About book Brutal: The Untold Story Of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob (2007)
“People overestimate the law. They figure that once they’re on you, you can’t do anything. But that’s not true. It’s not that they’re so great at what they do, it’s just that the criminals can be lazy at what they do. And if a criminal makes one mistake, he’s gone. Most criminals don’t put enough effort into not being caught.” – Brutal by Kevin Weeks (co-authored by Phyllis Karas)A quick recap: James “Whitey” Bulger was a South Boston crime boss who has been linked to the killings of at least nineteen people and who has been on the run from federal charges since 1995 (since he disappeared he was outed as a FBI informant). For a full list of Boston Globe articles on the many aspects of Whitey’s story, see this special on-line section called The Search for Whitey Bulger. Whitey’s notoriety extended beyond Boston. For example, Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, although an adaptation of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, was set in Boston, allowing screenwriter William Monahan to use aspects of Bulger’s story for the Frank Costello character played by Jack Nicholson. And then there was the Showtime show Brotherhood (which was originally titled Southie). Although based in Providence, R.I., the show’s premise bears more than a slight resemblance to the story of Whitey and his politician brother William Bulger. As far as I remember, Whitey does not feature into Good Hill Hunting, but I would need to revisit the film to be sure.In addition to Hollywood’s love of the criminals of Southie, there have been more than a few books on the subject as well. There are at least three books by Boston reporters who covered the Bulger story over the years. In addition, Phyllis Karas co-authored two Bulger mob books that took a more “insider” approach. She first worked with Edward MacKenzie Jr. on Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer for Whitey Bulger and the Irish Mob (2003). Later she published Brutal (2006) with gangster Kevin Weeks. While many have questioned MacKenzie’s role in the Bulger organization (including Weeks who said MacKenzie was “not involved with us at all”), Weeks’ position as an insider and tough in the Bulger organization has never been in question.Brutal is brutally straightforward. Essentially, it is a laundry-list of people met and crimes committed. The book’s style is all in its bluntness. We follow Weeks from his childhood in South Boston to his years as Whitey’s fearless and loyal compatriot to his arrest to his deal with the Feds (Weeks’ position on flipping – “You can’t rat on a rat”). Weeks goes into great detail about some events, but glosses over others. He perpetuates Whitey’s image as a Robin Hood-like figure; keeping crime and hard drugs out of the neighborhood. And when Whitey was violent, it was just business.Of all the stories recounted in Brutal, the one that seemed to get the most attention involved Boston Herald reporter Howie Carr, whom Weeks characterized as a cowardly “piece of shit reporter.” It certainly seemed to be what most interested Ed Bradley in his 60 Minutes feature on Weeks, following the publication of Brutal. In the book, Weeks tells of how he had Carr in the cross-hairs of his rifle scope, ready to shoot, except that Carr came out of his house with his young daughter. In an interview for the 60 Minutes story, Carr dismissed Weeks’ claim, saying “It doesn’t seem like Kevin would have the stones to do it.” Did I mention that Carr also has a book to sell? It’s called The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century.
Kevin Weeks' autobiography Brutal, at first glance, is an unflinching look under the manhole cover into the subterranean world of the Irish Mob, specifically the Winter Hill gang run by Whitey Bulger. Unlike The Departed, there's no glam-boy high spots or Jack Nicholson hijinks. All we've got here is the memories of a man who survived a vicious childhood with a failed prizefighting Dad and an auspicious amateur boxing career as a teen to become a particularly 'brutal' neighborhood goon under the guidance of Bulger. After a decade of robbery, extortion, drug dealing and murder, Weeks discovers the hard way there is no honor among thieves. His narrative, once you settle into it, is a revealing insight that proves both a worthy and informative read. Weeks started his career of thuggery as a bouncer at a South Boston nightclub. He was noticed by Bulger and his partner Stephen Flemmi and soon hired on as Bulger's driver and bodyguard. The gang leaders were impressed by Weeks' moneymaking abilities and sanctioned a lucrative loansharking enterprise that made Weeks a wealthy man in a relatively short time. It was Bulger's extortion racket that led to their participation and eventual control of South Boston's drug trade. They began shaking down the top drug dealers in the area, and when their hauls began to include exceeding amounts of high-price drugs, the gang eventually entered the drug trade. Weeks reveals how Bulger's idiosyncracies as well as his sense of loyalty and brutal methods of retribution created a mythic aura about the gang leader. Bulger would not allow heroin or PCP in his neighborhood but distributed recreational drugs such as marijuana, hashish and cocaine in building a multimillion dollar empire in South Boston. The Winter Hill gang's excursion into narcotics is what eventually led to their downfall. One of Bulger's top enforcers, Red Shea, was the target of a major investigation led by the DEA, the Boston PD and the Massachusetts State Police. His arrest and conviction put Whitey Bulger on the run, and left Weeks in virtual control of the gang. As second-in-command, the Feds refocused their sights on him, and in November 1999 Weeks was arrested and indicted on a 29-count RICO charge. To his shock, he found that Bulger had become an FBI informant and that his legendary hit man John Martorano had turned State witness as a result. This caused Weeks to cooperate with authorities as well. His friends, family and neighbors lambasted Weeks, calling him "Kevin Squeals" as news of his compliance went public. AS the trial progressed, there was less sympathy for Bulger as it was revealed how long his complicity with the Feds had endured. One of his key connections, FBI agent John Connelly, was sent to prison for obstruction of justice for having tipped off Bulger that the RICO indictment was pending. Weeks was eventually convicted and sent to prison. Upon his release in 2005, he refused induction into the Witness Protection Program, preferring to face his problems rather than "hide like a coward". This book is a result of his collaboration with writer Phyllis Karas shortly after his release. This is a fast-paced, easy read that sheds light on the personalities and psychology of both Weeks and Bulger, as well as the life and times of the South Boston mob. At first Weeks comes across as a knuckle-dragging thug, but he helps you understand the twists and turns that can change a man's life as he places his principles in greater compromise. Love him or hate him, Brutal ensures you may never forget him.
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Kevin Weeks’ autobiography “Brutal” very efficiently gives the reader an idea what it was like being a high-ranking official in the South Boston Irish mob in the 1970s and 80s. Credit must be given to co-author Phyllis Karas, who took on what I’m sure was a considerable task, arranging Weeks’ many anecdotes and thoughts into a coherent, readable story. It provides a clear idea of the man Kevin Weeks was/is, and, by proxy, the infamous James “Whitey” Bulger, his employer and close friend who eventually gave him up to the FBI.I couldn’t discuss this book without saying right off that there’s something that bothers me about works of art, books, films, etc, that directly provide money to criminals, that at the end of the day provide a sort of reward for crimes committed, survived, then documented. I absolutely loved Martin Scorsese’s recent film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” based on the life of Jordan Belfort, a man who engineered the swindling of millions of dollars from the poor and gullible, but would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me that Belfort himself was paid lots of money first for his auto-bio and then for the film rights. Why should this guy, who’s paid next to nothing of the restitution legally ordered of him, benefit financially for crimes of which he's been convicted?I feel about the same way regarding Kevin Weeks. Here’s a guy who stood by while an innocent 26-year-old girl was murdered in cold blood, a man who never heard of an honest job, who probably never paid taxes in his life, getting the chance to tour the country on a bestselling novel wherein he divulges the dirty secrets of his life in the mob. I mean, good for him, I guess, redemption and all that. But there’s still something about it that rubs me the wrong way.Weeks’ personality certainly shows through in his writing with Karas. He sometimes mentions people from the past with undisguised venom. I got a kick out of his one-paragraph rant about a newspaper writer who Weeks says could write negatively about him but never had the guts to face him personally. It’s only, you know, a couple pages before that Weeks is describing the ways in which Whitey’s crew would put bullets in the backs of heads after luring victims with false friendship. I guess that takes guts, huh? Still, “Brutal” is a solid investigation/tell-all about life in the mob. The book contains pages of black and white photos, as well as newspaper clippings related to the crimes described throughout. The book also gives the reader an idea of the way South Boston was during Weeks' earlier years, as opposed to how he describes it nowadays. The story of Weeks' ascension in the mob is told parallel to the story of a changing neighborhood. Changed for the worst, in Weeks' opinion. Of course, he tells you exactly who he feels is responsible, and why. And it ain't the damn mob.
—Mark R.
Continuing on my streak of mobster related books---I decided on the real-life mob story of Whitey Bulger and friends in Brutal by Kevin Weeks. This book was kind of eh. How many pages can you write about beating someone up b/c they said "F you" to you? Well in Kevin Weeks case, about 250! Long story short, Kevin Weeks was always a violent kid, and even the rest of his family turned out OK, his violent temper led him to becoming a bouncer in a Southie bar and then falling into a friendship with Whitey Bulger. I think the biggest problems with this book had to do with monotony and morality. The way Weeks spins it, the press are evil, Whitey is not "that bad of a guy" and most of the people they killed had it coming. This guy isn't sorry for much and I sort of have a problem with that. After reading the Godfather and now this, it's creeps me out that men like this take it upon themselves to be the law in what they consider to be a corrupt and law-less land. Why do they think they can continue going along shaking people down and killing people without getting caught? Kevin Weeks is actually out of prison at this point---after rolling on all his buddies to save his skin, which was the smart thing to do. But still, it's amazing how the justice system works sometimes.
—Emily
This guy is so full of himself it's pathetic. He won every fight he's ever been in, and he describes them ALL to you in vivid detail, over and over and over again. Yaaaawwwnnn. Nothing was ever his fault. His book is the best book written on the subject. The movie Departed was terrible but Leonardo DiCaprio was great in it because he coached him. His interviews and online chats practically broke ratings records. Oh and in case you didn't know, he's a genius. He tells you himself in the book. I had to force myself to finish this book. The last 20% was the most interesting. That's when the indictments started coming down and the trials began. Getting through the first 80% of the book was not easy though.
—Karen
