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Mafia Memories: Organized Crime on American Soil and Beyond

We’ve all experienced heartbreak now and again...and we felt personally crushed when news broke that James Gandolfini had passed. Not only did the world lose what seemed to be a caring and loving husband and father, but Hollywood lost one of the greatest of all time --- THE BOSS of primetime television. As 20Somethings, the critically-acclaimed, award-winning HBO series “The Sopranos” began when we were still just innocent babes, but it remains a ground-breaking series that spearheaded a transformation in high-quality television programming, and paved the way for more recent hits like “The Wire” and “Breaking Bad.” Sure, there have been plenty of previous dramas that detailed the plight of the American family, but “The Sopranos” really broke TV ground with its unsentimental writing and hard-hitting psychological realism. We must give credit where credit is due to its brilliant ensemble cast, led, of course, by Gandolfini himself.

So in memory of James Gandolfini, we've put together a bookshelf of 20 can't-miss mafia-inspired books. Want to indulge your inner Scarface? Do it "on the books," and check out this well-rounded compilation of reads about organized crime. We've included masterpieces like THE GODFATHER and DONNIE BRASCO, as well as cult classics like THE ICE MAN: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, all of which inspired noteworthy film adaptations. Whether you’re looking for bloody, bloody crime narratives or firsthand accounts from some of the most successful gangsters in organized crime, there's something for everyone who's mourning the loss of the greatest TV boss. We like to think Tony would be proud. Fade to black.