Kliatt: Divorced from the Mob

DIVORCED FROM THE MOB. Andrea Giovino. 2004. Read by Barbara Rosenblat. 7 tapes. 9.5 hrs. BlackstoneAudiobooks. 0-7861-27201. $49.95. Vinyl; content, author, reader notes. A

Raised by a mother and father who taught her early that stealing and gambling were normal and that loyalty to family was paramount, Andrea Giovino led the life she was expected to lead. She quit school early, married a neighborhood boy, had a baby, divorced, and supported herself using her looks and her innate smarts. She was never very smart about the men she loved as she went from one mob man to another, having four children along the way and living a luxurious lifestyle based on illegal profits. Since she was mostly concerned with taking care of her children, doing whatever was necessary, it never occurred to her that she would be considered responsible for her men's actions. After being arrested, she managed to "divorce" herself from the mob and now lives in Pennsylvania.

Written with insight and self-knowledge, Giovino's story is a revealing view into a subculture mostly known through the movies. Rosenblat's voice captures the dialect and attitude of the author perfectly. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL.