God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me

In 1974, Lori Lee Peters was an impressionable thirteen-year-old growing up in the suburban town of Lodi, California. The wider world—from which her parents sheltered her and her sisters—fascinated Lori. She was curious about everything, informed about little, and dependent on friends to fill gaps with the knowledge she craved. Religion was a topic rarely discussed in her household. So when friends shared their beliefs about God as fact, Lori thought her days on Earth were numbered. She carried this news with her for decades as a deadly secret she couldn’t share with her family. Little did she know that her father—her hero—had a secret of his own. In God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me, Lori shares a tale of enduring love, unwavering courage, and the unbreakable bond between a father and daughter. These are the true stories of Lori and her father, Lou Peters, a former combat Marine who attracted the attention of the Bonnano crime family and was thrust into a spotlight he never imagined for himself. You’ll learn about the strength required to protect those you love in battles no one else sees—not even the family you’re protecting. Equal parts beautiful and tragic, this gripping memoir reveals the inexplicable ties that bind, the hope that’s always possible, and the overwhelming power of love.