MOB ADJACENT: A Family Memoir
Jeffrey Gentile and Michael Gentile, Jr.
Take an acid trip down memory lane with brothers Jeffrey and Michael Gentile, Jr. as they discover a parallel world hidden behind a suburban façade. For them, The Wonder Years collides with The Sopranos. Mobsters come to dinner, contract hits come with warning notices, and thieves deliver merchandise and people. How does something like that happen to an ordinary family?
Blame it on geography. Born the day the stock market crashed on Tuesday, October 29, 1929, Mike Gentile, Sr. grew up in Chicago’s Little Italy alongside the boys who became the next generation of post-Capone gangsters. They weren’t criminals back then, just kids from the neighborhood. And if Mike didn’t know some of the boys, then someone in his family went to school with their sister, brother, or cousin, or their mothers dipped their fingers in the same holy water at church. Mike was almost like family – family adjacent – and in Italian culture, almost was good enough. Family is the beating heart of Mob Adjacent. A series of stories describe how the mob’s presence – for better or worse – affected virtually every aspect of their lives.
Blame it on the government. In a city ruled by a corrupt political machine disinclined to protect the unwelcome Italian immigrants, the people in Little Italy fell victim to extortion and violence. Out of the poverty and hopelessness rose unlikely – and many say unworthy – heroes. The decision to see the lesser of the bad guys as the good guys forms the foundation of Chicago’s love affair with its hometown hoods. When President Hoover couldn’t create jobs, Al Capone could. Even Mike’s big brother did a little business with bootleggers. It wasn’t unusual. Look at almost any family in Little Italy, and you’d find a criminal connection. One man’s crime was another man’s daily bread.
Blame it on independence. Mike didn’t object to crime or criminals. But he didn’t want to work for any boss in any business. He believed as long as a man worked for someone else, he was just a monkey dancing on the organ grinder’s chain. So, when criminal opportunities came his way, Mike passed. Instead, he went into the family produce business. Later, he owned bars and nightclubs. Through it all, the mob remained a constant presence as protectors, patrons, and customers. Mike’s mouth remained firmly shut and friends remained friends. But despite his best intentions to live a normal life, his sons were destined to live a childhood that was equal parts 1960s sitcom and 1930s gangster movie.
Blame it on serendipity. In 1943, Mike’s father helped a mob boss out of a jam and put their family mob adjacent for the next seven decades. Since then, successive mob members have offered counsel and kept a protective wing over the Gentile family. Career criminals became beloved family members and opened the floodgates of generosity. Toys. Electronics. Furniture. Appliances. Apparel. Jewelry. Trips. The bounty never ended. Once, a thief famous for getting stolen merchandise in the air and out of the state before the theft was discovered lent Mike his plane because Mike needed a plane.
Blame it on society. Jeffrey learned that nothing gave a Chicago Italian a reputation for being a gangster’s kid faster than arriving at college in a private plane. College offered the first glimpse at the unusual circumstances of his upbringing. Schoolmates told Norman Rockwell tales of hayrides and harvests. Jeffrey told stories about stolen diamonds and how to tell when a hitman has a contract. Meanwhile, people sat agape when Michael told stories about his family. One thing became clear: America has a soft spot for criminals.
Blame it on the company they keep. Friends and acquaintances included legendary crime boss Sam Giancana; Frank “Skip” Cerone; his brother James “Tar Baby” Cerone; their cousin Jackie “The Lackey” Cerone; and an assortment of mobsters, gangsters, gamblers, bone-breakers, and second-story guys, with cameo appearances by Tony Accardo, Frank Sinatra, Leo Durocher, Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Joan Collins, Liza Minelli, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Read our incredible true story -- Mob Adjacent: A Family Memoir
Blame it on geography. Born the day the stock market crashed on Tuesday, October 29, 1929, Mike Gentile, Sr. grew up in Chicago’s Little Italy alongside the boys who became the next generation of post-Capone gangsters. They weren’t criminals back then, just kids from the neighborhood. And if Mike didn’t know some of the boys, then someone in his family went to school with their sister, brother, or cousin, or their mothers dipped their fingers in the same holy water at church. Mike was almost like family – family adjacent – and in Italian culture, almost was good enough. Family is the beating heart of Mob Adjacent. A series of stories describe how the mob’s presence – for better or worse – affected virtually every aspect of their lives.
Blame it on the government. In a city ruled by a corrupt political machine disinclined to protect the unwelcome Italian immigrants, the people in Little Italy fell victim to extortion and violence. Out of the poverty and hopelessness rose unlikely – and many say unworthy – heroes. The decision to see the lesser of the bad guys as the good guys forms the foundation of Chicago’s love affair with its hometown hoods. When President Hoover couldn’t create jobs, Al Capone could. Even Mike’s big brother did a little business with bootleggers. It wasn’t unusual. Look at almost any family in Little Italy, and you’d find a criminal connection. One man’s crime was another man’s daily bread.
Blame it on independence. Mike didn’t object to crime or criminals. But he didn’t want to work for any boss in any business. He believed as long as a man worked for someone else, he was just a monkey dancing on the organ grinder’s chain. So, when criminal opportunities came his way, Mike passed. Instead, he went into the family produce business. Later, he owned bars and nightclubs. Through it all, the mob remained a constant presence as protectors, patrons, and customers. Mike’s mouth remained firmly shut and friends remained friends. But despite his best intentions to live a normal life, his sons were destined to live a childhood that was equal parts 1960s sitcom and 1930s gangster movie.
Blame it on serendipity. In 1943, Mike’s father helped a mob boss out of a jam and put their family mob adjacent for the next seven decades. Since then, successive mob members have offered counsel and kept a protective wing over the Gentile family. Career criminals became beloved family members and opened the floodgates of generosity. Toys. Electronics. Furniture. Appliances. Apparel. Jewelry. Trips. The bounty never ended. Once, a thief famous for getting stolen merchandise in the air and out of the state before the theft was discovered lent Mike his plane because Mike needed a plane.
Blame it on society. Jeffrey learned that nothing gave a Chicago Italian a reputation for being a gangster’s kid faster than arriving at college in a private plane. College offered the first glimpse at the unusual circumstances of his upbringing. Schoolmates told Norman Rockwell tales of hayrides and harvests. Jeffrey told stories about stolen diamonds and how to tell when a hitman has a contract. Meanwhile, people sat agape when Michael told stories about his family. One thing became clear: America has a soft spot for criminals.
Blame it on the company they keep. Friends and acquaintances included legendary crime boss Sam Giancana; Frank “Skip” Cerone; his brother James “Tar Baby” Cerone; their cousin Jackie “The Lackey” Cerone; and an assortment of mobsters, gangsters, gamblers, bone-breakers, and second-story guys, with cameo appearances by Tony Accardo, Frank Sinatra, Leo Durocher, Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Joan Collins, Liza Minelli, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Read our incredible true story -- Mob Adjacent: A Family Memoir