Publisher's Synopsis
A stunning achievement, this is a must-read. -Publishers Weekly Gomorrah is a bold and important work of investigative writing that holds global significance. A groundbreaking, unprecedented bestseller in Italy, Roberto Saviano's gripping account traces the decline of Naples under the rule of organized crime. The Camorra is a network with an international reach and stakes in construction, high fashion, illicit drugs, and toxic waste disposal. Known by insiders as the System, it has infiltrated the economic and social fabric of the city and its region. A native of Naples, Saviano recalls seeing his first murder at the age of thirteen and remembers his own father, a doctor, suffering a brutal beating for trying to aid a teenage victim who had been left for dead in the street. In pursuit of his story, he infiltrates the System's work life and society. He investigates the Camorra's control of thousands of factories contracted to manufacture fashion goods, legally and illegally, for distribution around the world, and reveals how their abusive handling of toxic waste has created devastating pollution. Unique, brave, and graphic in detail, Gomorrah is one heroic young writer's impassioned story of a city-and a world-under the sway of a murderous organization. Roberto Saviano was born in 1979 and studied philosophy at the University of Naples. Gomorrah, his first book, has won many awards, including the prestigious 2006 Viareggio Literary Prize. Since its publication, he has been placed under police protection.
