- ISBN13: 9780345505354
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
When Jennifer Mascia is five years old, the FBI comes for her father. At that moment Jenny realizes that her family isn’t exactly normal. What follows are months of confusion marked by visits with her father through thick glass, talking to him over a telephone attached to the wall. She and her mother crisscross the country, from California to New York to Miami and back again. When her father finally returns home, months later, his absence is never explained—and … More >>
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This true tale of one woman’s childhood on the run from her parents’ criminal activities is deeply personal and poignant in parts, though ultimately the narrative voice kept me from sinking completely into the story. Jennifer Mascia, whose life was shaped by the activities of her parents and a past she didn’t learn about until after her father’s death, is certainly exorcising her fair share of demons here, and rightfully so.
I definitely felt for the lonely child so caught up in her parents dramas, though I thought the book itself could have been more tightly edited. It does get repetitive in places, and seemingly builds toward narrative peaks that then somehow are revealed as only plateaus. I also didn’t appreciate Mascia’s moments of self-loathing when she speaks of wearing size 14/16 pants; it was off-putting and didn’t seem to fit into the narrative.
Though Mascia herself seems to have forgiven her parents for her unconventional upbringing, it is hard for the reader to do the same. Though her parents undoubtedly loved her, they certainly seemed to love themselves more, and gave little to no thought to the impact their actions would have on their young impressionable child. Well-written and even conversational in parts, this book certainly highlights the seamy side of life in the Mafia while demonstrating the painful effect parents can have on their children. Raw in parts, this memoir is nevertheless painfully honest- a solid offering from a novice writer.
Rating: 4 / 5
This story of the author’s childhood with her father, who was a small-time “associate” in the mafia, is interesting but not to the point of deserving 400 pages to tell it. When she was small, she unknowingly lived with her parents in hiding because he had violated his parole. As she grew up, she noticed a few odd things, such as a sudden change in her family’s surname or the fact that her parents swung back and forth between being broke and being flush with cash, but she just thought that was the way her family chose to live. Finally, after she became a reporter for the New York Times and looked up her father’s criminal record, she figured out what was really going on.
There aren’t a lot of revealing “ah ha!” moments in this memoir, nor does the author reveal much about the character of people like her parents, who lead double lives. It’s an OK read, but there are similar, more engaging books available and those are probably more rewarding fare.
Rating: 3 / 5
Jennifer Mascia and her father loved each other dearly; the apple of one another’s eyes. But no Ward Cleaver was he.
And Mascia’s life wasn’t your typical life.
With a father who is a cocaine addict and a mafia hitman, Mascia was constantly on the lam with the two people she loved the most: her parents.
From California to New York and many places in between, Mascia’s Never Tell Our Business to Strangers: A Memoir is a memoir that is as much about her secretive life as it is an ode to an unique family.
Mascia’s easy flowing writing style will quickly draw readers in, leaving them anxious to reach the next saga in her tenebrous, migratory life.
Never Tell Our Business to Strangers is marketed as a memoir, but true crime readers will be enticed by Mascia’s father’s background.
Rating: 4 / 5
As I was reading this book, I kept thinking it felt like a movie, or like a dream you have that just keeps going, always taking a new twist. While the author may have taken some creative license (as she was quite young during some of these events), it is clear that the story of her childhood and early adulthood are as strange (or even stranger) than any fiction story out there.
The author led a difficult early life–father in prison, family spending money they didn’t have, cross-country relocation–and has managed to come out on the other side as a remarkably well-adjusted adult to write this book. I found the constant criminal activity (drugs, murder, identity theft) to wear on me after awhile (there is enough of that in the news already) but it is a part of her story.
I’m not exactly sure who I’d recommend this book to, or exactly who would enjoy it the most. It is an interesting read, and a bit sad at times. The writing style is fairly conversational, not too polished, so it seems like you are right there with the author.
Rating: 4 / 5
When I read the description of this book, I thought it sounded interesting and that it had a lot of potential for being a very good book. But, I struggled to get through it. At the back of the book there is a special note about the printing font and how it was specially chosen for the publishing of this book, which I thought was neat. The first half of the book is about her life with her parents and the second half of the book is about her trying to figure out her life with her parents. The conversations, which were so realistic, often felt very long and slow. The book felt very long and drawn out. I think if many of the conversations had been shorter and the book had been condensed, it would have been a more engaging read.
This book blurs the lines between autobiography and fiction. It is written like fiction, but it is really an autobiography. So, how should one judge this book? Why should you read it? For enjoyment or for information? It’s hard to know. If you find the mob interesting, you may enjoy that side of the story. I was told by a friend that Ms. Mascia’s portrayal of life in a mob-connected family is usually the way it is portrayed–how people interact and talk with each other (a great deal of cussing).
I read several other reviewers perspectives on this book. They made a lot of good points. I agree that her story is surprisingly relatable considering all that she went through. In that way, this story is written in a very realistic way. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what to write in this review. Originally, I wanted to give it 2 stars, because I didn’t like it. I didn’t enjoy reading it. But, that’s not why one would read this book–for enjoyment. There isn’t hope in this story. I didn’t have a feeling of resolution or peace as I did when I read A Thousand Splendid Sons (which though it is fiction is a very similar type of story since this is a memoir) or like I did when I read Love in the Driest Season, Neely Tucker’s Memoir. The story of the parents is sad. Even as an adult, Ms. Mascia follows in the footsteps of her parents and how they managed their finances and spent money (to the extent of how she used credit cards for a time). The second half of the story is her search for the truth, but I was left wondering if she really found it.
Her life growing up didn’t seem that odd. It was very believable and realistic in her portrayal of their life together as a family. But, I have to be honest, after the first few pages, it was hard for me to read because the way everyone treated unnerved me and left me grieved. That includes the author. Her parents didn’t treat her or each other well, but she didn’t respect them either. It was hard for me as a reader to sympathize as she wailed about her life and as the characters in the story always blamed someone else. Running away seemed to often be the answer her parents chose.
If I consider it a fiction-like memoir, then I wouldn’t find it an enjoyable read. If instead, I look at it as an autobiography, then I would have to say that it is realistic. It portrays a side of life that is very foreign to me even though the author and I both grew up in Southern California at the same time. One reads nonfiction to learn something about the life of others and to have one’s eyes opened–that we might have more compassion and sympathy for others. And that is what I take from this book. The story of this young woman’s life made me sad and grieved my heart. I have given it 3 stars because of the writing–I may not have enjoyed the story, but my eyes were opened to a world within the world I grew up in that was completely different than my own. That is one of the reasons we read non-fiction, so that our eyes and hearts might be opened and it would be my reason for reading a book like this.
Rating: 3 / 5