Module 7: Son of the Mob

Son of the Mob by Gordon Kormon

Published in 2002 by Hyperion (New York).

Summary

Vince Luca one of the sons of the Anthony Luca.  The problem?  Anthony Luca is the head of the mob, and Vince wants nothing to do with it.  Unfortunetly, Vince can't seem to get away from it; whether he's on the football team or creating a website for class.  The big problem comes when he finally meets a girl.  The problem?  She's the daughter of the FBI agent trying to land Vince's dad in jail.  While some of Vince's problems are not faced by most teenagers today, he does face several big ones that many teens face and would appreciate reading about.

Impressions

Son of the Mob is a quick, yet fun read.  Vince's wise cracks are fun and the story is engaging.  As I was reading it I couldn't tell how it was going to end.  The humor is fun and interesting.  However, there is some language, and some risque situations.  For example, Vince's older brother ruins Vince's date so to make up for it, he sends a call girl.  (Don't worry mothers, nothing ends up happening.)  So I would be a bit careful recommending this book.

Reviews
"The fast-paced, tightly focused story addresses the problems of being an honest kid in a family of outlaws-and loving them anyway.  Korman doesn't ignore the seamier side of mob life, but even when the subject matter gets violent (you'll never guess which family member ordered the notorious Calabrese hit), he keeps things light be relating his tale in the first-person voice of a humorously sarcastic yet lawabiding wise guy."
--Peter D.Sieruta. (2003). Son of the mob. The Horn Book Magazine, 79(1), 78. Retrieved from Book Review Digest via First Search database.

"Funny and unexpectedly affecting, this will grab--and hold onto--even the most reluctant of readers." Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio/0786815930

Uses
Son of the Mob would be a great book to use in a teen book group.  There could be a quick introduction about the author, then a book discussion.  There actually is quite a lot to the story that could lead to a great discussion.  For example, Vince's realization that his father is not perfect and may not be a good guy. 

After the book discussion, there could be a game of mafia.  Mafia is played as a group.  Two people are the mafia, two people are the detectives, and the rest are citizens or townspeople.  Everyone learns their roles by picking a piece of paper with the role on it.  Everyone closes their eyes.  Then the mafia opens their eyes and point to someone to "kill".  Then the mafia closes their eyes, and the detectives opens their eyes and tries to guess a member of the mafia.  The game leader will nod yes or no.  The detective closes their eyes, then everyone opens their eyes.  The victim is informed that he or she died.  Then everyone tries to guess who the mafia is and votes on it.  If they guess right, they win.  If not, that poor citizen or detective "dies".  This continues until the mafia is caught or they "kill" everyone. 

Then the activity could end with a treat of Italian ice.