Mario Puzo

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Don continues his journey West and has a nightmare where he's pulled over by police, who say they've been looking for him. He stops for several days in Alva, Oklahoma when his car breaks down. Don is mildly hustled by a young man who gets an extra $10 for finding him some alcohol, and later Don reluctantly attends a veterans' fundraiser to repair one of their homes. Don becomes nervous when introduced to fellow Korean War veteran, Jerry, but is relieved when Jerry says his tour took place after Don had gone home. Don recalls for them how he killed his C.O. after dropping his lighter, causing a fatal explosion. Another vet shares his horror story of World War II. The vets later find the $500 they raised was stolen. They beat up Don, thinking he stole it, and demand it back (taking his car as collateral). Don demands the cash back from the young hustler who set him up, and gives the boy advice about the difficulty of having to be someone you are not. Don returns the cash for his car, and grants the young man's request for a ride to the bus stop. Don then surprises him by giving him his car, yet another material possession, after Don waits for the bus. Betty feels sick while at college and suffers a broken rib when she collapses; X-rays reveal she has advanced lung cancer and may live up to a year, but only if she accepts debilitating treatments. Henry wants her to do that and asks Sally to try to convince her, but Betty stands firm: she gives Sally instructions for dressing and grooming her corpse, and heads back to class. At McCann, Pete gets an unwelcome visit from Duck Phillips that turns into a genuine opportunity for both a career with Learjet and a fresh start with Trudy and Tammy, if they will move with him to Wichita. Trudy agrees.

The Godfather is a crime novel that tells the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City (and Long Beach, NY) and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia. The novel covers the years 1945 to 1955, and also provides the backstory of Vito Corleone from early childhood to adulthood.

The bulk of the novel focuses on the life of Salvatore Guiliano and how he rose to his legendary status as a bandit and hero to the Sicilian people. He was born in the village of Montelepre, west of Palermo. His godfather, Hector Adonis, a small man tormented his entire life for his small stature, was a professor of history and literature at the University of Palermo. He is a very close personal friend of the Guiliano family, a mentor for Turi, and a man who caters to the Friends of the Friends (the word Mafia is rarely spoken in Sicily).