Matt Birkbeck - The Life We Chose

“The Life We Chose—an unforgettable story. A really great read.” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy and Casino and screenwriter of GoodfellasFrom Matt Birkbeck—investigative journalist and executive producer of Netflix’s #1 movie Girl in the Picture—a  revelatory father/surrogate son story that takes readers deep inside  the inner workings of the mob through the eyes of William “Big Billy”  D’Elia, the right-hand man to legendary mafia kingpin Russell Bufalino,  who ran organized crime in the US for more than fifty years.William “Big Billy” D’Elia is Mafia royalty.The  “adopted” son of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino, for  decades D’Elia had unequaled access to the man the FBI and US Justice  Department considered one of the leading organized crime figures in the  United States. But the government had no real idea as to the breadth of  Bufalino’s power and influence—or that it was Bufalino, from his bucolic  home base in Pittston, Pennsylvania, who reigned over the five families  in New York and other organized crime families throughout the country.For  nearly thirty years, D’Elia was at Bufalino’s side, and “Russ’s son”  was a witness and participant to major historical events that have  stymied law enforcement, perplexed journalists, and produced false and  wild narratives in books and movies—not the least of which being the  infamous disappearance of union boss Jimmy Hoffa. In addition, their  reach was illustrated by their relationships with Frank Sinatra, Marlon  Brando, Michael Jackson, Suge Knight, and many other celebrities and  personalities.D’Elia became the de facto leader of  the Bufalino family upon Russell Bufalino’s imprisonment in 1979, and he  officially took control upon Bufalino’s death in 1994 until his arrest  in 2006, when he was charged with money laundering and the attempted  murder of a witness. He pled guilty to money laundering and witness  tampering and was released from federal prison in 2012.Candid  and unapologetic, D’Elia is finally ready to reveal the real story  behind the myths and in so doing paints a complicated, compelling, and  stunning portrait of crime, power, money, and finally, family.BookWebsite













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