''Easy Street: The True Story of a Mob Family'' (1981) is the first

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

of Susan Berman,

daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

David Berman. In it, Berman chronicles her mother Gladys's and her own obliviousness to what went on around them. When they finally became aware of their

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

family, Berman's mother ended up dying in a

mental institution Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

and Susan endured a lot of

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

. ''Easy Street'' received critical acclaim and was optioned for a movie, but the film was never made. Berman wrote a second non-fiction book, part memoir and part history, titled '' Lady Las Vegas: The Inside Story Behind America's Neon Oasis''. Berman was murdered at her home by her close friend Robert Durst, and her body discovered on Christmas Eve day 2000.

References

External links

''Easy Street'' on Amazon

NYMag Article: Who Killed the Gangster's Daughter?

{{DEFAULTSORT:Easy Street 1981 non-fiction books American memoirs Non-fiction books about organized crime Organized crime memoirs Dial Press books

Further reading

References

External links