Reflecting on being part of the mob

December 19, 2015 7:06 AM

Can you provide examples of individuals who participated in mob activity and later reflected on it via writing, interview, conversation, art, or any other form of expression?
posted by Taft to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

Henry Hill, on whose life Goodfellas is based, is probably the canonical example.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:22 AM on December 19, 2015

You should probably clarify whether you're intending "mob" to mean "The Mob" as "The Mafia" (as the first response to your question) or "a large crowd of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence."
posted by ShooBoo at 7:28 AM on December 19, 2015 [6 favorites]

Best answer: If you mean just small-m mob, Bill Buford's Among the Thugs is a classic in this regard.
posted by jessamyn at 8:15 AM on December 19, 2015 [6 favorites]

just came in here to mention Among The Thugs, too. DEFINITELY what you're looking for.
posted by entropone at 8:22 AM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

In For the Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life, Albert DeMeo, son of the mafioso Roy DeMeo, talks about his involvement, unawares, in the mob as a child and teenager. The book recounts this narrative, but the purpose underlying the story is to explore the psychological toll of Albert realizing, as he gets older, that his dad and family were involved in the mafia.
posted by sevenofspades at 9:36 AM on December 19, 2015

Response by poster: I see the confusion! To clarify, I meant little-m mob.
posted by Taft at 3:06 PM on December 19, 2015

The documentary The Act of Killing might be something you'd be linterested in. It's available on Netflix Streaming.

I also seem to remember that The Southern Poverty Law Center had some publications which might be of interest. Part of their madate has always been to track the leaders of hate groups. There have been a few, over the years who've recanted and worked to alleviate their bad karma.
posted by cleroy at 3:42 PM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence are documentary films by Joshua Oppenheimer about people who participated in mass killings in Indonesia.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:22 PM on December 19, 2015

Best answer: Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, by Frank Meeink.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:28 AM on December 20, 2015

Best answer: Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell is a short essay on this. It's not only about the mob but about being a British colonial civil servant in India, so there are those other issues mixed in.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:22 AM on December 20, 2015