It is 272 pages long and is classified by the publisher as a Young Adult work. It was written by Gordon Korman. The book deals a boy’s life in the shadow of the criminal underworld, but it is full of comedy and could be considered a cross between The Godfather and Malcolm in the Middle. It is not meant to be taken completely seriously.
The hero of the book, 17-year-old Vince Luca, is the son of a mob boss and, like Tony Soprano, his father has a legitimate business that he uses as a cover for his underworld activities. Vince does not want to be a mobster and rebels against his father. Still, no one else forgets he is his father’s son. He is treated with kid gloves, including a great scene where the guys on the football team are afraid to tackle him because of what his father might do to them if they injured the son of the mob boss.
A theme of the book is that good can come out of bad.Conflict is caused by the FBI agent who is determined to bring Vince’s father to justice. He happens to have a beautiful daughter. Naturally Vince Luca falls in love with her.
Vince is in a situation where he has to walk the line between society and what his father’s way of life demands. For his 16th birthday gift he receives a Porsche car. He is promptly arrested while driving it when the police find out it is stolen property. His mamma is cast in the role of the perfect Italian mob boss’s wife, all suffering, and, it is said, she is always ready to serve a sit-down dinner for 15 guests.
Vince lives his life spied on by the FBI as well as feared by his peers. His world is like a circus with different acts going on in all three rings. Yet, above all it is full of humor.I enjoyed the book. It was hilarious, and, without a sermon, it still has a good message for teens. It says that you can change the things you don’t like in your life. I would recommend it to any teen.
