Unlocked
Louis Ferrante
In this remarkable memoir, a one-time mafia thug and federal prison inmate shares his journey from robbery to writing
Louis Ferrante lived in a world in which fear and muscle ruled. As part of the Gambino crime family, he participated in some of the most lucrative robberies in American history—until the feds caught up with him and he became prisoner number 42365053.
With raucous violence teeming around him, Ferrante relied on his connections and wiseguy smarts to keep him alive—until an unexpected exchange with a guard propelled him to a painful self-reckoning. Who am I? What is it that makes me this way? Do I have a purpose?
To find answers,he turned to what was for him, an unlikelysource: books.Growing up, thereweren’t books in my house.My father read the racing form and my mother picked bundled magazines from the trash on her way home from work. I cheated my way through high school, and never read a book.
But that was about to change. With the help of a friend on the outside, Ferrante undertook a daunting mission, working through everything from Caesar’s Gallic Wars to classic 19th century fiction to law texts and religious works.
Over the course of nine years he read voraciously, a journey of the mind that would lead him to a new faith as an Orthodox Jew, a new career as a writer, and a new life when he successfully appealed his own conviction in a case that is now cited in courtrooms across the country.
In this captivating, deeply honest memoir, told in straightforward and engaging language, Ferrante recounts the extraordinary path his life has taken—a true story of transformation that is shocking, inspiring, and unforgettable.
Louis Ferrante was born and raised in Queens, NY. This is his first book.
F E B RUA RY 2008 - H A R P E R C O L L I N S
Purchase the US edition from harper Collins.
Book cover above from UK edition of book. The US edition will be titled Unlocked.
Purchase the UK edition from transworld.
U.S. contact: unlockedthebook@yahoo.com