- Louis Ferrante
Louis Ferrante is an American writer. Louis was born and raised in Queens, New York.
As a teenager, Ferrante made his reputation as a gang leader. Ferrante and his crew hijacked delivery trucks and drove them to drop-offs all over New York, reselling the merchandise. Ferrante gained the attention of the infamous Gambino crime family. In the early nineties, Ferrante's growing Mafia connections enabled him to commit some of the most lucrative robberies in US history, all by the age of twenty-one.
When the law caught up with Ferrante, he wrote a rap song defending infamous Gambino Family Boss John Gotti, and hired controversial civil rights attorney William Kunstler to defend him. Indictments came from the Secret Service, the Nassau County Organized Crime Force, and the FBI. By 1994, Ferrante faced a life sentence in prison. He pleaded guilty and served nearly a decade in various maximum security prisons after refusing to cooperate against former associates of the Gambino family.
During his incarceration, Ferrante read his first book. He subsequently immersed himself in the study of history and literature. He also learned the art of writing, and penned an historical novel, Aleesa, set in the antebellum South.
Ferrante successfully appealed his own conviction from his prison cell, a case that is cited in courtrooms across the country. In addition to law, he studied many religions, and chose to become an Orthodox Jew.
Ferrante's memoir, "Unlocked: a Journey From Prison to Proust," published by HarperCollins Publishers, tells the story of his meteoric rise in the Mafia, his time in prison, and how he had reinvented himself as a writer.
References
1. "Gotti Rapper's Prison Rap." Robert E. Kessler. "Newsday." 5/31/97.
2. "No Separate Trial in Rapper's Case." Estelle Lander Smith. "Newsday." 9/18/93.
3. "Gotti Rapper Charged." Robert E. Kessler. "Newsday." 7/23/93.
4. "Lou Takes a Rap." Linda Stasi. "New York Daily News." 7/7/93.
5. "Hip-hop Johnny." Ginia Bellafante. "Time Magazine." 6/21/93.
Further reading
Ferrante, Louis. "Unlocked: a Journey From Prison to Proust." New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
Langum, David J. "William M. Kunstler: The Most Hated Lawyer in America." New York: New York University Press, 1999.
External links
Louis Ferrante Website
* http://www.louisferrante.comThe Baltimore Jewish Times. Book review by Lauren Geldzahler. 2/22/08.
* http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/book_reviews/unlocked_a_journey_from_prison_to_proust/Gelf Magazine. "La Kosher Nostra." by Michael Gluckstadt. May 21, 2008.
* http://www.gelfmagazine.com/archives/la_kosher_nostra.phpThe Jewish Daily Forward. "A Wiseguy's Jewish Journey." by Peter Ephross. March 27,2008.
* http://www.forward.com/articles/13024/Jewish Literary Review. "Louis Ferrante: From Mobster to Mensch." by Steve Pollak. May 27, 2008.
* http://www.jewishliteraryreview.com/post/2008/05/Louis-Ferrante-from-mobster-to-mensch.aspxThe Jewish Week. "A Wiseguy's New Racket." by Sandee Brawarsky, Jewish Week Book Critic. April 22, 2008.
* http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c44_a8368/The_Arts/Books.htmlThe Leonard Lopate Show Interview: Mafia Soldier Converts to Orthodox Judaism. March 26,2008.
* http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2008/03/26/segments/95678L.A Times. "A Different Kind of Mafia Tell-all." by Josh Getlin, L.A. Times Staff Writer 1/14/08.
* http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ferrante14jan14,1,7596658.storyMy Book, The Movie: Louis Ferrante's 'Unlocked.' Posted by Marshal Zeringue. April 5, 2008.
* http://mybookthemovie.blogspot.com/2008/04/louis-ferrantes-unlocked.htmlNewsday. "Louis Ferrante Speaks Freely About 'Unlocked." by Matthew Price. April 27,2008.
* http://www.newsday.com/features/booksmags/ny-e5661452apr27,0,7611378.storySan Diego Jewish World. "Mafia 'Wise Guy' Converts to Judaism." by Donald H. Harrison. March 6, 2008.
* http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/2008-SDJW/20080306-jewish-thursday57.html#harrison
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