Black mass vs Brutal: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Américains d'origine irlandaise, Crime organisé, Irish Americans, Boston, Organized crime, Criminals
Black mass
John Connolly and James "Whitey" Bulger grew up together on the tough streets of South Boston. Decades later in the mid-1970s, they met again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Whitey…
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Brutal
I grew up in the Old Colony housing project in South Boston and became partners with James "Whitey" Bulger, who I always called Jimmy.Jimmy and I, we were unstoppable. We took what we wanted. And we made people…
The verdict
- Readers rate Black mass highest: Black mass 4.2 · Brutal 3.9.
- Brutal is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 7 for Black mass.
- Black mass has the widest readership — 33 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Black mass | Brutal | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 4.0 (13) | 4.0 (3) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (33) | — |
Reception
| Black mass | Brutal | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 33 | 3 |
| Editions | 13 | 7 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 11651 | 159 |
| Pages | 417 | 304 |