Gomorra

It is the most devastating book I’ve read in a few years. It analyzes the phenomenon of camorra, one of several kinds of Italian mafia, relatively little known before the publishing of that book, yet probably the most dangerous one.
Saviano, a journalist who comes from Calabria, the region dominated and corrupted by camorrists, shows the mechanisms of how such a criminal organization operates.

The book consists of personal accounts of the author who, as a person born in Calabria, witnessed the tragic consequences of camorra crimes more than once, and also you can find there typical journalistic articles describing scandals connected with camorra, police actions and investigations, details of shady operations and illicit businesses.

The most terrifying and shocking fact is that camorra has become the inherent and indispensable part of Calabrian economy and society to such an extent that it’s almost impossible to imagine how the whole region could function without
it. The workshops controlled by the mafia produce clothes for the most famous Italian fashion designers, the local councils are so corrupted that the vast majority of them, 90 per cent approximately, have had to be replaced with the special commissioners appointed directly by the central government. Moreover, it is difficult to find the construction company which is not somehow connected with the criminals.

The waste disposal business is totally controlled by the mafia, which makes Calabria one of the most polluted regions in Europe. Have you been to Naples? Have you seen those enormous, huge piles of trash and waste? This is because the waste disposal business in the city is controlled by the camorra. To make matter worse, according to the book they bring even more dangerous and toxic waste to Calabria just to make money.

They don’t care about the fact that they pollute the region where they live. Saviano wrote this book to inform and alarm the public opinion. He reached his aim. Unfortunately, the criminals, who try to avoid publicity at all costs because it is bad for business, sentence him to death.