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The electrifying, untold story of the women born into the most deadly and obscenely wealthy of the Italian mafias – and how they risked everything to bring it down.
The Calabrian Mafia—known as the ’Ndrangheta—is one of the richest and most ruthless crime syndicates in the world, with branches stretching from America to Australia. It controls seventy percent of the cocaine and heroin supply in Europe, manages billion-dollar extortion rackets, brokers illegal arms deals—supplying weapons to criminals and terrorists—and plunders the treasuries of both Italy and the European Union.
The ’Ndrangheta’s power derives from a macho mix of violence and silence—omertà. Yet it endures because of family ties: you are born into the syndicate, or you marry in. Loyalty is absolute. Bloodshed is revered. You go to prison or your grave and kill your own father, brother, sister, or mother in cold blood before you betray The Family. Accompanying the ’Ndrangheta’s reverence for tradition and history is a violent misogyny among its men. Women are viewed as chattel, bargaining chips for building and maintaining clan alliances and beatings—and worse—are routine.
In 2009, after one abused ’Ndrangheta wife was murdered for turning state’s evidence, prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti considered a tantalizing possibility: that the ’Ndrangheta’s sexism might be its greatest flaw—and her most effective weapon. Approaching two more mafia wives, Alessandra persuaded them to testify in return for a new future for themselves and their children.
A feminist saga of true crime and justice, The Good Mothers is the riveting story of a high-stakes battle pitting a brilliant, driven woman fighting to save a nation against ruthless mafiosi fighting for their existence. Caught in the middle are three women fighting for their children and their lives. Not all will survive.
We live in their buildings, work in their companies, shop in their stores, eat in their restaurants, and elect politicians they fund. So why have so few ever heard of the ’Ndrangheta? Founded 140 years ago in Italy’s toe, the Calabrian mafia’s $100 billion global empire relies on a code of silence enforced by family and violent misogyny. Girls are married off as teens to seal clan alliances. Women who rebel are executed to “erase the family shame.”
When Lea Garofalo “disappears” after testifying against her husband, prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti becomes convinced that the ’Ndrangheta’s sexism could be its greatest flaw. Alessandra sets out to persuade two more mafia mothers to give evidence, humble the ’Ndrangheta, and expose it to the world. The stakes could not be higher. A prosecutor is fighting for her nation. The mafiosi are fighting for their existence. The women are fighting for their lives. Not all will survive.
“This is fantastic.”
