Gomorrah
by Roberto Saviano · first published 2007
17mentions
10recommended by
15HN commenters
2012–2024first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Non-fiction account of the Camorra crime syndicate in Naples, detailing its reach into industries like luxury fashion. It is vivid and quick to read for those interested in organized crime and business.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
'Gomorrah' is both a bold and engrossing piece of investigative writing and one heroic young man's impassioned story of a place under the rule of a murderous organisation.
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"Mastery" by Robert Greene. "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli. "Gomorrah" by Roberto Saviano.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Gomorrah ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312427794/ ) has an interesting discussion of the workings of the fashion industry in Italy. It goes like so: 1. A fashion label invites a bunch of clothing manufacturers…
on “Amazon bans incentivized reviews tied to free or discounted products” ↗For those interested in the subject, Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah is a fascinating non-fiction account about the lesser-known but incredibly powerful Naples mafia, the Camorra. Among other industries, it has inserted itself at the center of the luxury fashion industry,…
on “Causes and consequences of the Sicilian Mafia” ↗…financial strength as more than that of Deutsche Bank and McDonald’s combined, with an annual turnover of €53bn (£44bn). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/27/uk-to-come-und... Another good book is "Gomorrah" about the Comorra mafia[1]. Their reach is simply staggering across Europe. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomorrah_(book) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1105956.Gomorrah
on “Suspected head of $21B crime syndicate may be world’s most innovative drug lord” ↗I'm reading his new book (brazilian edition): Zero Zero Zero. A tale about the cocaine empire and history. It is as good as Gomorrah. Everyone should understand how deeply ingrained the organized crime is on our society. They are the real rulers of the world. It'll take so much time and guts to put them down.
on “Roberto Saviano: My life under armed guard” ↗Gomorrah is easily one of the best books I've read (and re-read) in the last ten years. Saviano beautifully sums up why at the end of the article. "This is the power of the non‑fiction novel, the kind of book…
on “Roberto Saviano: My life under armed guard” ↗I highly recommend Gomorrah, a fictionalised set of inter-related stories about the role of the Camorra in running Naples (including waste disposal).
on “Illegal toxic waste dumping in Italy (2014)” ↗Gomorrah [1], the book, by Roberto Saviano is pretty good too. [1] quick fun read on the origins of Sodom and Gomorrah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodom_and_Gomorrah
on “The word “mafia” is never heard in The Godfather” ↗I can’t speak to the British case, but the book Gomorrah goes some way to answering these questions for organized crime in Naples.
on “Hundreds arrested as crime chat network cracked” ↗Gomorrah (Gomorra), book by Roberto Saviano explains fashion brands business like this in detail (among others). Highly recommend, though sometimes quite depressing read.
on “Police raids found Dior was using exploitative suppliers to produce luxury bags” ↗> My mom was indignant about it because she sold men's clothing for a living and could tell you exactly how a fake Tommy Hilfiger shirt was worse in so many ways than a real one. Gomorrah opens with a description of Italian clothing manufacturing. As described there, the difference between a fake shirt and a real shirt is that they were made to the same specifications under one and the…
on “Be Wary of Imitating High-Status People Who Can Afford to Countersignal” ↗…Industry, had to tell them in broken Mandarin that we were fully staffed and couldn't accommodate them, but to try elsewhere further South--a typical way to brush-off a problem as is the running theme with Gomorrah. I soon realized how dirty the Fashion Industry was as the Zara scandal was ettin into full swing and the workers were taking to writing messages about not being paid for the garments they made [1] as…
on “Be Wary of Imitating High-Status People Who Can Afford to Countersignal” ↗…excellent film that depicts the realities of lives of various ranks of mafioso - in this case, the Camorra, a criminal organization based in the southern Italian region of Campania - is Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah (2008)[1], based on the eponymous book by Roberto Saviano. The Camorra bosses swiftly ordered his death and Saviano even contemplated fleeing Italy, thereafter. Later he sued the very same crime bosses.[2]…
on “What Organized Crime Pays” ↗> Then you read the comments and realize that this item is not a original Prada item. There is a very interesting discussion in Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah of how major fashion brands produce clothing: First, the brand (e.g. "Calvin Klein") decides what they want - color, cut, material. They go to a bunch of shady Italian clothing manufacturers (the book…
on “Jeff Bezos’ Annual Letter” ↗…growing crops and keeping livestocks. Consequence: the contamination of the groundwater used by all the local farms. The result is carcinogenic meat and produce. I first read about it in Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah.
on “Illegal toxic waste dumping in Italy (2014)” ↗