths, he never hurt a civilian. No drive by killings that hurt innocent children. He was, at the end of the day, a honorable man, and I thank the author for showing who he was.

This one caught me by surprise. I liked the perspective of the way the writing was done - first hand, from jail. He was so well read. I would have never thought I'd be taking reading suggestions from a convicted felon! Made me feel that his life was a waste of great talent and know how.

If the mafia is your guilty pleasure then this book will not disappoint. Two Tonys is a gangster to the core as well as a soulful philosopher in his own mafia way, no wonder he commanded such respect and fear in and out of prison. This indomitable man did not break and rat everyone out like so many of his mob contemporaries and that's not nothing. I would have loved to read a post script from his daughter talking about the tricky dictotomy of how she grew up reconciling her father's gangster life and his love for her. Salute Two Tonys and RIP.

Sometimes the truth can be stranger, or at least be as strange as fiction. The reason why I say this is the fact that Two Tony’s life, and the world he lived in is so far away from my personal reality that I find it hard to believe that his world exists right next to the world of the average John and Jane Doe. Yes sure, when you pay attention to your surroundings then you might sometimes get to see a hint of Two Tony’s world, but these moments are rare. Fortunately.The idea that this world is actually attractive to some is therefore as strange as it can be. And yet, it exists. This is also what makes this book so interesting. It takes you into a world that feels strange, if not even straightforward alien, and yet it is real. And this is also what makes this book so valuable. It demystifies this strange world, it unmasks it and shows the underlying cutthroat attitude and the madness, be it drug-induced madness or some other kind of insanity. Even the occasional displays of respect and honour cannot make up for all this. And yet, Two Tony claims to have loved this world. Was it the thrill and the adventure? The way how he talks about his way of life and how he contrasts it to the life of normal people strongly suggests that this was the case. And yes, maybe his life would have taken a different course, if he had found himself in a legal job that is still full of excitement? Two Tony himself compares himself to ancient warriors after all. In this he reminds me of a tiger whom modern society would prefer to be a kitten. Is this something that is common in criminals of a certain level? Maybe.He was certainly not stupid though. In fact it is obvious that Two Tony was not only a thrill seeker, but also somebody who sought intellectual stimulation. His love for books is obvious. Also, why else did he hire Shaun Attwood as his biographer? Yes sure, maybe he wanted to leave a legacy and maybe he also wanted to give his daughter an idea of who her dad really was, but one cannot shake the feeling that it might also have been an intellectual challenge, an intellectual thrill of a special kind so to say. So yes, Two Tony sure was in interesting person with in interesting intellect! I can full heartedly recommend this book!

I have never cried and laughed so much at a book!This is not just about the gripping, nerve- racking tales of “whacking” guys, ripping people off and evading the cops. (Though there is lots of that)It’s the story of a mans intense love for his daughter, the hardships of jail, mob life and making the best out of the worst situations.Two Tony’s goes into graphic detail with a humorous twist. The bizarre interruptions into the narrators philosophical insights by strange characters had me laughing like no other book has.Surprisingly, this book is a bit of a self help book. Instead of glorifying “the life”, Two Tony’s advises the reader to steer well clear but offers first hand guidance to those who find themselves in similar positions.A must read for anyone interested in the mafia!

Outstanding book, the book is addictive as a pivotal plot element from within - cocaineI was fortunate enough to get this book on new years eve and finished it on new years day, very hard to walk away from.so well written it grips you and does not let go until the bitter sweet end.The story is riveting - very high highs and steep lows, hard to give any more praise without giving any clues away which you will want to unearth yourself.

A re telling of Two Tony's life from his own mouth.Not really much to say other than it's a compelling read that doesn't let up.

First of all, this was my first book which I read of Shaun Attwood and I have to say that the life story of Two Tonys was extraordinary interesting. Unfortunately some parts seemed to be a little bit out of the context/timeline or weren‘t described detailled enough but overall this book was really captivating as well as fascinating.I especially liked the end of it in which the reader got a good insight in the last weeks of Two Tonys life.