Blood Washes Blood - by Frank Viviano (Paperback)

About the Book

Populated by an extraordinary cast of 19th-century Robin Hood brigands and 20th-century underworld bosses, here is a true-life "The Godfather" that holds a mirror to the past and, ultimately changes the way the author views his family's complex legacy and himself.

Book Synopsis

Against the sweeping backdrop of western Sicily, in a riveting seven-year quest, Frank Viviano pieces together his own harrowing ancestral history of betrayal and redemption. His take is haunted, from its violent opening to its stunning climax, by an ancient Sicilian proverb, Lu sangu lava lu sangu, "Blood washes blood" the torrent of unforgiving vengeance that flows from an unforgivable offense.
Viviano's great-great grandfather was a legendary bandit who traveled the countryside of Sicily by night in the robes of a friar and was known as "the Monk." His brutal murder has remained shrouded in mystery for four generations. Until now.
Populated by an extraordinary cast of nineteenth-century Robin Hood brigands and twentieth-century underworld bosses, here is a true-life Godfather, in which past and present finally merge into a single story with a shattering climax that ultimately changes the way the author views his immigrant family's complex legacy -- and himself.

Review Quotes

Time International A beguiling, honest tale...A nuanced story full of the guts of human frailty -- betrayal, revenge, frustration, poverty, pain, despair.

Variety An Italian Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Nicholas Pileggi New York Times bestselling author of Wiseguy and Casino A brilliant personal narrative that captures the history and customs of the Sicilian society which spawned The Godfather. I can't recommend it highly enough.

About the Author

Frank Viviano, at-large foreign correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle, has covered events ranging from the fall of Marcos in the Philippines and the Tiananmen Square crackdown to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Bosnian civil war. A two-time recipient of the World Affairs Council's Thomas Storke Award for Achievements in International Reporting, he is the author of six other books.