Summary of Russell Shorto's Smalltime

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I was home for the holidays one night when someone brought up the subject of Frankie Filia, my mother’s cousin who had come home to visit. He was a jazz singer who had left town a lifetime ago for Las Vegas, but he had recently decided to retire and come home. #2 I knew my grandfather was a mobster, but I didn’t know the details. I didn’t want to learn more, and I never did. I was afraid of what those details might reveal about my family. #3 I can't do this. I know that at the center of this story is my grandfather, a dimly lit figure who had a different life outside of my grandmother's house. I know that the research would lead me to the source of her pain. #4 I was named after my grandfather, who died of a heart attack at the age of 57. I didn’t think about him for a year or so after that night at the club, until I saw his name on the back of a membership card.