CR 005: Sean Scott Hicks on Crime, Writing, and Redemption

The former mafia member discusses his scintillating new memoir, "The Devil to Pay: A Mobster's Road to Perdition."

Sean Scott Hicks was born into a life of crime. His paternal uncle, Howie Winter, co-founded Boston’s infamous Irish mob, the Winter Hill Gang. His stepfather was a close friend and associate to some of the biggest criminals in the Boston area. As a child in the 1970s, Hicks listened in on business dealings made by guys like James “Whitey” Bulger (known to Hicks as “Uncle Jim”), and by age 15 he was running his own crew.

A school dropout with a fourth-grade education, Hicks was 17 when a prison optometrist mocked his inability to read. It was at that point that he decided to educate himself. “Most of the state prisons in Massachusetts have a section that’s cordoned off for inmates when their children come up,” he says. “Generally, it’s tucked away in a corner, and they’ll have activities, little plastic tables and chairs, coloring books, and children’s books. I thought that would be the easiest way for me to read.” After teaching himself the alphabet, he graduated to Dr. Seuss books, e…