Wiseguy.Wiseguy. Nicholas Pileggi. Simmon & Schuster, $17.95. One of my major sources of self-pity over the years has been the resistance of the sensitive and intelligent young liberals who have worked at this magazine to concede that there are some criminals beyond redemption or reform. I had seen such incorrigibles when I practiced criminal law, but I have had great difficulty persuading my youthful colleagues that what I was telling them was true. What I needed all along was this book. Its picture of life in the Mafia captures the brutality and callousness cal·lous adj. 1. Having calluses; toughened: callous skin on the elbow. 2. Emotionally hardened; unfeeling: a callous indifference to the suffering of others. of the professional killer. What is most frightening about these people is their ability to fool the respectable world. These wise guys know there are nice young liberals out there ready and willing to be hustled for another plea bargain plea bargain n. in criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the , probation, or parole. Pileggi describes one Harry Hill, who, after committing countless crimes, was finally caught and returned to prison. Even though he was peddling dope throughout his term, he was granted an early parole for being, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Bureau of Prisons, "an ideal inmate INMATE. One who dwells in a part of another's house, the latter dwelling, at the same time, in the said house. Kitch. 45, b; Com. Dig. Justices of the Peace, B 85; 1 B. & Cr. 578; 8 E. C. L. R. 153; 2 Dowl. & Ry. 743; 8 B. & Cr. 71; 15 E. C. L. R. 154; 2 Man. & Ry. 227; 9 B. & Cr. .' There are Jean Valjeans This article is about the Les Misérables character. For the novel by Solomon Cleaver, see Jean Val Jean. Jean Valjean is the chief protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. out there worthy of our concern and forgiveness, but there are just as many Harry Hills--a fact that I hope this book will finally persuade liberals to face. |
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