Best-selling author Russell Shorto never thought to write about his own past. He grew up knowing his grandfather and namesake was a small-town mob boss but maintained an unspoken family vow of silence. Then an elderly relative prodded: "You’re a writer?what are you gonna do about the story?" The result is "Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob."
The Book Show #1702 - Russell Shorto
![Book cover for "Smalltime" By Russell Shorto](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/85142f2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3264x3262+0+0/resize/880x879!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwamc%2Ffiles%2F202103%2Frussellshorto-smalltime__1_.jpg)