Breaking from the tradition of mob silence, underworld crime figure Henry Hill captured national attention when he testified against his mafia associates in the 1980s. For twenty-five years, Hill had been a member of the Lucchese Crime Family, the most powerful of the five original New York crime syndicates. His testimony helped to put away several crime figures, including the mob boss who had been his mentor. His story formed the basis of the best-selling book Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family (1985).

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1941, Hill idolized mobsters in his youth. At the age of twelve he decided being a mobster "was better than being president of the United States" (N. Pileggi, Wiseguy, [1985]). The ones he admired worked for Paul Vario, then the Lucchese family's powerful underboss in Brooklyn. Vario and his lieutenant, James Burke, took the would-be gangster under their wing. Following a stint...