This week's guest is a man who has lived about what he writes. Louis Ferrante was a former member of the Gambino crime family, one of the Five Families of New York. He rose up the ranks until he was convicted of crimes and sent to prison where he became a changed man.He has now written a fantastic first volume of three on the history of the mafia, Borgata, and he chatted with our editor on the rise of the mob from their humble beginnings in Sicily through to the 1930s prohibition in the US.

Louis Ferrante LinksBorgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American MafiaMob Rules: What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate BusinessmanLouis on X

Aspects of History LinksSubscribe to the magazine: only £/$9.99 per yearOllie on XLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices