I find just about any book on Whitey really interesting because its a part of Boston history that touches almost everyone who's parents have grown up here in some way. I never heard of Red Shea personally until I saw this book and I was a little disappointed in it. This guys clearly has anger problems and that pretty much was what the whole book was about. There wasn't much about actually working for Whitey, just that he ran drugs for him and that Whitey had a psychopathic personality which if you've read any books on him you already know. This was just an ok book. If you read it, it's a lot of swears, racial slurs and anger problems.

The book is over all good. It gives great insight into that time period of South Boston and of Boston's criminal underworld. However the writing and flow of the book can at times be....childish. I understand that this is written/dictated by a former Irish mobster who grew up in the slums of Boston, and spent a good portion of his life behind bars, but it makes it some what of a hard read.

Okay, crime is bad, and people shouldn't break laws. (I'm a father. I have to say that.) That being said, things don't always work out the way they're supposed to. After reading how Red grew up, I could see how you could easily switch Southie with Newark, NJ, where I grew up and still live. Regardless what the man did, it's very admirable when a man faces the music when he's caught and doesn't rat out his boys just to make it easier on himself. Pretty good read, and I'm looking forward to when the movie comes out.

Rat Bastards is the true story of the experiences of a young member of the mob. Despite being a book concerning criminal behavior, the deeper lessons of the story have to do with integrity and loyalty. It is also a book of broken dreams, recounting lost opportunities and the decisions that led to the losing. As a true crime novel, it is unique because it is written by the criminal himself. Much more interesting than the average true crime novel.

"Rat Bastards" was a pretty good read. John Shea is clearly passionate and loyal even when people showed they didn't deserve his loyalty. I was really interested to hear about the workings of the Irish mob in South Boston and that is where the book fell flat. Hearing about Shea's upbringing was interesting but not exactly atypical, and the same can be said for his prison anecdotes. Talking about his time in the Winter Hill Gang seems to be a pretty short section, though I found it the most interesting, and I wish there was a lot more info there.

This book is very remarkable. this book thought me,when a rule is sent it must not be broken, this book shows a greate deal of honor,integrity, and loyalty one can show.This book showed me don't matter how close you and a person is they can and most would betray to.

i read a book by another south boston dude about the irish mafia during this era, and the dude's family was featured in this book a bit too. lots of overlap, so i probably could have lived having only read one of them, but whatever. this was an easy read.

An awful book.

Intense book from an intense individual. Eye opening into the mobster world for me.

John Shea has a decent story to tell. Sadly, he's very immature and full of machismo. I suppose that's to be expected of a gangster from Southie. The book is interesting enough but Shea's lack of depth and constant bragging definitely impact the book in negative way. It's a quick, simple, trashy read. I'd recommend it for short trip or a boring afternoon. Shea doesn't shed too much light on Whitey as person or life in Southie. He mainly brags about his toughness, gushes over his ex-girlfriend and romanizes his life as a mid level coke dealer. I feel like this book and Shea have potential to be much better.

An interesting story that opened a whole new set of reads to me. This also opened my eyes to the tight knit community of south Boston. Once you read this one you will see the many references to "Southie" in many movies and books.

One of the New York Times' best selling books, "Rat Bastards," is an interesting and intense book. This memoir features John "Red" Shea, whom the memoir is written by and about, a young Irish man who grew up in south Boston. He joined the Irish mob scene at a young age and essentially became the protégé of Irish godfather James "Whitey" Bulger. He had worked his way up to become one of the most powerful people in the Irish mob scene, by the age of 21. This book shows the circumstances dealt with when being an Irish mobster and living in south Boston. Shea uses a first hand knowledge and experiences in order to write this fascinating story about the events that occurred in his life.
tThis memoir starts off with Shea being released from prison on August 7th, 2002. He has been released after being locked up due to Whitey Bulger's slandering, and release of information to an FBI agent by the name of John Connolly. He then fulfills almost all of the memoir to explain his life as he grew up in "Southie," and his apprenticeship in the mob scene. He grew up fatherless, with no guidance whatsoever; which was similar to the situation of many other Southie kids. He loved to get himself into trouble, and as he got older, he learned to love the sport of boxing. John Shea grew and became one of the best young boxers around, but when he got involved in selling drugs, he soon developed into an Irish mobster.
tJohn Shea had started selling drugs, mostly cocaine, in order to make money, travel, and to try and promote his boxing career. However, once he had started to become even more involved in the drug trade, he soon met Whitey Bulger. After his first encounter with the infamous mob boss, Shea soon began being watched by Whitey, who had become fond of him and his tough "I don't give a damn" attitude. One really important theme that continues throughout this memoir is. in essence, not being a "rat." The people who had grown up in Southie stuck to their own civil code of not saying anything when it came to certain situations such as speaking with the police or other unwanted government officials.
tThis book was one of the most suspense filled works of literature I have ever read. It contains both the elements of reality, as well as fantasy. I learned about the tough life that most Southie kids had to deal with. However, Shea, as well as the other kids, realized that they couldn't change much, and they dealt with their lifestyle. I also learned about how serious and insane some of the things are when involved in groups such as the South Boston Irish mob. Fantasy-wise, you imagine just how messed up things were, and that some people believed that they could actually live a healthy, profitable life by being involved in drug trades and violence.
tIt makes you think a lot, and I had thought about how different my life was compared to the life of John "Red" Shea. Overall, this book was very attention-grabbing, and had grasped my interest after the first several sentences. It contains detailed descriptions of the kinds of fixations that can, and did occur. From sex, to drugs, to boxing and living the life of a gangster, this book had unbelievable content and I highly recommend reading it. John "Red" Shea accepts the life that he chose and his story is intense as well as compelling.