Living the Oath

Much has been written about the twentieth-century US-based Italian Mafia; their organization, their crimes, and their brutality. There are scores of books, many containing organization charts of mob families, hierarchy and the tenure of their reign. But who were these people? What is it like to live a life of crime immersed in an underworld filled with deception, brutality and danger? Does one lose all sense of right and wrong, or are there elements of humanity and decency that survive even a lifetime of criminal activity? Domenico Di Natale, an Italian immigrant to the United States, lived for ninety years—most of those years as a successful mob capo and many years in prison. What he did, what he learned, how he affected others and, most importantly, who he was are explored in this narrative. Was the secret oath of omertà—taken with a bloody finger, a picture of a saint, and a lit match, and which made him a "made man"—the only guiding principle in his life? Were these made men merely ruthless ignorant brutes or did they possess creativity, loyalty, and other valued traits? Judging the Mafia capo Domenico Di Natale as a son, a husband, a father, a friend, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather it is not an easy call. Join Domenico on this journey, and you be the judge.