Word: hoodlum
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...habits and mores of the other's culture. That technique is evident in The Song Dog, the title of which refers to a tribal folkloric figure who speaks in Delphic riddles. Once Kramer formally meets Zondi, halfway through the book -- after assuming he is a Bantu hoodlum, not an undercover cop -- they quickly form a bond. Kramer is not a white of great racial sensitivity, or Zondi a black of great deference. But they respect each other because they keep reaching the same conclusions -- while reflecting cultural differences by getting there through divergent, if equally plausible, chains of reasoning...
...connives in murder one, runs a cocaine cartel, robs decent folks blind -- and, when he is caught, shrugs off all remorse. His patron is a stately Mafioso (Paul Sorvino) who warns him to stay out of the drug business; Henry jumps right in. His best friend is a wacko hoodlum (Joe Pesci) who gets whacked by his own family; Henry sheds no tears. His mentor is an Irishman (Robert De Niro) who cuts Henry in on the biggest hijacking in American history; Henry's testimony sends him to jail. The lad's only regret is for himself...