Born in South Brooklyn in 1956 into a family of hitmen, my father Ricky and uncle Bobby Darrow were shooters for the Gallo crime family. Uncle Joe Schapini was a copo in the Genovese crime family and a bodyguard to Frank Costello. I didn't have a chance with Crazy Joe and his two brothers pinching my cheeks till tears came down my face (a sign of affection). I dropped out of school by 9th grade to hit the streets - that's all I knew. As you can see by the photo, I went from wise guys to actors playing gangsters. Book jacket.