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	CONTENTS About Us  Add URL Announcements Book Shoppe Contact Us Customer Service Free E-Books Home Info for Writers Links Directory Mission  Order Form Sheet Music Site Designer WM Books	LITERATURE BY ITALIAN AMERICANS AND OTHER ITALIANS AS  WELL AS  BOOKS ABOUT ITALY. THE MAJORITY OF THESE TEXTS ARE AMONG THE  FINEST SELF-PUBLISHED ITALIAN AMERICAN  BOOKS ON THE INTERNET. Books Arranged in Alphabetical Order (304 titles). Click Titles for Information Concerning Authors, Prices, and Orders. BROWSE IA BOOKS In 23 CATEGORY Adjustments by Vic Fortezza Rick Caso is an everyday guy that coaches high school football, is married, and finds himself dealing with relationship issues. He struggles with the way life ought to be rather than how life has turned out. These are battles many of us can understand.   Mr. Fortezza uses football as a metaphor for life. Ah, but that is such a nice neat way to describe Adjustments; a novel that is anything but nice and neat. Vic Fortezza knows his football. He not only takes the readers into the the grit of the game and competition, but he also reveals the intricate lives of those involved.   Readers, whether they love football or not, will fall for this realistic story of life and enjoy it to the very last word.  Reviewed by Ann Hite, author of Beautiful Wreck See other books by Fortezza: A Hitch In Twilight: 20 Tales of Warped Imagination and Close to the Edge.  Adrianna's Eyes and Other Stories by A.S. Maulucci Twelve stories of love, family, and the search for identity set in New York City, Long Island, Connecticut, Boston, Montreal, and the Canadian Rockies. Each story tells an unvarnished truth about the human condition. The memorable characters are lovers, cynics, seekers, romantics and sinners. Some poignant portrayals of the Italian American experience. Half of them have been published in literary magazines.   Other books by Maulucci include Dear Dante, A Doctor's Visit, The Rosselli Cantata. and The Discovery of Luminous Being. The Adventures of Silvana and the Magic Unicorn by A. Longus This imaginative children's adventure tale is about a young New York girl, "Silvana," whose Uncle  introduces her to "Pippo", a magical flying unicorn that travels back and forth through time.  They travel to Italy to learn about Silvana's heritage, including where her family is from and how her favorite culinary dishes were created. The story employs a multidisciplinary approach to teaching children, topically, about various subjects including, Italian language, Italian cuisine, heritage, family values, art, culture and architecture. The Adventures of Silvana and the Magic Unicorn is beautifully illustratedin in a 48-page soft covered text, while the accompanying website for the book, www.ethnicfables.com, contains musical selections for children by Italian artists such as Domenico Modugno-- "Volare", Roberto Murolo--"Lazzarella" and an instrumental composition, "Canzunetta" by Frank Enea. The African Belly Dance by Sandra Catena Meet Santina Cole, a feisty, funny, irresistible, red hot woman from the hood who goes on to become Manhattan's top belly dancer. Santina performs in New York City's Middle Eastern nightclubs as well as clubs and theaters overseas. Trouble follows this belly dancer when a murder occurs at the nightclub Santina is performing at in West Africa. Santina is in the thick of it and in the end solves the crime. Get on this magic carpet ride that takes the reader from Newark, New Jersey to Manhattan to West Africa. This is the first in a series of Santina Cole murder mysteries. Sandra Catena's next Santina Cole murder mystery will be available for purchase in June of 2009. Always on Sunday: Memories of An Italian childhood by Marcia A. Russoto Always on Sunday shows the author’s passion for Sharpsburg with memories of a childhood filled with magical summer days, cherished holidays, colorful neighborhood characters and an unbreakable tie to family. Also included are the Pugliese family’s treasured recipes from their proud Calabrian roots. Take a heartwarming glimpse back in time to the simple and uncomplicated life from the fifties and early sixties in the small-in-size yet large-in-love little town of Sharpsburg, Pa. Angels without Wings by Giovanni Michienzi This non-fiction book was written with the purpose of giving a message to all readers—of hope—having the certainty that life does not end with the death of the material body, but continues in a world where we will be rich in joy and happiness. It is enough to have great faith in Jesus Christ, believing in Him, having no doubts The Angels, these very beautiful creatures of God, are near all of us and ready to help us in all situations of danger to sustain and drive us. The Angels can present themselves under any semblance, but they are often not recognized, because they appear as normal people without wings. The content of this fascinating book is divided into two sections: Part I: Rescues, Meetings, and Aids and Part II: Stories of Paranormal Events. Antonio and the Electric Scream by Sandra Meucci Antonio Meucci represents an unlikely story in American history. Having come of age in Florence, Italy, he immigrated to America by way of Cuba, where he lived for many years and where he worked with the Italian Opera Company. Familiar with telegraphy, wherein intelligence (information) was being transmitted through a wire, he proposed to transmit human voice through the same type of wire. Having come to New York, and having established several kinds of business, he experimented with his telettrofono (electric phone). Satisfied with the results of having transmitted voice intelligence from one end to the other end of copper wire, Meucci applied for a patent and received a caveat instead. A. Graham Bell, however, received a patent for a similar invention. Now, finally, after more than 160 years, Meucci is being vindicated: 1) A Silver and Bronze Medal were struck by The Italian American Bicentennial Society. 2. The Meucci-Garibaldi Museum has been established in New York. 3. The US Postal Services has published a commemorative stamp, and, 4. The 107th Congress of the United States resolved to recognize Meucci as the inventor of the telephone. Antonino's Niche by Letizia De Rosa  A fine example of historical fiction, this book is based on the author's father growing up in Italy and experiencing World War II and Italy as an occupied territory. It is the story of Sorrento and the life there of tradition and duty. It is about the beauty of passion and living with the wind under your wings and the scent of oranges and the fresh sea air at your nostrils. It is the story of success when it is least expected. This is the story of any migrant father and for this reason is dedicated to all migrants.          Other titles by the author: Conversations with My Mother, Oh My God, I           Might Have to Smile Art of the Monologue: 52 Monologues They Haven't Heard Yet by Frank Catalano    This unique collection of original monologues classified by Age, Gender and Genre is a useful resource for acting students with its wide selection of fresh audition material. In addition, the monologues can be performed collectively as an ensemble piece. The book’s author, Frank Catalano, states: “I wanted to create a book that could be used in the classroom for specific acting goals, as a source of auditions and equally as a source of performance material for students. Most acting students hate to perform monologues; this book will give them new insight about how to create distinctive choices, have a more meaningful creation of their characters, and ultimately communicate those choices to an audience more effectively.” Atsa Mi Paese by Victor Mazzarella Victor Mazzarella's fascinating memoir offers readers an expansive view of an Italian couple's lives as they come to America in the early twentieth century, raise a family in Massachusetts, and eventually settle in southern California. The author presents heartfelt portraits of his parents, who preached the gospel of strength of character and hard work to their children. Mamma and Papa struggle against financial nightmare, holding their family together and showing them the joys of a simple, self-sufficient life. In his later years, Mr. Mazzarella frequently looks back wistfully at the innocent pleasures of those days, which disappeared during World War II and the following decades, never to return. In this warm tribute to his parents and family life, Mazzarella's narrative creates a focal point for the examination of the American spirit in its very highest manifestation. At the Hearth of the Devil's Laird by Luigi Monteferrante Canada’s greatest unknown composer, Maddalo McCannuck makes his living by digging holes in the ground at the archaeological site of the Devil’s Lair, in Italy. After twenty years of passionate studies, Mad McCannuck finds himself alone, his wife gone, no friends, thousands of old records and a handful of debris. Until one day, the unexpected happens. A daughter born of his one great love, a college girl whose existence was a secret, comes looking for her dad. McCannuck is not himself. Is he prepared to dig up the past? Can he reveal himself, show her what he really is: a mad composer, an idealist, a loner, a loser? Must he become the enchanting story-teller of the devil’s lair? While piecing together the scattered fragments of a mosaic, his past, McCannuck struggles to find his greatest treasure: a family, a home... Alzheimer's Disease by Virginia Violante Malachowski This informative text was written to enlighten the public and dispel the many myths associated with this serious disorder.   The author's experience as a caregiver to her mother during the time of her affliction with this devastating disease is both informative and inspirational.  The book  provides the reader with a wealth of information and answers to key questions for anyone caring for those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. Bad Times Good People by Walter Wolff Walter Wolff tells the neglected story of how the Italian people courageously expressed their basic humanity and goodness despite the Nazi opposition. Walter's youthful innocence died during the rioting of Kristallnacht. After an unlikely release from Dachau, his family fled to Italy.  There he survived time and again because of the willingness of strangers to risk their lives on his behalf. Now living in New York, Walter is much sought after lecturer on the Holocaust.  His survival in Italy taught him what is his closing refrain after every speech.  " You should love thy neighbor as thyself." Through all his travels Mr. Wolff kept a remarkable collection of photographs and official documents which give his narrative  a chilling sense of reality.  Baltimore's Own Little Italy Artist by Tony DeSales "From Baltimore's Own Little Italy Artist - The Artwork of Tony DeSales, one gets a sense of the special character of communities and neighborhoods in and around Baltimore -- Little Italy, Fells Point, Annapolis, Washington, D.C. The drawings, accompanied by rich historical text, depict the special architecture of neighborhoods, houses, churches, and a variety of institutions, as well as life on the water. The book serves as a valuable resource to anyone wanting to gain a full appreciation of life in Baltimore and its surrounding areas." --Freeman Hrabowski, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County-- Barinelli's War by Gene Basilici In this military thriller, the fate of twenty thousand Americans depends on a single company of GIs led by a teenager during the Korean War.   The Korean War rages in Southeast Asia. Every night the North Koreans hurl themselves against the outnumbered Americans who hold the Pusan Perimeter, and every night the overextended defenders are thinned even more. A quarter-million Chinese secretly infiltrate the mountain passes and surround the Americans with orders to annihilate them all. The only escape route is along a narrow road past the Chosin Reservoir through the Funchilin Pass to Hungnam and safety. The Funchilin must be held. But when Barinelli’s company commander suddenly disappears, the survival of over twenty thousand men falls on him. With fewer than two hundred men under his command, Barinelli faces the pressures of leadership in battle. More importantly, he learns of faithlessness and heroism and the inner gauntlet each soldier must pass through to survive. Hunting With Tigers is another of the author's fascinating military stories.  This realistic and fast-paced Vietnam War novel is available through Diesel  e Books. Between Courses: A Culinary Love Story by Karla Clark Karla Clark’s delicious first novel takes on the enduring themes of family, food and love. Filled with dozens of rustic Italian recipes, this funny and touching love story offers a peek into the lives of a spirited Italian-American family of “foodies.” Sabina Giovanotti, waitress by day and aunt extraordinaire by night, is forty, single, and still living above her family’s folksy café in Chicago’s Little Italy. Sandwiched between four sisters, all happily married with children, and her mother and aunt, both cooks at the café, Sabina is trying to come to terms with the fact that her life didn’t turn out as planned. She was supposed to marry her childhood sweetheart Vito Salina and run her family’s café with him. But a tragic accident ripped Vito from her life...one week before the wedding...leaving Sabina stuck in neutral, waiting for the next course of her life. Eighteen years later, it’s brash, red-headed Aunt Lina who propels Sabina into overdrive and helps her to discover all the wonderful life there is between appetizers and dessert. Pull up a stool, tuck in your napkin, and enjoy a delicious treat. Other books by the author: Knotted Pearls and Other Stories, Anne's Heaven. Between Troy & Florence by Frank Salvidio This inspiring text consists of original poems and translations, spanning from Homer to Dante. As the title is meant to suggest, the poems embody variations on classical themes which run as continuous threads throughout the fabric of Western culture—with roots extending back into ancient Egypt.  Included in this selection is an extended dramatic poem,“The Death of Achilleus,” on the Homeric figure; brief lyrics modeled after Sappho on erotic themes; “A Litany” based on the Egyptian myths of Isis and Osiris; and translations from Dante (drawn from La Vita Nuova, the Commedia and various love poems) and St. Francis of Assisi (The Canticle of the sun”)—the culmination of spiritual vision. To obtain more information or to purchase this book or other publications translated by Mr. Salvidio (Dante: Inferno, The Vita Nuova of Dante Alighieri, and "Sappho Says..." Poems and Fragments of Sappho of Lesbos, please e-mail the author at onthelock@surfglobal.net. Beyond Bagheria by E. P. Vallone Beyond Bagheria, a fascinating narrative selected from the Sons of Italy National Book Club, has garnered rave reviews. “Visual, dramatic, riveting, suspenseful..." are only some of the many commentary remarks readers have made about E. P. Vallone’s first work of historical fiction  depicting the brutal and heartless lynching of innocent Italian American immigrants in New Orleans. In 1918, the Spanish Flu wreaks havoc on the life of a Sicilian girl. Orphaned in Bagheria, Sicily, with few prospects for a bright future, Isabella Zanni accepts an offer of marriage that takes her first to New Jersey and then to New Orleans. She is barely settled in New Orleans when she and her family are caught in a conspiracy that is a vortex of greed, power, and prejudice. In the end, after much heartache and suffering, the immigrant Isabella learns her dreams are very much different from the reality of life in America. Beyond The Tether by Bruno G. Botti "Fourth dimensional powers and magical bonding unite Alpha George Staves and his husky, Tasha—their adventures will leave you on the edge of your seat as you are left to figure out what is fact and what is fiction. Bruno G. Botti provides new and compelling insights into one of God's most beloved and faithful creations. Beyond the Tether will leave a lasting imprint in your heart; it is a riveting, sometimes heart-breaking, reminder of the bond between man and his dog." Blood on the Street by Charles Gasparino  A riveting account of the Wall Street scam in which ordinary investors lost literally billions of dollars -- in many cases their life savings -- in one of the greatest deceptions ever, by the crack reporter who broke the original story. This fast-paced narrative is the definitive book on the financial debacle that affected millions of Americans. Drawing on his research and interviews with industry insiders, Gasparino takes readers into the back rooms of Wall Street's top investment firms and captures the outsize personalities of three key players: Salomon Smith Barney's Jack Grubman, a braggart with one of the largest salaries on Wall Street; Merrill Lynch's Henry Blodget, the Yale graduate who hyped his way to the top of the research pyramid; and Morgan Stanley's Mary Meeker, the "Queen of the Internet," who foresaw the market catastrophe but gave in to the pressures Blood on the Street shows how regulators, like former SEC chairman Arthur Levitt, allowed the deceptive practices to fester and grow during the 1990s bubble, leaving the door open for a then- little-known attorney general from New York State to step in and make his mark by holding Wall Street accountable. Gasparino's book provides readers with the first major account of Spitzer's rise to prominence, detailing how the attorney general pursued key players to build his case against Wall Street, including his shifting allegiance to the powerful New York Stock Exchange chairman Richard Grasso. Bocce A Sport For Everyone by Rico C. Daniele Within the pages of this book you will find a history of Bocce,  both ancient and modern. The construction of a court and the right equipment required is discussed as well as numerous tips for playing and excelling at the sport. Official rules and regulations for everyday and championship play are included. This book is a valuable reference guide to resources in the United States and foreign countries for the sport of Bocce. The volume concludes with a photo section and miscellaneous treats from the author. Born to Create by Dr. Rosalie H. Contino Born to Create is an inspirational autobiography chronicling Dr. Rosalie H. Contino's professional transition from successful seventh-grade English teacher to a newfound career in the arts. While most forty-year-old professionals are busy building upon the foundation that several years of hard work produced, Contino made the bold decision to quench the burning desire within to pursue the passion to create. Enjoying her creative careers as a costume designer, costume historian, playwright, and lecturer, Contino provides hope and a blueprint for those considering making the foray into the unknown and sometimes scary realm of the future. Written in a comfortable, conversational manner, Born to Create maintains a swift tempo while consistently providing an inspirational message for those harboring unrealized ambitions. Brazzà, A Life for Africa by Maria Petringa This fascinating true-life adventure takes the reader on a journey from Papal Rome, to Belle-Epoque Paris, to French Colonial Africa. Brazza, A Life for Africa tells the story of  Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, a European explorer, colonial governor, and human rights investigator.  He gave his life trying to expose the abuse and torture of enslaved African workers in the rubber-producing regions of Congo, Gabon, and elsewhere in equatorial Africa. From Brazza's early explorations, his diplomatic encounters with African tribal chiefs, and his studies of the daily life, flora, and fauna of central Africa, to his investigation of the torture scandals of 1905, Brazza, A Life for Africa contains numerous parallels to today's events. Brazza, A Life for Africa is the first English-language biography of a man who lived an extraordinary life.  A nobleman, a naval cadet, an explorer, a glamorous idol to 19th-century Parisians, and a colonial governor, Brazza was also a husband, father, and friend.   By turns thrilling, romantic, and tragic, his story blends exotic adventures with all-too-human emotions and experiences. Bread Upon the Water: Correspondence as Life history of a Sicilian Family by Arlene La Rocca Maresca   The letters start in 1902 and continue until 1946. Grandpa's father, Luigi, died in 1939. Grandpa's brothers continued the correspondence. These letters tell a story, which I have tried to relate. They span the Depression, World War I, chronicle a devastating earthquake in addition to the personal history of the Foti family. The central theme that comes through all these letters is one of familial love and affection. The phrasing and how Luigi expresses these feelings is truly poignant. It gives you a real picture of what type of person he was--intelligent, highly organized and methodical, yet sentimental and charitable to all. By the end of my translations I felt as if I knew him. How fortunate that my grandfather saved his letters. I hope this book gives readers some insight into a time gone by. A gentler, slower time when writing was an art and true feelings were expressed.                         -From the Forward to Bread Upon the Water-- To obtain more information or to purchase this book e-mail the author at alarmbklyn@aol.com Breaking Open: Reflection On Italian  American Women's Writing Edited By Mary Ann  Mannino & Justin Vitello This book, a collection of 12 essays by Italian American women authors, includes the writings of Helen Barolini, Diane Di Prima, Rita Ciresi, Louise DeSalvo, Mary Cappello, and Carol Maso.  Each writer talks about her work and in what ways being an Italian American influenced her writing. The text contains essays by leading authors in the field of Italian American literature, well-known scholars such as Fred Gardaphe, Mary Jo Bona, Edivige Giunta and Justin Vitiello. The Bridge of Lover’s Retreat by Louis W. Barta Raised on the ancient Code of Chivalry, young Vincenzo Nicholetti joins the Marine Corps and fights in Viet Nam, where he soon learns that he has natural abilities for soldiering.  Accumulating numerous awards for bravery and courage, he returns home to Providence RI, but experiences restlessness and difficulty readjusting to civilian life. Relocating to rural Maine, he attempts to live a peaceful and a relaxing life style; instead he encounters ethnic discrimination and danger. A unique set of circumstances follow, steering Vincenzo into adventure, wealth, romance, and heartbreak. Dealing successfully with these challenges, he eventually returns home to Providence. In Providence, Vincenzo’s quest to do God’s work through chivalrous deeds leads to serious consequences. Because of his actions, he becomes the sworn enemy of government agents who seek him out and try, in vain, to prosecute him. Tensions intensify. Ultimately by deceit and foul play, the FBI claims success in eliminating Vincenzo. Their devious victory, however, only serves to elevate Vincenzo to the status of a genuine hero and knight in the hearts and mind of conscientious men and women. Even some of the federal agents are deeply moved by Vincenzo’s moral fiber and dedication to justice. The Bridge of Lover’s Retreat is a controversial and unique story, guaranteed to evoke strong emotions. The novel contains violence, military abrasive language, and some adult situations. The author recommends it for mature readers.                                                   * * * "The Marian Era of Peace," “The Holy Shroud of Turin,” “The Three Days of Darkness,” and "The Rise and Demise of Antichrist" are four informative religious booklets available through the author. Those wishing to purchase or to obtain further information about Louis Barta's writings are requested to visit his website at http://members.toast.net/louisbarta. A Brief History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa by Professor Piero Pierotti with English Translation by Gary Feuerstein A Brief History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is about 26,500 words, includes 40 images, graphics and details of the tower. This history covers the 830 years since the initiation of construction in 1173. It resolves the question of the Architect, expands the meaning and architectural context of the Tower, develops the circumstances the led to the absurdity of the lean, and elaborates on the foibles surrounding the efforts to correct the lean, including a blunder in 1995 under the supervision of a team of “world renowned experts” that very nearly toppled the fragile structure. The professor also provides first hand insight to the events leading to the close of the Tower in 1990, its turbulent recovery over an 11 year period, and the events and characters that contributed to the success of the corrective measures to save the Tower. This unique engineering history is written by one who is well qualified to interpret the importance of the Tower historically, architecturally, and culturally on both a local and international level. Among his other academic publications, this is the professor’s second book on the Tower, the first one entitled, How not to Save the Tower”, set the tone for a decade of ultimately successful renovations.   Brier Hill, USA by Tony Trolio as told to Michael N. Varveris Trioli’s first book was released in 2001 and sold nearly 3500 copies. Brier Hill is located on the north westside of Youngstown, a section known as “Little Italy” from 1915 to the mid 60's. At its peak in the fifties, Brier Hill was home to nearly 10,000 Italian immigrants. The area produced many businessmen, doctors, lawyers, policemen and outstanding citizens. Although not many residents reside there presently, Brier Hill was always a very close section and remains so today. Former residents keep the spirit of the Italian neighborhood alive by celebrating an annually Italian festival ( the last festival was attended by 15,000), social events, and funds raisers. Here is the intimate and nostalgic story of the people and places of Brier Hill’s “Little Italy.” Brier Hill, USA: The Sequel by Tony Trolio and edited by Michael N. Varveris  This sequel was released June 13th, 2004 and sold 200 copies in three days. With stories from 60 families, this nonfiction paperback is much larger than the first book and contains over 120 photos.  Read the enjoyable stories from those who lived and grew up in Brier Hill, the first Italian immigrant community in the Mahoning Valley--a special place with special people.      Bringing In The Hay by David A. Asson A fascinating and  nostalgic history of old time hay-stacking focusing on the captivating apparatus fashioned to 'put it up loose' - i.e., the pre-hay baler days. The project took seven years of research, writing and learning. The first completion date - sometime in 2001- turned out to be the starting date. The book is 8 ½ x 11 inches perfect bound format with 124 pages and over 300 color and B & W photos. A key feature of the book is a study of the many derricks used to stack hay and why different models were favored in various locales throughout the West. The author drove over 20,000 miles through twelve western states collecting data and shooting stunning photographs of what became seventeen ways in four major categories to stack hay. Broken by Thomas L. Hayden Broken does more than open your mental windows of thought, insight or reason. It can direct and deliver you beyond the doors that have been keeping you from your hopes and dreams. You are invited to join the author on a journey that is analytical, allegorical and atypical of anything you may have read before.  This book can easily become part of your future conversations as well your best friend as you observe Thomas Hayden’s exceptional traits and characteristics during his life story. Enjoy the journey. Bucket of Blood, The Ragman's War by R. S. Sukle “Bucket of Blood” is what a coal town was called when bloodshed occurred to establish a worker’s union. During the 1927–1928 strike in the western Pennsylvania coalfields, Russellton became known as such a place. This area employed many Italian immigrant workers.  In an effort to break the strike, special Coal and Iron Police were brought into the area to evict the mine families from their company houses. These men imposed unconstitutional restrictions to harass the people and keep out relief workers and organizers. It was a time of brutal beatings, rape, and murder. Without union representation, the workers were constantly exploited. The miner had only one weapon, the strike. Bucket of Blood: The Ragman’s War chronicles the depravation and indignities suffered by the families in the Russellton camps during the strike. Author R.S. Sukle explores the glimmers of hope appearing through relief efforts by the sons of a local farmer who become union activists. Caddy Daze – A Teen’s Odyssey Across the 1970s by Jim Talantis Chido This funny, iconoclastic memoir begins by recalling the summers the members of The Clique toted golf bags at a country club in Westchester, New York. One minute you encounter crazed golfers throwing clubs, the next rival rockers and disco babies drag-racing. The scenes are fueled by classic rock and the humor we reveled in. The language is often raw, punctuated by ethnic expressions, but at other times erudite. The caddies and members? Oddballs all, but memorable. Presiding over us? The caddy master, educated at the school of hard-knocks. Caddy Daze also tours Westchester: famed Glen Island Casino and Rye Playland, the spots where German spies met, cannonballs flew and headless horsemen haunted. Join us as we wander its roads encountering beer, women, shamans and dope. Meantime, the tension between the members and caddies builds to a final catharsis that threatens to land all of us in jail.   A Camp Without Walls  by Dr. Maria Lombardo A Camp Without Walls describes the journey of  Salvatore Lombardo, an Italian survivor of a Nazi labor camp from World War II to the present as seen through the eyes of his daughter and author, Dr. Maria Lombardo. This coffee table book includes a personal history, historical events, an annotated bibliography, and an impressive collection of color photographs. Readers will find this unique text both inspiring and informative. In A Camp Without Walls, the author relates how, as a grown woman, she came by chance upon some hidden letters and her father’s wartime diary. In these writings, she discovers some shocking revelations -- a secret sister in Greece and the horrors of war that had branded Salvatore’s mind and body. Slowly, Maria comes to an understanding of her father’s often prickly character, his intransigent ambitions for his children, and his constant nightmares. The book strikes a universal note, discerning the common bonds that unite all the victims and survivors of Nazi persecution, whatever the reason for their internment. The core of Salvatore’s story is that of many Holocaust survivors -- the ineluctable tragedy, the irrepressible hope, the paralysis of emotion in those who survived. Part of the proceeds from the sales of  this book will go toward the Salvatore Lombardo Scholarship and Grant at the NIAF. A Canticle for Bread & Stones by Emilio DeGrazia …The art of DeGrazia’s storytelling comes at the beginning of each chapter where a leading sentence pushes the reader on, guiding the plot in a unique way to the chapter’s end. With a fine ear for the spoken word, DeGrazia weaves each chapter into a strong narrative strengthened by his understanding of the weaknesses of his most sympathetic characters "A Canticle” reminds us that work teaches us the ways of reading the world and that each worker is a seasoned storyteller and critic of life. Full of Old World folk wisdom and New World sins, this novel makes us take a good look at ourselves through the window of Italian-American culture. In America we say “good as gold,” but in Italy the saying is “buono come pane,” and DeGrazia’s latest work of fiction is just that, as good as honest-to-goodness homemade bread.                                                                       --Fred L. Gardaphe-- Other excellent books either written or edited by DeGrazia include Burying the Tree, 33 Minnesota Poets, 26 Minnesota Writers, Seventeen Grams of Soul, Billy Brazil, and Enemy Country. To purchase or to obtain information on any of the titles, please contact the author at Edegrazia@winona.edu. The Carrot and the Mule by Joseph Foti After surviving a harrowing childhood filled with abuse and betrayal, young Roger Williams has finally made it to law school with the hopes of becoming a successful lawyer. There he battles the demons of his childhood while he attempts to protect the woman he loves. His love is Sara, a fellow law student who seems to embody purity and goodness. The trick becomes how to succeed in law school without corrupting her as well as himself. What makes this novel unique is its concentration on the consequences of making the supposed moral choice. A brief hint; choosing the moral path does not always lead to "happily ever after." Although parts of the novel deal with the darkest of human emotions, from feelings of emptiness to complete failure, the overall message is extremely uplifting. It demonstrates that no matter how far we may seem to fall as long as there is life, there is hope and a chance for redemption. In the end it is always up to the individual to choose. Castle of Eufemio by Blaise Tobia The book Castle of Eufemio: a small Sicilian town and its extraordinary festival, based on Calatafimi and its festival Il Santissimo Crocifisso , is now available to the public. Published by Achilles Press in association with the America-Italy Society of Philadelphia, this impressive high-quality hardcover features 39 stunning color images  with text in both English and Italian. In the author's words, "Calatafimi is the place where all four of my grandparents were born. Several of my first cousins and their children still live there, or nearby. I have photographed Calatafimi and its surroundings numerous times since my first visit in 1989. In May, 2004, I was able to photograph its fabled 3-day town festival, which once occurred every third year but now occurs only about once per decade." Celebrate.....Italian Style by Jacqueline Miconi The kitchen has always occupied an important position in Italian culture. It is not only the place where cooking is done, but it's usually the center of most household activity; a place to gather and socialize, a place to bond and reminisce, and of course a place where many great chefs are born. Celebrate....Italian Style, is a collection of recipes and stories about Italian life. With amusing selections, such as "An Italian Wedding", "Neighborhood Watchdogs", "Gramma's Other Half" and "An Italian Christmas and the Tale of the Fishes", this cookbook brings us back to simpler times of tradition and heritage and how friends and family unite through food. This "Coffee Table" cookbook includes 100+ traditional recipes, using readily available ingredients for dishes that are not only easy to create, but even more enjoyable to indulge in. This unique cookbook is divided into 10 different chapters, discussing the celebrations that make up our lives. Through chapters like "Sunday Dinner", "An Italian Christmas", "Old Country Cooking" and "A Feast with your Paisani", this cookbook offers up some excellent recipe selections, while sharing stories from the author's rich heritage. It is these celebrations that unite us, and it is the food at these occasions that tie us together, creating memories that can last a lifetime.   Change Your Mind, Change Your Weight  by Raeleen D'Agostino Mautner Rather than promoting a specific diet or exercise plan, Change Your Mind, Change Your Weight focuses on  the key to lasting weight loss: rational optimism. Approaching life's challenges with a positive frame of mind correlates with better health, longevity, and a greater likelihood of achieving one's goals. In this book, the author presents real-life examples, exercises, and self-quizzes to help the reader achieve a positive, more realistic state of mind. Drawing on cognitive-behavioral psychology, Raeleen Mautner helps readers regain control of their emotions —and their weight. Child of Wonder  (Free) by Raphael Ferraro An inspiring novel about Lorenzo Malcini, a poor Italian boy, whose odd appearance, abusive parents, and unfortunate circumstances of birth mark him as an object of ridicule and scorn, creating an unhappy and lonely existence for him. The setting of this inspiring novel is Italy's picturesque Calabria and Sicily. Child of Wonder offers the reader an in-depth and heartfelt look at the hardships and difficulties of Lorenzo's spiritual journey, one riddled with mystical messages and unique visions. In the end, Lorenzo's enduring faith and prayerful life help to transform him, take him beyond himself and his struggle to experience self-acceptance, understanding, and love. The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany by Paul Salsini As the war rages all around them, the villagers at the farmhouse overcome petty differences, face betrayal by one of them, fearlessly take in an escaped POW, and survive a raid by the SS. In the course of this, a girl finds love, two boys become heroes, and secrets are revealed. Then an unthinkable, horrific event changes all of the villagers forever. Not all of them will return to their devastated homes. Read more about this gripping story of courage, endurance and the power of the human spirit in the cruelest of times. Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany is the riveting story of the relentless search by a member of the Italian Resistance for the collaborator of the massacre at Sant'Anna di Stazzema. He tracks the fugitive to the treacherous Garfagnana region north of Lucca, but finds something he had long hidden within himself. Sparrow's Revenge by Paul Salsini is the gripping sequel to the award-winning The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany Close to the Edge by Vic Fortezza So many troubled people, yet so few become a danger to society. What makes one cross the line? Can it be quantified. In Part One the protagonists, two men and a woman in their mid to late 20s, are profiled separately down to darkest thoughts. In Part Two fate brings them together! Set in an Italian-American community in Brooklyn, 1978.Crime and Punishment with sexuality as its core. Raskolnikov was sexless. These three are not. Closet Italians: A Dazzling Collection of Illustrious Italians with Non-Italian Names  by Nick James Mileti There are many reasons why people with Italian blood have Non-Italian Names. But, that shouldn't be an excuse for not recognizing their true ethnic background. As Daniel Webster said over 150 years ago, "The dignity of history consists in reciting events with truth and accuracy, and in presenting their actions in an interesting and instructive form.  The first element in history, therefore, is truthfulness, and this truthfulness must be displayed in a concrete form." Otherwise, history has no meaning, and can even be destructive. The book traces the last 2,000 years of history   through the lives of 175 illustrious individuals on 358 pages. Writer and scholar Erik Amfitheatr, an illustrious Italian with a non-Italian name, made this additional point, "The aim of any social history is to instruct as well as entertain." Closet Italians delivers on this lofty goal. Con Amore by Bea Tusiani Best-selling author Adriana Trigiani  calls Bea Tusiani's Con Amore "a sparkling memoir about life of an Italian girl who becomes a wife in the enchanted village of Brooklyn. The reader will find much to celebrate in this beautifully told tale." Yearning for acceptance from her Italian-speaking mother-in-law, Bea Tusiani's stories offer a glimpse into the struggle of generations. From Bushwick, Brooklyn in the 1950s to her mother-in-law's kitchen in the Bronx, Tusiani shows how two women who loved the same man -- one as a mother, the other a wife -- came to an understanding . . . con amore . . . with love. Con Amore by Janice Therese Mancuso Janine Fiori has many passions, and an invitation to the beautifully refurbished Inn at Montauk, New York, to attend a weeklong seminar about the history of Italian food combines three of them--food, Italy, and sexy Italian men. Janine's adventure begins as soon as she receives the invitation, as she anticipates what she'll learn at the lectures and fantasizes about the handsome Italian chefs who may be there. At the opening reception, though, any thoughts of finding a new love are thwarted by the appearance of an old love. Someone Janine has not been able to get completely out of her mind or her heart. During the week, lectures about the history of Italy and its food combined with cooking team workshops form the background for personalities that blend and clash, and relationships that develop and dissolve in the spectacular oceanfront kitchen and its East End surroundings. This modern day romance combines a bit of suspense, interwoven with the history of Italy, the foods of each region, maps of Italy, and 37 recipes, most developed especially for the book. A bibliography is included. Other publications by the author: The Insiders' Guide to the Triangle : Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh by J. Barlow Herget and Janice Therese Mancuso North Carolina Cook Book (Cooking Across America) by Janice Therese Mancuso Herbed-Wine Cuisine: Creating & Cooking with Herb-Infused Wines by Janice Therese Mancuso Building Purple Martin Houses: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-214 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-214) by Janice Therese Mancuso Virginia Cook Book (Cooking Across America Cook) by Janice Therese Mancuso New York Cook Book (Cooking Across America) by Jean Miller Dean and Janice Therese Mancus The Contadino by Frank J. Agnello Set in the year 1875, The Contadino is a fast-paced, riveting fictional work of Sicilian-American intrigue. Dominico Aspaci’s life as a proud contadino will soon end. In the late 1800’s, education in Sicily is minimal, three years at most. The ravages of a recent civil war and the reality of a subservient underclass leaves few choices for the aspiring youth of this troubled but beautiful island. This is life in the village of Poggioreale, Sicily. In a world where a privileged aristocracy owns the land, Dominico finally accepts the fact that achieving his dreams in his homeland is impossible. He soon decides to come to America, the Land of Opportunity, where dreams do come true. Finding work on the docks of the Houston Ship Channel in Texas,  Dominico is befriended by an unusual pair of immigrants; Thomas O’Connor, a redheaded speck of a man with a captivating Irish brogue and his companion Giuseppe di Alcamo, a burly Sicilian. Giuseppe being the opposite of his Irish counterpart has a quiet disposition and speaks only when necessary. The three become fast friends. Soon, Dominico is able to locate his cousin, Giovanni Malandrino, an influential Houston importer, and the three immigrants leave their jobs at the port to begin work in Giovanni’s warehouse. Dominico’s quiet, persuasive manner when dealing with others, and his soft-spoken words convey a wisdom beyond his years. His understanding of the Sicilian mind and his uncanny ability to predict his opponent’s moves gain him great respect. In time, with Giovanni’s attention, Dominico became a powerful business force and skillful negotiator, who uses persuasion only when negotiations prove unsuccessful. Domenico is becoming the man that Giovanni's son would never be. Enter the world of long ago and follow in the challenging and horrific footsteps of proud Dominico Aspaci’s life in America. Create A Functional Body: Train Like A Dancer by Sandra Catena Sandra Catena has completed her second book entitled, Create  A Functional Body: Train Like A Dancer!  This instructive non-fictional e-book relates how professional dancers train to create and maintain the fit bodies needed to perform the belly dance. Create A Functional Body is a short but informative e-book; it educates dancers and individuals from all backgrounds on the importance of building strong, flexible bodies that will keep them functional and healthy throughout life. This easy-to-read text reveals the inner secrets specific to training as a Middle Eastern dancer. Viewers are invited to click the book title above to obtain a free e-book copy of Sandra Catena's fascinating newest book. Sandra Catena, New York's top Middle Eastern dance master, is also the author of The African Belly Dance, a belly dance murder mystery.  Sandra presently teaches Middle Eastern dance classes and workshops in Manhattan. Cybernetica by Michael J. Cavallaro Enter the futuristic city of Cybernetica. A civilization where all thoughts are influenced by a widespread brain-to-computer interface system called sublimation. Short for 'subliminal animation', its technology has the power to regulate actions, and thereby events, through the surgically implanted brain matrix of every human being under its control. Cybernetica is a science fiction novel that follows in the gritty tradition of a Japan-inspired cyberpunk genre created from the books written by William Gibson. Here is a world of virtual reality and dangerous techno wars. A futuristic look into the next generation of computer hacking, where biology itself is the battleground. Mixing elements of style, Cybernetica advances the very themes introduced by Orwell's science fiction classic, 1984. Dances with Luigi: A Grandson's Search for His Italian Roots by Paul Paolicelli Who was the gentle man whose dying thoughts after a factory accident were not of his mutilated body but of his responsibility to his family? And why would a man who was a hero to his home village in Italy suddenly break all ties and never speak of his homeland again? In this spirited memoir, veteran TV journalist Paul Paolicelli does what all of us can only dream of---he picks up and moves to a foreign country in an attempt to piece together the mysteries surrounding both his grandfathers. With the help of Luigi, his guide and companion, he travels throughout Italy---Rome, Gamberale, Matera, Miglionico, Alessandria, even Mussolini's hometown of Predappio---and discovers the tragic legacy of the Second World War that is still affecting the Old Country. Dante's Georgia Inferno by Carmine Randazzo The weather's forecast was cloudy with rain. Right now, the clouds were getting darker with each passing minute. Dante was on the L.I.E. on his way to his new home in Nassau County. He hated giving up his apartment in the city. That apartment held many memories of the good times he spent there with his beloved Toni. His beautiful Toni, tortured, brutally murdered and decapitated. Toni Borgia, the glamorous fashion model who had the world in the palm of her hands. Dante leaned over to shut off the radio. Sinatra was singing "Lovely Lady" and that just made him sadder. His thoughts were broken by the splat sound of the first raindrops as they hit the windshield. The rain started coming down very hard.... So begins Carmine Randazzo's mystery thriller with the main character and hero of this fascinating story Dante Aligheri, an Italian American police officer, who battles villains, crime, and corruption in a small southern town in Georgia. A book you won't be able to put down--guaranteed Dante: Inferno by Frank Salvidio In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself again in a dark wood, where the right way was lost … So begins Frank Salvidio’s compelling translation of the great journey of Western Christian Civilization—the pilgrimage of Dante Alighieri from the exile of sin to the Promised Land of salvation—a journey whose beginning in fire and ice has made the expression “Dante’s Inferno” a commonplace in virtually every language of the modern world.   As in his translation of the Vita Nuova, praised not only for its exceptional clarity and fidelity to the original, but also for its “thoughtfully-woven representation of the graceful straightforwardness of the linguaggio dantesco,” Salvidio has once again recreated Dante’s intense and riveting voice in the unadorned simplicity of American English.   Additionally, the facing notes—succinct and scholarly—make this translation ideal for students of the poem. Other excellent translated publications by Mr. Salvidio include  Between Troy & Florence, The Vita Nuova of Dante Alighieri, and "Sappho Says..." Poems and Fragments of Sappho of Lesbos. To purchase or to obtain information on any of these titles, please contact the author at onthelock@surfglobal.net. Deeply Rooted In Faith & Family by Ginda Ayd Simpson More than an entertaining travelogue, Deeply Rooted is a story that examines the value of family, the courage of the human spirit and the grace of growing older. In it, Ginda explores the familiar terrain of Tuscany and Umbria, with an artist’s eye for color and texture. She tells the story of the Calabrian peasant and his family, and how their solid strength, unwavering faith and gentle humor color their world and that of all who are fortunate enough to spend time in their warm presence. It is a book that will make readers long for a simpler, slower life, at the same time that it encourages them to pursue their dreams. It offers candid insight into how one dream took shape. Diario della studentessa Jean, 2nd Edition by Jean Farinelli Since its introduction two years ago, Diario della studentessa Jean has become a classroom supplemental reading tool for thousands of advanced beginner and intermediate-level high school students studying the Italian language. This 2nd Edition reader has 23 easily readable, brief stories ranging from memories of childhood and events of daily life to dialogues about Italian language class. Footnoted vocabulary with explanations in English. Eserciziario per Diario della studentessa Jean by Concetta Perna This exercise workbook is a companion book to "Diario della studentessa Jean," and includes comprehension questions for the stories in "Diario," numerous exercises on prepositions, pronouns and irregular verbs and practice exercises on the idiomatic use of certain verbs. At the end of each unit is a topical question to stimulate discussion and writing. A separate answer key (Chiavi) booklet is available to teachers and self study students. Dino’s Story: A Novel of 1960s Tuscany by Paul Salsini From a tiny isolated village to the high art of Florence, Dino’s Story: A Novel of 1960s Tuscany completes the sweeping narrative of “A Tuscan Trilogy.” A boy just born in the first novel of the trilogy comes to Florence to study art, and, in this tumultuous decade of change, he is himself transformed as a devastating flood ruins not only works of art but also the lives of the poor and helpless. In the first of the trilogy, The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany, terrified villagers confront seemingly insurmountable dangers while trapped in a farmhouse during the German occupation of 1944. In the second, Sparrow’s Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany, set in 1955, a guilt-ridden partisan relentlessly pursues the collaborator of one of the worst massacres in Italy during World War II. Martha Bergland, author of A Farm Under a Lake, calls Dino’s Story a “fascinating inside look at Florence through the eyes of Paul Salsini’s warm and complex characters. I couldn't put it down.” Lawrence Baldassaro, Professor Emeritus of Italian and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, found it “an intriguing coming-of-age tale. Dino's Story is a seamless and conclusive sequel to the first two volumes of Paul Salsini's Tuscan trilogy. Once again, Salsini combines meticulous research, a keen eye for detail, and narrative dexterity The Doctor's Dog by Richard F. Venti   Dean Cello is not your typical PI. At only thirty-one, he’s not divorced, alcoholic, or even that cynical. For nearly two years now, Dean has slowly but surely been growing the small business out of his Back Bay condo unit, performing such menial tasks as chasing down cheating spouses and deadbeat dads. Just when it appears he can’t sink any lower, a suburban doctor retains his services to find Sir Cedric of Winchester—a lost champion Airedale. But the case of the missing dog soon turns into a case of murder, and despite warnings from the state police, Dean feels compelled to investigate. The Duke's Amulet by Phyllis Martino-Nugent An ancient amulet transports Liz Cummings back in time to the mid-1400s in Urbino, Italy, where passion mixes with art, in this romance novel.   Liz Cummings travels to Urbino, Italy, with a team of researchers from the University Museum of Philadelphia to investigate the recent discovery of a skeleton belonging to an early Renaissance nobleman. Liz is astonished when she receives an intense electrical shock after touching the large, deep blue amulet that was buried with the nobleman. She’s even more shocked when she discovers a likeness of herself painted on a nearby chapel wall. Intrigued, she touches the painting. Suddenly, she’s lying in a crumpled heap on the granite floor of the chapel surrounded by dozens of workers speaking rapid Italian. Liz soon surmises that she has traveled back in time and must think quickly to save her life. Masquerading as a young boy, she obtains a position as an apprentice and personal aide to the achingly handsome fresco painter, Piero della Francesca. Maintaining the charade becomes difficult as Liz develops feelings for Piero. At the same time, her brother, Lou Cummings, searches for her and arrives to take her back. Her dilemma is deciding if she will return to present-day America and resume her previous life or remain in Renaissance Italy with the man she loves. Enemies: Mussolini and the Antifascists by Patrick J. Gallo This book explores the antifascist movement from 1924 to 1943. The brutal murder of Giacomo Matteotti spawned the  antifascist movement. The breakdown of the consensus that Mussolini created resulted from his intervention in the Spanish Civil War, his alliance with Germany, the anti-Semitic racial laws, and his decision to enter the war in 1940. The antifascist movement was a crucial link with the armed resistance that developed in 1943. The clash of their programs was vital to the forging of a consensus about Italy's future and the foundation for a democratic Italy. Gallo's next book For Love And Country: The Italian Resistance deals exclusively with the armed resistance. Other books by Patrick J. Gallo: For Love of Country: The Italian Resistance, Old Bread, New Wine: The Italian Americans, The American Paradox: Politics and Justice Eternal Night: Book One of the Dream Series by Jessica Barone Julia, a struggling author at age of 16, falls into the midst of a biker-gang, and falls in love with Jonathan. In this section of the novel, the reader will see the relationship between vampire and girl, the initial seduction, which drags her unwillingly at first, into their lifestyle. However, before she fully becomes a vampire, her family takes her from the situation; she is torn from Jonathan, remaining fully human. Just wait until you see what happens next! Every Day Above Ground by Joseph Trangata The story starts with an 11 year old boy Joey Traino witnessing a murder who lives with his mother and grandfather in an undesirable neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia. He grows up wanting to be a singer and forms a singing group. The group’s desires to become recording artists fall in to the hands of corrupted mob influence. Things become serious with the murders of members of the group. Always with the death of someone close, this old man appears who is guiding Joey through his life to find the cure for the pain in his life. Joey goes in search of love and peace after much heartache with the mob. He meets the woman who has the cure for his pain. The Eye of the Beholder, Donald McI  Scott's English translation of     Giovanni DeRose’s Italian novel Negli occhi di chi guarda “I have had two mothers, three names and four fathers.  I died and was born again.  I have had hopes and disappointments, joys and sorrows, and I have loved.  In short, I have lived.  And I have lived with passion.  And everything that I have done – and of which I will now tell you – I have done to find an answer.  The answer to a question which my teacher put to me.  And that answer I have found!  I have encountered it in places close by and I have pursued it across distant lands; I have discovered it in the lives of men and women who have names and stories which seem to come from the world of the cinema.  Yet I have known them myself and I have touched them with these now wrinkled hands.  I have pursued that answer – as I was saying – and I have not given up on it.  I have been hard on its heels and I have been driven by curiosity and by the instinct to survive. ‘Do you believe in poetry, Iennaro?’ was the question.  ‘Yes, I do,’ was the answer.  But between question and answer there lay thousands of days and adventures, emotions, laughter, tears and travels. From one end of the earth to the other."                                         --Except from the Eye of the Beholder -- Contact the author at jovanni65@hotmail.com to obtain more information or to purchase this book in Italian or English.                                           The Fabulous Fior--Over 100 Years in An Italian Kitchen by Francine Brevetti The Fabulous Fior is a lively tale of cookery and passion illuminating the lives of immigrant families who created the Fior d'Italia, America's oldest Italian restaurant. The book chronicles the shenanigans of operating a San Francisco Italian restaurant during Prohibition, the complexities of serving an upstairs brothel and the requirements of pleasing VIPs such as Richard M. Nixon and Luciano Pavarotti. It offers a tapestry of American history, witnessed by Italian-American immigrants in San Francisco from the Gold Rush through the 1906 Earthquake and Fire and World War II to the 21st century.   This unique book also features traditional Italian recipes and photographs spanning more than 11 decades. The 30 traditional Italian recipes, mostly created by the Fior's chef Gianfranco Audieri, were tested by Tina Salter. They range from well-known dishes such as veal scaloppini to traditional Italian favorites less familiar to Americans such as cabbage and bread soup. In addition the book offers traditional Italian recipes handed down by the relatives of the founding families. Fallen Heroes Forgotten Victims by Ernesto Carbonelli When all seemed to have come back to normal, the unthinkable happened. It was the beginning of June 1944. The war in Italy was drawing to a close, but something went terribly wrong. Why did Supinese women lay fresh flowers daily on the five German graves in the town cemetery? Now that they have all passed on, all that is left for posterity is a few lines in a priest's diary and this book. Ernesto Carbonelli's Fallen Heroes, Forgotten Victims (Cusmano 2005) is a tribute, long overdue, to the memory of defenseless men and women from the towns of Patrica, Sgurgola, Morolo and particularly Supino, for the horrendous suffering inflicted upon them following the Italian Armistice. Family Secrets: A Vengeance of Tears by R.A. Siracusa An unforgettable romance filled with deception, passion, and love in a world where nothing is as it seems. Disdained by her father and facing an arranged marriage, young Angela Rosarno yearns to be loved for herself. She flees her home and travels to Sicily into the arms of Santino Camastro, a man she has come to love only through his letters though never met. Wooed and rushed into marriage, she learns -- all too late -- that her husband is not the man who penned the letters. Determined to uncover the truth, Angela's actions set off a series of betrayals and murders. By the time she discovers that her husband's brother Antonio is the man she truly loves, she is hopelessly trapped in Santino's ruthless world of ambition and greed. When deception, passion, and a mother's love collide, Angela will have to risk everything she values, even the man she loves, to win freedom for herself and her children. The Fifteenth Crimson Lily by Tom Layton     This narrative is about  Maria Goretti, an Italian saint, as if she had lived in San Franciso in 1984 as an American girl. The book relates the true  story  of what  happened in Italy at the turn of the Twentieth Century; however, these events occur in a modern American urban setting. It is the story of an eleven year old girl who, from an early age, has maintained a closeness to Jesus and reflects this love of God in her actions toward others on a daily basis. She is admired by many, including a neighbor, a nineteen year Nationally-known football college quarterback who is home for the summer. The quarterback begins making advances toward her, and each time he is rejected. Resenting this, he persists, trying to seduce her with gifts and promises of a richer, happier life if she will succumb to his evil intentions. She maintains a child-like faith in God and a willingness to keep His commandments while the football player is intent on satisfying his own selfish desires at any cost. Then, tragedy strikes, changing the course of many lives for an extended period of time, but through this girl’s faith in Jesus, she demonstrates how love and true forgiveness eclipses hate and how God will ultimately triumph over evil, transforming a life of sin into one of service to His will. The Fig Cake Family by Bea Tusiani and illustrated by Sarah Conrad   In my family, making fig-cakes at Christmastime is more important than the holiday itself. While not everyone can get to our annual Christmas Eve dinner, all make a special effort to take part in "cookie day," which takes place two weeks before. It has been a tradition my Sicilian relatives have taken part in for over a hundred years. Though today our relatives in Sicily consider making "cucciddati" and "na usanza antica," (an old fashioned custom), it remains a thriving cultural practice in a different land three thousand miles away...a true story well worth preserving for generations to come. To purchase or inquire about The Fig Cake contact the author at btusiani@cs.com. First American Pope: Pontifex Maximus  by Angelo Pagnotti, Sr. The deadlocked Papal conclave turns to a compromise candidate, Anthony Cardinal Pavelli. Ordained at fifty years of age, and in declining health, the seventy-two year old American, is an unlikely choice. Reluctantly accepting the scepter as God’s will, the Pontiff is eager to reinvigorate the Church by initiating sweeping reforms. A group of ruthless cardinals, each with his own agenda, band together to stop the reforms by discrediting the Pope. Shadowy Vatican forces spread rumors and half-truths about the Pope’s former secular life. His Papacy is teetering, on the verge of implosion. The Pope takes his fight to the media and leads a peace mission to Ireland in an effort to bolster his image as a world leader. When the Pope can’t be derailed by twisted Machiavellian tactics his enemies resort to extreme measures. The First Lady of Music by C. Yvonne Hooper  This riveting story depicts the formation of the Rousseau family dynasty, which was spearheaded by the dashing young Frenchman, Alexandre Rousseau and his beautiful young Italian wife, Angelica Romano Rousseau. Together, they created a family of beautiful, ambitious, and remarkable children, which included the stunning and exotic superstar vocalist, Massina Rousseau, a gorgeous and immensely talented singer who endures numerous tragedies and life-altering losses to become one of the most successful performers in history. The First Lady of Music reveals the many sides of Massina’s intricate personality: the sweet and insecure young woman who is guided towards her eventual success by an array of supportive family members; the elegant lady who is graciously and humbly overwhelmed by her success; the aggressive businesswoman who reluctantly takes over her father’s fledgling empire; the vulnerable and sensitive ingénue who loses at love at almost every turn she takes. This compelling story of tragedy, success, love, turmoil, evolution, and hope is a journey into the life of one of the most remarkable families to ever grace the earth.  FIVE CENTURIES of Italian American History by Richard A. Capozzola Join with me in tracing a human adventure spanning half a milennium, focusing on the successes, failures, hardships, and heroes among the many millions of "children of Columbus" who lived and died in America over the past five centuries. This publication originally commemorated the 500th anniversary of columbus' first voyage to The New World by offering some understanding of the Italian American contribution to the greatness of America from 1492-1992. FIVE CENTURIES will prove a revelation since most of the information and facts contained herein are not to be found in any history book or encyclopedia in the United States.                                                           --Richard A. Capozzola-- Five Fast Steps to Better Writing by Barbara Florio Graham This instructional  text is ideal for beginning or professional writers, students, and small businesses. Offering a proven method for learning how to write well, the book has been praised by reviewers as "fast-paced, readable...a treasury of valuable information and good ideas," "apt examples, concise wisdom...worth getting," and "no wasted words...the text is informative and rich..." Flying Start: Mentoring for Air Force Company Grade Officers by Colonel John C. Liburdi Colonel Liburdi’s fascinating book is packed with straight talk to help newly commissioned Air Force officers get their... More > careers off to a Flying Start. The Colonel doesn’t attempt to provide the reader with an all-inclusive reference volume that’s teeming with rhetoric; instead, he addresses a host of officership issues in a very colloquial manner. All that information is structured into a large and well organized collection of data bursts, each one containing highly relevant career advice. Colonel Liburdi’s spirited book constitutes a quick infusion that will immunize young officers from many painful learning experiences. The Colonel’s mentoring is very encouraging, somewhat shocking, and absolutely priceless! For Jennie by Donna L. Gestri   The year is 1957 and Jennie Di Luca, a forty-five-year-old, unmarried girdle seamstress from Brooklyn experiences a life changing romantic encounter aboard the Queen Mary.  Bostonian Robert Keppler, movie star handsome, wealthy and kind, embodies Jennie’s non-existent “ideal” man. During a whirlwind onboard romance, he introduces her to desire, unbidden and luxury, unfamiliar.  At his insistence, she agrees to give the long distance relationship a try.    Upon Jennie’s return to Bensonhurst, an old acquaintance, Vito Parisi, a widowed green grocer, turns up at her welcome home get together.   Feeling more self-assured and more than a bit interested, Jennie agrees to go out with Vito.  The next few months find the former “old maid” juggling the affections of two very devoted men.  For all her style and determination, Jennie is a dismal femme fatale.   She finds herself flustered and angst-ridden as she negotiates her two suitors, all the while surrounded by her Italian American family’s passion for togetherness. Ultimately, Jennie must choose between a luxurious new life in Boston and the more comfortable and familiar streets of Brooklyn. In one short word, Jennie must learn to trust—an emotion she has kept tethered by a chain of hurt that must be unleashed before she can finally begin to love. The Forestiere Underground Gardens by Silvio Manno The Forestiere Underground Gardens, located in Fresno, California are the remarkable achievement of a Sicilian immigrant: Baldassare Forestiere. Born on the outskirts of Messina, on the Island of Sicily, in 1879, Forestiere immigrated to America at age twenty-one. In 1905 he purchased a parched eighty-acre parcel of Central Valley farmland in the "wallows" of Fresno. But the land turned out to be other than the Garden of Eden it had been advertised. The soil was plagued with hardpan, a stony shale impossible to cultivate without the use of dynamite. Undaunted, Forstiere spent the next forty years excavating an amazing underground adobe made up of sixty-five chambers interconnected by passage ways and complemented by outside patios. Containing 110 pages and 150 beautiful color photos, the book details the intricacy of this national treasure through a pictorial mosiac of one of the most magnificent architectural marvels ever built by a single man. Forgotten Ellis Island ( film and companion book) by Lorie Conway As immigrants from Europe came to America's shores a century ago, they underwent a medical examination that determined whether they would be allowed to stay. Those judged to be too ill or infirm to enter were sent to the Ellis Island hospital. In its day, it was America's largest public health hospital, consisting of 22 buildings adjacent to the Great Hall and within sight of the Statue of Liberty. Massive and modern, the hospital was America's first line of defense against contagious, often virulent disease. In the era before antibiotics, where even diseases like measles and mumps could be life threatening, it was also a place where tens of thousands of immigrants were nursed to health and allowed to pursue their dream of becoming American citizens. Although it was the world's premier infectious disease hospital, and a place where the diagnosis of mental health and the concept of public health were developed, it was closed abruptly 30 years after opening due to anti-immigrant legislation. It was then abandoned, left to decay from neglect and the salty air of New York's harbor. All but forgotten for a time, the hospital is now being restored as a historical site to be run by the National Park Service, much as the Great Hall on Ellis Island was restored and then opened to the public. Once the restoration is complete, the complex will include an immigration institute and public health museum. Funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the film and book were produced by Lorie Conway. The film is narrated by Eliot Gould and premiered at Ellis Island. It will be telecast on PBS early in 2009. Francesca’s Song by Noreen Castelli Sweeney In the winter of 1913, Francesca, a very full-of-herself girl, was dragged away from Minturno, her sunny village by the Mediterranean Sea, to “dark” and “cold” America, kicking and screaming.  Her daily complaint-ridden letters to her “best friend ever,” Musetta, back in the old country, brim with anger and anguish.   For more than half a century, she pens her deepest thoughts and passions, meant only for her dearest friend’s eyes.  Only Musetta knew Francesca’s frustration in the ever-hopeful search for her “vanished” Papa, her internal wrestle with God and “the Church,” her acceptance of a loveless arranged marriage, her fears as a twenty-seven-year-old widow with four baby boys, her struggle through The Great Depression and two World Wars, her ferocious desire to hold onto her culture, her painful experiences with prejudice, her ostracism as an adulteress, her shame in being sentenced to prison, and her never-ending burning desire to return home.  Along Francesca’s long and colorful life’s path, she encounters people like Fiorello LaGuardia, Chief Justice Michael Mussmano,  Mario Lanza, and jazz great Erroll Gardner.   This historical novel—a lifetime of letters, from one girlfriend to another, across an ocean is filled with humor and heartache, insight and ignorance, arrogance and anguish.  It chronicles twentieth century America, through a prism—the eyes of a recalcitrant immigrant, and reaches into the very marrow of the intricately complex, proud woman who always signed her full and formal name, Francesca Marie Sparagna Castelli.   Viewers interested in purchasing Francesca’s Song can email the author at:  francescas.song@gmail.com FREAKs by Joseph E. Scalia Hildy, a 14 year old born with a congenital hip defect, narrates her 9th Grade experience in Vanderville Junior High. Since the death of her mother, a classical ballet dancer, her father has taken Hildy "on the road," moving from place to place in their effort to forget. "Always the new girl," Hildy finds herself in yet another school, in yet another town, where she meets Scotty Dwyer, a dwarf, and Harrison Jakove, the school doormat. The three misfits band together in an act of self defense against the WHEELS, and become the FREAKs. In the end all their lives are changed forever. FREAKs is funny and it is sad. It is a book that will be loved and remembered by anyone who has ever gone to school. Chosen as "Book of the Year" at the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English (WPCTE) English Festival. Free Gondola Ride by Kathleen Gonzalez After researching these most iconic of men, the author spent a summer with Venice's gondoliers in order to discover more about their unique occupation, vessels, and lifestyles. Instead of uncovering only objective facts, Gonzalez found herself drawn in to the lives of her subjects: being befriended, getting to know their families, learning their language, hearing the gossip, and being offered "free gondola rides" countless times - some of which carried a price tag not in the usual currency. What results is a story of these men and their boats woven through the tale of the midnight skinny dipping to living a romantic adventure. Free Gondola Ride is a first person narrative. The book is 235 pages, including a preface, poems, a section on the history of the gondola, a glossary of Italian words, and a bibliography. Thirty photos of the gondoliers and their city are interspersed within the text. The cover art features a glossy, full-color painting called "Rowing Lessons" by Venetian painter and gondolier Dino DeZorzi. The back cover includes a summary and reviews by authors Clarence Robert Tower and Norma Howe. Fifty cents of every book sale is donated to Save Venice, Inc., an American organization committed to restoring Venice's architecture. Freedom of Heart by Thomas E. Antonaccio Freedom of Heart chronicles the real life experiences of a young girl and her family in war-torn Italy in the 1940s. The story is set in the town of Fornelli--a tiny hilltop community in Italy’s mountainous heart. For Lucia and her family, life in Fornelli before the war is anything but boring. There are fields to work, animals to care for, and people and places to visit. Life is difficult, yet tranquil. But soon the war comes, and life in Fornelli is tranquil no more. Freedom of Heart is a true accounting from the eyes of Lucia about faith, hope and courage in the midst of war and its aftermath. It shows us how even in desperate times people can open their hearts and rise above adversity. From Scrubs to Skyscrapers by Jim Luigi Scarano From Scrub to Skyscrapers is a work of love dedicated to the memory of the dear departed Maria Scarano, mother of the author. This collection of memories, anecdotes, stories of sadness, joy, poverty, and finally the settling down in this rich country Australia, should be inspiring to anyone who ‘remembers’ how things were in our hometown Martone, Italy. It is about the way Maria Nunziata Scarano managed to support and raise six children in times of great need. She taught them to till the soil, to harvest the crops, to look after the land… But above all she gave them love and care… Maria was born one of ten children in the Lombardo family – eight brothers, two sisters and the nonni Lombardo Giuseppa and Giorgio. They lived off the land and the scrub in the outskirts of Martone, a hillside called Petrorìo. They survived on figs, grapes and prickly pears, and whatever else their meagre plots of land could grow. From the Door to the Gate by Rose Costanza Tangredi   Did you ever wonder where your family originated? Who were these people, how did they make a living, what towns did they come from or did they live in the city or the countryside and also what were their homes like?  My grandparents died before I was one year old and these questions were a wonder to me since I was eleven years old.  Rose Tangredi's From the Door to the Gate answers all these questions for us. Her poignant story made my imagination visualize the everyday life of the people in Basilicata. This was the same area where my grandfather was born. When Rose sent me the manuscript of the story I stayed up until three o'clock in the morning, enjoying every page until I finished. So start on a wonderful journey about a very touching success story, written by a very sensitive and heartfelt author.                                                                                               -                                                                     --Angela Vars-- The Garden and Forest Behind Grandpop's House by Vincent Iezzi   The imagination of Grandpop Tim E. sets the stage for adventure and magic in the garden and forest behind his house. Take an wondrous journey into this magical garden that will grip the minds of the young and take them to a land of joy and beauty where flowers, rocks, and a bucket and a rope speak of Mother Earth. Listen as the magical well in the garden sings in the summer and moans in the winter. Join Grandpop’s grandchildren as they step into the forest and meet the King Tree who is also called the Tree of Visions. Let this tree transport you to lands and places far from your world and into the realm of make-believe and fantasy. Travel with Grandpop’s grandchildren as they explore the beauty of imagination and learn the value of reading, learning, thinking and listening. The adventure begins with a small walk into the garden and forest but ends up in unknown pleasant and inspiring places.   Other books by the author: Coffee With Nonna: The Best Stories of My Catholic Grandmother and More Coffee With Nonna: Stories of My Italian Grandmother. The Garlic in the Melting Pot by Lewis M. Elia From the streets of Brooklyn and the horse trails of Saratoga Springs, Lew tells of the life he led as an Italian-American, becoming more aware of how his ethnic group with its values of family and hard work, made him into the successful man he became. Most autobiographies seek to find the meaning of one life as it passes through time, touched by the past, making sense of where this life began as it moves towards its destiny. Lew Elia's story has much more depth. Lew narrates his story to study how he and his ancestors became part of the fabric of American life. Genio by Eugene B. Basilici This is a touching  story of a poor and unschooled Italian boy, growing up in the midst of the greatest mass migration in modern history: the emmigration of four million Italians to North and South America. Brazil is bursting with energy as a million Europeans labor in her vastness. Beatings, intimidations, and exploitations create an unstable environment for the immigrants. Genio, distracted by the patrician beauty of the young Maria, swept up in the passion of the mixed-blood Trinita, finds his fortune only to hazard it all in defense of his fellow emigres. Germanicus Roam the Empire by Nicholas G. Stangarone Here's your ticket to journey alongside a Roman soldier from the highlands of Britannia to the sands of Mesopotamia. Encountering danger and intrigue along Rome's pagan highway, you'll be traveling in good company as Germanicus tries to rescue his soulmate from the servitude of absolute power and greed. In Rome, his sacred love is tempted by the charms of a senator's daughter. His pagan soul struggles to overcome the corrosive stains of lust and greed. Witness whether Germanicus takes the low road or the morals of a higher path. Come and appreciate how modern society repeats the past. Get Published Today! by Penny C. Sansevieri This book is written for the author who has never published or promoted anything. It's a basic, easy to read guide that will make any author a success story! Get Published Today! will show you how to become a published author in less than ninety days and how to navigate the marketing process, step-by-step. Even if you've never marketed anything before, you can become a book marketing genius as Penny and other book gurus share their most valuable contacts, industry secrets, and tried and true techniques for marketing your book. Other  books by the author: From Book to Bestseller—An Insider’s Guide to Publicizing and Marketing Your Book, Candlewood Lake, and the Cliffhanger. Get Wisdom by Michael Hickey This informative text took over three years to research and to write and is a quest for wisdom throughout the ages from an individual Catholic layman's perspective. Get Wisdom attempts to gain a perspective on the meaning of wisdom and the person of wisdom as depicted not only in the bible, but also as seen in Poetry, Philosophy, The Classics, Visual Art, Music, Judaism and other World Religions, as well as among Native Americans, etc. The Foreward is written by Rev. Daniel Harrington, S.J.,Professor of New Testament, Weston Jesuit School Of Theology, Cambridge, MA, the author's Alma Mater. The book is very ecumenical and very inclusive. God? by Chris DeSalvo   Do you want to think seriously and deeply about God? Then you should be interested in this book. “GOD?” presents ALL major evidence and arguments on both sides of the debate about God’s existence. What book have you ever read that DID that? "GOD?" simply yet clearly addresses: How first life formed, the evolution of species, the immortality of single-cellular life, the development of birth, aging and natural death in multi-cellular life, the astonishing complexity of a single cell and of life's molecular machines, the genius of the DNA language, human cell suicide, adult development from one fertilized egg cell, strange life forms, the scientific and religious creation stories for the universe, black holes, zero-point energy, earth's fantastically favorable environment for star-gazing, electrons, photons, neutrinos and other mass and energy particles of the universe, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle that sets a limit on knowledge, the wave-particle duality of light, dark matter and dark energy, teleportation, science vs religion, puzzling scientific and religious mysteries, the Big Bang beginning of the universe, early time flow vs. current time flow, Biblical fallacies, parables and valid prophecies, Jesus' life, miracles and Resurrection, the 14th century "faking" of the Shroud, the Sudarium, and more. It summarizes for the lay-person, those aspects of quantum mechanics, general and special relativity, particle physics and other sciences pertinent to the question of God. This and much more will you find in this unique text exploring the existence of God. The Golden Fort: the Fate of Italy's Gold--Fortezza, 1943-1945 by Romano and Giuseppe Girardi, Translated from the Italian by Antonio Aloysi   The Golden Fort is a novel based on World war II events. In the chaos following Italy's surrender in 1943, Germany decides to grab Italy's gold reserves, moving them from bank vaults in Rome to secret hiding locations. Roberto, age fourteen, attempting to avoid conscription in to the Wehrmacht, finds employment as a translator in a German work camp. He becomes, improbably, the administrative manager of the camp and is witness to extraordinary events.   An old Hapsburg fortress near Fortezza, a small alpine village in Alto Adige, Italy, on the way to the Brenner Pass, is chosen as the ideal hiding place for the stores of gold from the Bank of Italy. the village becomes the focus of attention and intrigue by some members of the Reich's high Command and is the target of incessant air raids. Roberto finds himself wondering if the rumors surrounding the gold of Fortezza, a mostly forgotten story, could be true.   The Golden Fort is an absorbing novel. Readers of World War II-era fiction will find it a true treasure. Good Night God, Love Olivia by Beth Ann Mammola-Koravos Some stories originate from family lore, passed down through generations.  Others are passed up, from our children.  Good Night God, Love Olivia (Lifevest Publishing, May 2006, paperback, 25 pages) is such a story.  Author Beth Ann Mammola-Koravos walked in to her daughter’s room one night to find young Olivia in conversation with God.  What followed was the inspiration for Mammola-Koravos’ first children’s book Good Night God, Love Olivia.  The book is a sweet conversation between a mother,  a daughter and the God who loves each of us so greatly.  In Olivia’s gentle “goodnight” to God, we are all reminded to take time each day to thank and praise God for the many blessings in our lives.  As Olivia’s mother reminds her that God is always ready to converse with her, we too are encouraged to take quiet moments of prayer and reflection along life’s journey.  Bold, vibrant illustrations by gifted colorist Helena Bebirian bring Olivia’s words to life, as we relive a day spent in the splendor of God’s creation.  Many families pause together each evening for quiet time, reading and prayers.  Good Night God, Love Olivia would be the perfect accompaniment for the bedtime ritual of young children. --Interview with author Beth Ann Mammola-Koravos by Lisa M. Hendey--  Grandma, Why Are There Nails Hanging On Your Tree? by Ann M. Macey Emily and Jacob visit their grandmother during the Christmas season. Grandma's house is decorated with the usual crèche, wreath, and Christmas tree adorned with lights, ornaments, bows, berries, etc. But today, the children are very eager to know why everyone decorates as they do for the Christmas season... and why does Grandma have nails hanging on her Christmas tree? Grandma gives them insight as to the real meaning of Christmas by using these decorations as learning tools. The children learn that Jesus Christ, and the purpose of His birth, is what should be recognized above all other distractions created by man during this holiday. Gridiron Gladiators: Italian-Americans in College, Semipro & Pro Footbal by Fausto Batella From 1920 to 1949, hundreds of Italian-Americans athletes played  college, semipro and pro football. This list includes:  4 PRO HALL OF FAME Members 20 NFL Title Winners 12 NFL All-Pros 7 AAFC Title Winners 41 Minor Leagues Title Winners 12 COLLEGE HALL OF FAME Members 39 All-Americans 26 College All-Stars 61 Various Colleges Hall of Fame Members 20 All-Conferences 5 College Bowls All-Stars 1 College Top National Scorer of the Year 10 athletes who were born in Italy and emigrated to America. Mr. Batella's informative book is a tribute to two generations of Italian Americans who left their mark as football players. The book provides 473 individual profiles complete with statistics of these athletes. Growing Up Italian American by John M. Di Biase   John lived in an Italian neighborhood during the 1930’s and 40’s.  Nine stories in this book are 80% factual, 20%fiction. They portray pictures of authentic characters. Joseph Nardiello, Ph.D., associate professor of languages, states, “The stories of by gone days are amusing and poignant with a profound sense of Community."  John Andreozzi, Sons of Italy Archives Coordinator, affirms, “The book's a priceless gift to those of us who did not grow up in little Italy ." Immigrants from the mezzogorno southern part of Italy arrived in Buffalo to give economic opportunity and freedom to themselves their children and grandchildren. Nine stories set in the 1920’s and 1940’s bring to life their many labors, depicting the foods they ate, the wines they made, their joys, and their sorrows.  Come eat, sing, laugh and cry as we reminisce about our parents, grandparents and the heritage they gave us. Reading these stories will allow readers to truly experience the living and breathing actualities of little Italy. Heart of the Hide by Lou Petrucci On the outside, Nicky Palmieri is just a little different from the average kid who loves baseball. Several surgeries on his cleft palate have left noticeable bumps and scars on his lip. He desperately wants to look like the other kids, but the doctors’ empty words and promises set bad examples about lying. On the inside, Nicky dreams of reaching the big leagues. His baseball glove—an expensive professional model—is an extension of his hand. Nicky knows where his glove is at all times, until one day when he secretly places his prized possession in an unusual place. When his family and closest friends ask him about the glove’s whereabouts, a long string of lies follows. Most are harmless little fibs, but one falsehood leads to a catastrophe that changes Nicky’s life forever. Join Nicky and the Kelsey Avenue Crew for a series of wild events that teaches him about the power of truth. HERETIC by Jerome Tuccill Religious fanaticism and intolerance are perhaps the greatest evils afflicting the human race. Most of the violence in the world today and throughout history has been caused by major religions trying to exterminate those who don’t share the same beliefs. In this eye-opening memoir, author Jerome Tuccille shares the story of his intensely personal struggle with the Roman Catholic Church After turning in an essay on the Virgin Birth that claimed the Catholic Church dehumanized women, Tuccille is denounced as a heretic by the dean of a Catholic college. As a result, he abandons the religion of his youth and embarks on a global odyssey through Australia, Singapore, India, Europe, and the United States. Tuccille’s adventures lead to a life of decadence and transcendental discovery. HERETIC dramatizes a tug-of-war between the sensual and the divine, revealing the constant struggle with spiritual questions that have stirred the minds and hearts of thoughtful people since time began. The author of more than twenty books, Tuccille's works include best-selling biographies of Donald Trump (Trump), Kingdom: The Hunts of Texas, Rupert Murdoch, and Alan Greenspan (Alan Shrugged). Heritage Hispanic-American Style  by Leon Radomile  Radomile's new book is a rich, entertaining cultural compendium of facts that surveys the vast Hispanic culture, from its birthplace in Spain to the lands of the new world where its language, religion, and customs greatly influence two continents. An estimated 400 million people officially speak Spanish in twenty countries, from Spain to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America. Thirty-seven million Hispanic Americans constitute the largest minority group in the United States. Though in many parts of the United States, fluent Spanish has become an advantage and even a necessity on one’s resume, much of the Hispanic culture has been overlooked. Heritage Hispanic American Style, in its easy-to-read bilingual format, sheds light on this multi-faceted culture and its many contributions to western civilization. Each of the 1001 fact-filled questions is an invitation for further research, and provides an enjoyable opportunity to enrich the reader’s Spanish language skills. Topics are fully indexed, with more than 1,650 entries. Heritage Italian American Style, 2nd Edition by Leon Radomile Now available in a bilingual format, this revised second edition of the text has been expanded from 1492 to 1776 fact-filled questions that highlight the endless contributions made by Italians and Italian Americans to western civilization. The research within these pages encompasses every aspect of innovative genius achieved by the Italian people throughout recorded history in a wide-range of categories. This highly entertaining compendium is comprehensive, easy to read, and fully indexed with more than 2,700 entries. From Julius Caesar to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, from Galileo to Sinatra - who says education can't be fun? This book will give you a greater awareness and a deeper appreciation of the vast contributions made over the last three thousand years by Italians from the Great Roman Empire, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and right up through today. Honoring Darkness: Exploring the Power of Black Madonnas in Italy by Mary Beth Moser Honoring Darkness explores the history, traditions, images and miracles of Black Madonnas in Italy. These dark powerful images of the Blessed Mary are highly revered in sanctuaries throughout Italy and are often sites of pilgrimage. In this scholarly and spiritual study study, evidence of the Black Madonna's power today and in the past is presented from on-site research. Leading-edge theories of feminist scholars help decipher clues of the dark Madonna's ancient past. Included are thirty-one colored images of statues, paintings and frescoes of Black Madonnas from Rome and southern Italy, along with a detailed analysis of miracles attributed to the Madonna from across Italy. A methodology known as "Organic Inquiry" is utilized, in which personal story is an integral part of the scholarly journey. Interviews of American women who have visited Black Madonna sites, along with the author's own experiences, provide testimony of the Black Madonna as a powerful living symbol of transformation. Concerning the potent transformative magic of the Black Madonna, Moser writes, "The immense power of Black Madonnas, rooted in the primordial past, and evident in the present, is an active Source available to all. By acknowledging her full power we can receive it for ourselves, and move forward not only in the holiness of her presence but in the wholeness of our being." How to Keep your Faith by Carl DiLorenzo All his life Carl DiLorenzo was haunted by the memory of his father. Who was he? What was the source of his great faith? Why did he have to die so young? Carl did not want his own children to be asking such questions about him some day. In 2000 he sat down to write the story of his life and his growth in the Roman Catholic Church. What emerged is more than a family keepsake. How to Keep Your Faith is a powerful statement of faith and hope for all Catholics, indeed, for all Christians. But it is more than a testimonial. This is the story of a young Italian American boy, growing up in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s, in the bosom of an extended Italian family who loved food, make their own wine in their Brooklyn tenement, danced and sang on Catholic feast days as they passed their faith from generation to generation. This is the story of a young man coming of age, learning awkwardly and hilariously about sex and love, work and faith, and the pain of losing loved ones before their time. How to Keep Your Faith is the story of a man growing in faith, even as he questions his church's hierarchy and its decisions. And ultimately it is proof that a man of faith can also be a man of reflection and curiosity. I Remember the Risorgimento: From the Memoirs of Jessie W. Mario by Honor Mamath This fascinating book is about Jessie, a woman in  her twenties who makes a major impact on our world during the key years of the Risorgimento, a 19th century movement for the liberation and the unification of Italy. War hero Giuseppe Gariballdi finds her energetic and clever with a pen, attributes that make her useful as a champion freedom fighter. Yet, she is not without a weakness, hero worship, which threatens to distract her from her task, especially where Garibaldi, a well-known lady-killer, is concerned. In I Remember the Risorgimento, Honor Mamath has delivered a riveting novel to her readers full of twists and surprises I Still Love Joni James by Jack Bilello The novel begins in the present. Chris Mercuri, a successful, middle-aged businessman, goes home to East New York to attend his father's funeral. For Chris, his father had been a dismal failure, earning minimum wage and dwelling in a coldwater flat. Chris has abandoned his Italian neighborhood--has a stable of luxury cars, a home in an affluent suburb, and a wife who shops only at Bloomingdale's. His father has left him only junk--a cardboard box containing useless newspaper clippings, old photographs, and out-of-fashion recordings. As Chris rummages through them, he is overwhelmed by a flood of memories that take him back to his old neighborhood and to a memorable summer when he was fifteen. We meet his parents, relatives and friends, as well as the young Mafiosos who terrorized the boisterous neighborhood. Chris remembers sandlot baseball and his days as a popular pitcher, the Cyclone ride at Coney Island, the Brooklyn Dodgers, the movies, and time spent with his father. As his reverie ends, chris has a better understanding of what a true inheritance is. Other books by Jack Bilello: Bonds of War, American Patrol, and A Band of Brothers. I Used To Be Italian by John Lonero   I Used To Be Italian, A love letter to a simpler time,  is a heartwarming look at growing up in the '30s. Lonero takes some dramatic license in this semi-autobiographical novel, but it is clear that his youth in an Italian neighborhood in Cleveland, OH, inspired the tale. He deftly paints portraits of the people who shaped his world-- his tough guy best friend, his first love, his proud mother. The characters' voices ring true and the story sparkles with the wit and wisdom of a life well lived. Comical memories of youthful hijinks contrast with the recollections of life in the wake of war as the story follows Jamie and his childhood friend, Vinnie, through their formative years and into adulthood. I Wouldn’t Die: A Memoir by Franco Antonetti This unusual autobiography begins with the author looking back on his early life and wondering how it is possible that he lived to see his first birthday. As he says in this uplifting tribute to a life lived to the fullest, he simply wouldn’t die. From the first sentence to the last you will wonder just as the author does how and why miracles occur. It may be said of many books that in the reading you become a better person. The fact is, though, that in this one, you are guaranteed to finish it a different person. For this is no ordinary story. From the outset it is nothing less than extraordinary. Yet anyone who reads it will see himself as clearly as if he looked into the mirror. Read on, as if your own life depended on it. And, who knows, maybe it does.           If You Think You Are My Daughter by Karen Sweet, Jeanne           Biedrzycki, and Lewis M. Elia Jeanne is sixteen years old and is forced to give up her baby girl for adoption. She never gets to see or hold her but she never forgets. And so begins a journey, a search for a lost child which will last thirty years. Join these two women on a spiritual journey as they learn the meaning of family and love which ends at Jeanne's new home overlooking the Ashokan Reservoir in upstate New York. Or is that where the story begins? I'm So Hungry, Even You're Startin' to Look Good: An Italian Family's Love Affair with Food by Marjorie Mauriello Baker   You'll love this heart-warming, taste-tempting mixture of food and family. Marjorie Mauriello Baker gives you three-dozen of her family’s recipes, passed down through four generations. This book tells the story dish-by-dish, of the way food, love and family are bound together in Italian culture--bound together in a way that makes those who are not Italian wish they were. The recipes, simple yet elegant include a traditional Neopolitan meat sauce, Christmastime cioppino, and steak alla pizzaiola. Each recipe is accompanied by a vignette that illustrates the way food and love shaped the Mauriello family. It's a delighful read, even if you don't cook. In the Sign of the Blood (Nel Segno del Sangue) Edizioni della Laguna, 2003, by Linda Foster & Edmondo Lupieri What happens when a seventy year old Italian American, Cavaliere Paride Frattolini, decides to return to the Old Country, to spend his golden years ? Driven by noble intentions and a good dose of megalomania, and with a suitcase full of dollars to pay for it all, the Cavaliere dreams of creating a "Center of Religious Studies" named after himself and modelled after Harvard, in a quiet provincial university town. To succeed in his endeavour, he takes along two young American scholars of Italian descent, but blood soon begins to flow with the murder of the university president and his secretary. With a deft use of irony, the novel tackles a subject which is ever current in our society: the cultural clash which confronts every emigrant who lives between two cultures, even as he returns to his homeland. This delightful book, elegantly written by a "transcultural" couple (an American teacher and an Italian professor of History of Christianity), fuses the best in American and Italian mystery writing and hopefully marks the beginning of a new trend in Italian crime fiction. Although the book's summary is posted in English, the book  is presently available only in Italian.  Innocent Heart, Laughter and Tears by Antonia Sparano Geiser This memoir is a captivating account of the life of Maria Marzia Maiello, her beloved mother Vincenza and her loving brothers. Born in 1920, she was raised in the small Italian town of Santa Nicola La Strada, in the Campania Region, twenty miles north of Naples. At ten years of age, Maria fled her adored native Italy with her mother and brothers, to spare the children the rising tide of fascism. They left their loved ones behind to find freedom in the United States, and to fulfill Maria's fondest dream of finally meeting her father in America. Here are Maria's fondest memories of family, friends and neighbors, and her tales of the way life once was lived in Southern Italy. They are told in her own words lovingly recorded and transcribed by her daughter, Antonia. Coupled with irreplaceable family photographs and a detailed genealogy, they form a precious legacy of a life dedicated to family, and represent a rare oral history of Italian town culture. Innocent War by Susan Violante It was 1940, the dawn of Italy’s World War II for the Italian Colonies of Libya. Nino woke up to his regular routine; but by the end of the day, his life will have changed into a nightmare; an adventure through Nino’s eyes. Innocent War is a boy’s adventure, showing a child’s point of view through the war’s hardships, dangers, and tragedies, combined with his own humor, innocence and awakening as he grows up. It is part of a fictional series based on Historical facts experienced by the real life Nino. The Italian American Immigrant Theatre of New York City by Dr. Emelise Aleandri Italian-American theatre sprang to life in New York City shortly after waves of Italian immigrants poured into this country in the 1870s. The mass migration brought both the performers and the audiences necessary for theatrical entertainment. Hungry for recognition, support, and social exchange, the men and women from Italy formed amateur theatrical clubs as one way of satisfying emotional needs. By 1900, the community had produced the major forces that created Italian-American theatre of the ensuing decades. In TheItalian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City, author Emelise Aleandri regenerates the excitement of the stage through striking photographs, programs, and other memorabilia generously loaned by families of the theatre community. She follows the fortunes of the earliest nineteenth-century companies and introduces those that arose in the twentieth century. Within these pages are scenes of comedy, tragedy, vaudeville, and radio, featuring stars such as Mimi Cecchini, Guglielmo Ricciardi, Concetta Arcamone, Antonio Maiori, Rita Berti, Farfariello, and Olga Barbato. The Italian American Immigrant Theatre of  New York City 1746-1899  (New and Expanded Edition) by Dr. Emelise Aleandri     Dr. Emelise Aleandri, Artistic Director of Frizzi & Lazzi The Olde Time Italian-American Musical Theatre Company, which recreates 19th century immigrant entertainments, offers us a comprehensive and detailed study of the Italian immigrant theatre of New York City from 1746 to 1899. The book chronicles all phases of entertainment in which Italians participated, from circus acts to street musicians, opera, melodrama, puppetry and vaudeville.  According to Professor Mario Fratti of The City University of New York, “This work of the history of the Italian language theatre in America should be in every library.”   Anne Paolucci, Professor Emerita of St. John’s University, says that “this ambitious work will insure that the history of what is surely one of the most interesting facets of the Italian American experience –the Italian-American immigrant theatre – will not go    unrecorded.” Further details about Dr. Aleandri’s book and all Edwin Mellen Press books, such as abstracts, reviews, and other information, can be accessed at www.mellenpress.com Italian American Writer on New Jersey  Edited by Jennifer Gillan, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Edvige Giunta Filled with passion, humor, and grace, these writings depict a variety of experiences, including poignant but failed attempts at conformity and the alienation often felt by ethnic Americans. The authors also speak of the strength gained through the preservation of their communities and the realization that it is often the appreciation of their heritage that helps them to succeed. Although presented from the vantage point of only one ethnic group, this book addresses in microcosm the complexities of American identity, depicting situations and conveying emotions that will resonate with people of all immigrant ancestries. Among the many writers featured are Gay Talese, Bill Ervolino, Tom Perrotta, Louise DeSalvo, Carole Mazo, Diane di Prima, and Maria Laurino. Each of the contributors provides a fresh perspective on the diversity, complexity, and richness of the Italian American experience. Italia Contemporanea by Maria E. Puppo Stiller Consisting of twenty-six chapters, Italia Contemporanea includes readings from the works of contemporary authors and grammar/syntax reviews from vocabulary expansion and derivation of nouns, adjectives and verbs, to translation from Italian to English and English to Italian. The literary excerpts in each chapter provide examples of the grammatical topics covered in the same chapter.  The use of the specific grammar point in context helps demonstrate both its proper and potential uses.  Most of the readings belong to the narrative genre, but Stiller also includes some poetry and drama, including excerpts from two move scripts by Federico Fellini and Tonino Guerra. Stiller goes far beyond the traditional textbooks and includes a chapter on Italian dialects, with a sample of Sardinian proverbs and a mini-anthology of Milanese, Genovese, and Roman poetry.  Cardella’s Volevo I pantaloni provides a sampler of Sicilian sentences with translation notes.A meticulously researched, remarkably well-written textbook, Italia Contemporanea not only bridges an extant gap in the world of Italian educational course books, it also highlights some of the greatest (if not most recognized) modern Italian writers. I Venti Corni by Salvatore Robert Froio This is the name of a secret Calabrian organization, who's purpose is to help Calabrians and their descendants around the world. The organization was originally started many years ago by twenty Calabrians who wanted to improve living conditions for their families in Calabria Italy. For years Southern Italy has been neglected by the government. The i venti Carni (The Twenty Horns) organization hoped to strike out aginst an Italian government based in the north that for years did everything possible to keep Calabria poor and dependent. But as time went on the organization continued to grow and now we have the group of twenty handling the entire world. Jacob's Story: A Journey of Faith by John Agliata Four months before little Jacob Alexander Agliata breathed his first breath trough damaged lungs not ready for this world, God’s plan for him starts to unfold. Without a voice of his own, Jacob and his plight unites first a handful and ultimately thousands in a common prayer. This book is a journey of hope amidst heartache. It reveals how God can work through even His tiniest servants to make joy out of suffering. Photos included.  The Jasper's Cookbook by Jasper J. Mirabile, Jr. This cookbook celebrates 50 years of recipes from Kansas City's legendary restaurant, Jasper's. A truly outstanding selection of Italian recipes from appetizers to desserts including Italian liquers, accompanied by family pictures and helpful and often humorous notes. Jasper Mirabile was named executive chef of Jasper's when he was 22. He was the first Kansas City chef to be invited to the James Beard House where he was recognized for upholding the tradition of authentic Italian cuisine. He is co-chairman of the American Institute of Food and Wine and convivium leader of Slow Food Kansas City and has a weekly radio show in Kansas City! Jean e Roscoe vanno a Perugia by Jean L. Farinelli A new Italian reader with illustrations and comprehensive exercises recounts, in lively dialogues, the month-long adventures of Jean and Roscoe studying Italian in Perugia at the University for Foreigners. Topics include: Registering at the university, buying a monthly bus pass, mastering self-service laundry, shopping for food, clothes, books and other items, coping with the Italian postal system and more. The text consists of extensive exercises to test comprehension and grammar, to stimulate conversation and writing, and to build vocabulary through puzzles accompany each of the book’s 10 chapters. The exercises were developed by Dott.ssa Anna Ignone who for 24 years has been teaching L2 Italian at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia and conducting refresher courses for Italian teachers in Italy and abroad. Paola Giunchi, Professor of Language Teaching Methodology at the Università di Roma La Sapienza, commends the textbook. She writes, “The conversations of Jean and Roscoe offer a remarkable opportunity to learn the language of everyday conversation while finding out how to cope with the daily trials of the Italian style of life.” The Journey of the Italians in America by Vincenza Scarpaci This informative and well-written book with its 500 photos illustrates the story of the immigrants and their descendents. Each caption provides detailed accounts of individual and family histories and shows how personal experience fits into the larger scheme of Italian American life. The reader will see familiar scenes and also discover new information about the impact of the immigrants across North America. With photographs from settings as diverse as a canning factory in Salerno to an Italian family's kitchen garden in Kellogg, Idaho, to Italians living in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, The Journey of the Italians in America traces the evolution of the Italian immigrant of the 1800s into today's statesman, scholar, movie star, Supreme Court justice, or businessman. As much a history of Italian influence on America, this work is also a history of American influence on Italians, as Scarpaci makes plain through evaluating the differences among generations of Italian Americans. An enduring study of ethnicity in America, this chronicle is a timely contribution to the discourse on immigration in the United States and will certainly be appreciated and enjoyed by all Americans Just Call Me Moose: Growing Up Italian in America by Karl R. Bossi This 256-page book illustrated with 17 vintage photos provides us with  a visceral look at an important time in history. Bossi's memoir, sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, is a vivid and often humorous portrait of what it was like to grow up in a comfortable middle-class family with poles-apart Italian-speaking parents. Only later does he realize that "Mum" had never found Pop’s channel, the one he transmitted on, but not until he understands that “Mum” never could tune into her last son any better.  Ron Della Chiesa, an icon of WGBH Boston public radio, noted that “Just Call Me Moose! Growing Up Italian in America” is “a powerful and poignant journey that takes the reader from the streets of Boston in the ’fifties to the jungles of Vietnam.”  He added, “This is a nostalgic tale, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad. I can relate to his search for the cause of his father’s untimely and tragic death.…Fascinating and thought provoking. … I laughed and cried, and you will too!” Killing by Vic Fortezza Dante Gentile, a carpenter, is proud to have served in Vietnam, where he survived intense combat. Now, twenty years later, he faces a brutal psychological war on the home front. It begins as he sees his beloved son off to the Gulf War, and climaxes on a stage familiar to all. This is a saga of family, warts and all, set in an Italian-American community in Brooklyn. The Last Best of All times by Robert A. Semenza Robert Semenza has always considered himself fortunate to have been brought up in what may have been “the last best of all times”—“an era that spanned  only a little more than a decade and a half, from the early forties to the midfifties, from World War II to the Korean ‘police action’ from FDR to Harry [the buck stops here] Truman to Ike.” Believing  his wonderful memories of this time would be lost forever, Semenza  decided to preserve them in a book for the generations to follow. His narrative is told in a self-effacing way and from the perspective of a young boy raised in “the West,” a neighborhood in New Rochelle, New York. Semenza’s informative and interesting book The Last Best of All Times transports the reader back to a memorable time of his boyhood experiences with his family, the school, the church, the Boys Club, the games he and his friends invented, and the special joys brought by each season of the year. The Last Centurion: Volume I (A Gleaner’s Evaluation)  Benito Mussolini 1883-1945 and  Volume II (A Political Road to Martyrdom) Benito Mussolini 1939-1945 by Rudolph Sebastian Daldiu Volume I of The Last Centurion reveals Benito Mussolini to be a resolute man of social vision and economic purpose. This new insightful biography presents the significant importance of his life on the history of Italy, Europe and the World while Volume II provides readers with little known or unpublished historical military and political facts of Italy's role in the Second World War. In the author’s words, “The last four years have been spent researching, writing, and designing my second book on the life and times of Benito Mussolini…. Today it is finally finished to my satisfaction and fulfills my every literary ambition and all my historical considerations. It is intended to communicate to the reader previously little known or unpublished Italian historical military and political facts that are required by anyone hoping to gain a clear understanding of Italy's role in the Second World War and to correctly understand many of the various under lying political principles and motivations that led to the great European and Asian military conflicts of 1939-1945. It is also a goal of this publication to provide the same reader with important and needed political background information concerned with today's existing turbulent political state of affairs: These must be seen as the offspring of the European and Asian political results of the military conclusions of WW2.” Legacy of a Hero by Genio Basilici A remarkable story,  Genio Basilici's latest book is about a  legendary patriarch of an Italian community near Boston. In 1946, this patriarch sends his son, Enrico, to Italy to find and assist family members in the aftermath of war. Alternating with his son's search and harrowing escape from a Neapolitan street gang and his brief but passionate affair with Graciella, Genio relives his arrival in America at the turn of the century in flashbacks of memory. It was a time when virulent prejudice and constant, anti-Italian hate campaigns forced him to step forward in defense of his countrymen; the time of the Great Depression, of Sacco and Vanzetti and the anarchist movement. It was a time when a huge influx of non-English speaking immigrants flooded our cities and sparked a firestorm of resentment. It was an incendiary era when ordinary individuals rose to extraordinary heights. It was a time to remember. Lilly, the littlest Cricket by Beth Ann Mammola-Koravos Lilly, the Littlest Cricket is a whimsical tale for children that details the adventures of the smallest and youngest in a family of crickets. Since Lilly is the youngest of her family, she sometimes feels overprotected. While her older brothers are very popular, the stars of their athletic teams in school, Lilly is still searching for her talent. Being the ever courageous cricket, Lilly decides to try as many new experiences as possible. Lilly tries everything from basketball to ballet; she is willing to do anything to find her very own special “Gift.” The adults in her life, especially her father, Joseph, guide and direct her. They continually remind Lilly to be patient and to pray for the answers. Lilly takes their advice, and just as her parents have promised, she unexpectedly finds her special “Gift.” Lilly’s adventures will amuse the young and the young-at-heart. I firmly believe that there is a Lilly in all of us! -- Beth Ann Mammola-Koravos-- Living la Dolce Vita by Raeleen D'Agostino Mautner, Ph.D. What is the Dolce Vita Lifestyle? It is my documentation of the Italian cultural mindset that has historically helped Italians not only survive, but also to live joyfully--with passion, serenity, and laughter in daily living. It is the lifestyle that I was brought up in but could only fully appreciate when I was able to verify it through my own research and teachings.  What does a "Dolce Vita Lifestyle" entail specifically?  maintaining strong ties with family and friends; letting love and romance play a central role in your heart;  making mealtime a social connection as well as good nourishment for the body;  being smart about money and knowing what true wealth is;  projecting a positive physical and mental appearance; refining the art of communication and graceful interaction retaining a place for spirituality in everyday life cultivating an attitude of resiliency slowing the clock by calmly appreciating the moment You don't have to be Italian to benefit from its cultural perspective on living principles. They really are universal. I hope you will think about incorporating them into your making your life be all that it can be.--Raeleen D'Agostino Mautner, Ph.D. Little Black Book Rome by Erica Firpo & Christel Brenting   The Little Black Book was written as a dining and entertainment guide to Rome, a city whose restaurants, cafes, and nightspots are just as hidden as its side streets. Written in English, The Little Black Book is simply a suggestion, that little voice whispering in your ear, "...eat here, it's good." Meander around the city with your map in hand and some curiosity. In Rome, you are always just around the corner from where you want to be.   Rome's main piazzas and neighborhoods are reference points to guide you to restaurants, cafes, bars and nightspots that will make you feel at home, and maybe even a little bit Roman. This useful booklet contains a Table of Contents, an Index, and a Price Guide. Little Italy by Dr. Emelis Aleandri Author Emelise Aleandri recreates the aura of a time gone by, in a nostalgic revisiting of the streets and buildings of Little Italy's  neighborhood through striking photographs, documents and other memorabilia generously loaned by families of the community and from archival sources. Dr. Aleandri, a native of Riva del Garda, Italy, is a producer, director, actress, writer and singer. She has a Ph.D. in Theatre from the City University of New York She is also the President of the Metropolitan New York Chapter of the American Italian Historical Association and leads historical walking tours of Little Italy. In this book, she looks at a neighborhood that housed and served newly arrived Italian immigrants almost exclusively, and that is growing smaller and smaller geographically as other new immigrant arrivals occupy the area, thus repeating the pattern of assimilation experienced by the Italians more than a century ago. Dr. Emelise Aleandri, a native of Riva Del Garda, Italy, is the internationally recognized authority on the subject of Italian-American theatre. Aleandri looks back at the lost time when the theatre, which is virtually nonexistent today, celebrated Italian culture in a way that will never be repeated. The Long Count by Frank Megna Johnny DeMarco is getting his brains scrambled in the fifth round of his comeback fight. Pushing 40 and after five years of retirement, The Brooklyn Bomber returned to the ring to bring Mary back to life. By some miracle, he wins. Reporters write about the stunner in the New York newspapers mentioning that Johnny has been working as a PI. One person who reads about the fight is Morris Steinberg, an old high school buddy, who is now a mogul in the music industry. It’s been over 20 years since they last spoke, but Morris is a man with some ugly secrets in his closet and a missing daughter. Johnny’s comeback puts into motion a series of events during the final weeks of 1999, sending him on an odyssey through an underworld more terrifying than the Mafia and into a confrontation with a sinister organization known as The Ninth Society.  Lord, I Am Not Worthy by Lewis M. Elia This inspiring narrative describes the journey of a Roman soldier, Flavius, stationed in Palestine during the time of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. As he witnesses the birth of a new religion and begins to understand the new moral values he has accepted, he must come to grips with the conflict he now faces between his new religion and loyalty to his country. Returning to Italy after his tour of duty with the Roman Army is over, he finds his new faith carries a price when he has to face the conflict created by its teachings, which begin to upset the prevailing Roman political structure. As he tries to bring justice to pagan Rome, he discovers that the class-conscious Roman State may not yet be ready for the message of the Nazarene. Making Change Stick: Twelve Principles for Transforming Organizations by Richard C. Reale   Most of us are resistant to change, and in most cases, this resistance to change is not a good thing. We must overcome it or be lost in the stagnant pond that should be a river of success. As a leader, it often becomes the challenge to create positive change around us. Making those changes stick is the harder challenge. To the rescue is author Richard C. Reale and his "Twelve Principles for Transforming Organizations." This is a motivating guide that will change your practices, permanently for the positive. For anyone who is in a leadership position, from the warehouse supervisor to the CEO, a police chief, or a microbrewery owner, Making Change Stick is sure to help you in some way. What’s more, it is sure to help your employees too. Written in friendly terms the book is easy to read, understand and implement.                                                               --Heather Froeschl-- Manson by Chris Pascale   This story follows the time in Hank Manson's life (reclusive and alcoholic at best) when success is coming his way after close to a decade and a half of working in America between his years at Bowdoin College in Maine and living as a writer/bum in the San Fernando Valley. His new novel, "The Woman's Suicide," is coming into mass production, and he must balance his especially guarded life with becoming a public figure. He has several important relationships in the story. The first is with his girlfriend, Harriet. The next with his editor, Juliet. And the last with his mother who was murdered ten years before. It is a story of a man who cannot forgive himself for the things he could not control as well as that of a man who attempts to control the fame he does not want. In his strides toward his work he takes you through extreme writing binges, and bouts of heavy drinking, but never at the same time. He is haunted by himself, and destroys anything good that he has; sometimes even attempting to do good where no good can be done simply to confirm that he is doomed, and that everything will go on regardless of him, or anything. Marcella Says…by Marcella Hazan Marcella Says... offers the reader the unparalleled experience of cooking with and sharing the memories of a true culinary artist. Marcella’s first lesson in cooking  is Insaporire, or the “key to flavor.” Insaporire, derived from the Italian word for taste, sapore, is Marcella’s founding principle for achieving great taste by coaxing the maximum flavor out of each ingredient and bonding its flavor to that of other ingredients.  By applying Insaporire to the essential cooking techniques of roasting, stewing, sautéing, frying, and more, Marcella expertly guides the reader through the process of preparing simple dishes with great depth of flavor. In addition, Marcella accompanies the reader to market, offering sage advice on selecting the finest ingredients, from fresh produce to dried pasta. For more than six decades, Marcella Hazan has given her extraordinary gifts to thousands of students and millions of readers throughout the world.  With this, the last volume by the great authority of Italian cooking, home cooks can embark on a great culinary adventure: they only need do what Marcella Says… For more information about Marcella Says...contact Lisa Sweet at lisasweetpr@adelphia.net. Marriage, Kidneys, and Other Dark Organs by Venera Di Bella Barles Venera Di Bella Barles maps the tempestuous life journey she embarks on with her Italian immigrant parents.  As the firstborn, first-generation American raised in New York State, her parents’ expectations are high. Venera internalizes her primary impressions with their underlying messages of “rights and wrongs”. Up to the age of ten, Venera is his favored “son” until her brother Nicholas is born, then all of Salvatore’s dreams shift to the long-awaited heir.  She learns a confusing role for womanhood by watching her inept mother, Antonietta, follow passively and childlike. Her relationship with her mother is distant and wanting.  Her mother suffers, as all abused women do, the all-consuming battle of survival, leaving little time for nurturing her children.  They all bow to Salvatore’s will. Venera is taught well as a little girl.  The subtle hidden messages are clear between the strict Catholic Church and her unyielding, oppressive, family. With this formula, Venera learns about love and how unsteady an article of trade it is.  She gains power as the mediator of her parents’ difficult marriage. Venera spends most of her energy either loving or hating her father. Memoirs of Lt.  Camillo Viglino: Italian Air Force 1915-1916 by Camilla Viglino Hurwitz and Victor Viglino In July of 1915, just two months after Italy joined the Allied Forces during World War I, Lieutenant Camillo Viglino, age 23, volunteered for flight training in the Italian Air Force. His account of the training provides the freshness and intimacy of an on-the-scene, firsthand report. It reveals an idealistic young man with an unbridled passion for flying and a patriotic zeal to fight for his country -- a young man daring to go up in the fragile flying machines of those early years of aviation, routinely placing himself at the mercy of the weather, cantankerous engines, and unreliable instruments. The discomforts of flying an open-cockpit 1914 Maurice Farman, the frequent crashes at the flight school, and the constant occurrences of pilots getting lost are all related with a nonchalant bravado befitting a 20-year-old. Viglino follows his diary-like accounts with a copy of a letter from a cousin at the front describing an air raid on Adelsberg, Austria. A firsthand account, accompanied by photographs, of the experiences of a World War I flight trainees during the earliest days of military aviation, Memoirs of Lt. Camillo Viglino has received critical acclaim, and has been reviewed in magazines such as Canadian History Review and on websites such as www.worldwar1.com Mentors to the Romans: The Search for the Etruscans by Richard M. Bongiovanni Most authors gloss over the origin of the Etruscans. The Etruscans were a highly advanced civilization that preceded the Romans. the author has researched the archeological and linguistic evidence of the Mediterranean and the Near East back to 6000 B.C. He compares this to the written history of the Etruscans and reaches some interesting new conclusions as to their origin. This is followed by a description of the Etruscan cities, culture and the art fund in its tombs. By rearching the ancient authors, daily life is explained in vivid detail. Government and religion are compared to the Romans, who inherited these from the Etruscans. finally, chronological tables and maps show the relationship of the different cultures in the Italian Peninsula and the Mediterranean back to 6000 B.C. The author is a member of the Etruscan Foundation. He has traveled abroad and has visited several of the archeological sites around the Mediterranean and Italy, including the Etruscan tombs. His background as a research scientist enabled him to reveal how the Etruscan became the Mentors to the Romans.           Milton's Dilemma by Patricia Gatto & John De Angelis Milton’s Dilemma  is the tale of a lonely boy’s magical journey to friendship and self acceptance. Milton struggles to fit in, but is teased by the school bullies. With help from a mischievous gnome, Milton learns the difference between right and wrong and the consequences of his actions when he vows to “get back” at the bullies. "Milton's Dilemma so cleverly demonstrates to the child reader that they are uniquely special and that they MUST let their own personal beauty shine through. So often, children fail to recognize and embrace their own self-worth and personal talents. And after all, it is these vivid differences that make us  truly unique and remarkable, and this world a better place to live."                                                    --Judge Majorie O. Rendell--                        First Lady of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania To arrange an author visit at your school or learn more about their fine work with and for children, please call 570.857.0255 or visit Joyful Productions on the web at: http://www.joyfulproductions.com My Cousin the Saint by Justin Catanosa An Italian-American writer embarks on an inspiring journey in search of faith and family after learning that Pope John Paul II has put his Italian cousin on the pathway to sainthood. Like millions of other Italians in the early twentieth century, Justin Catanoso’s grandfather immigrated to America to escape poverty and hardship. Nearly a hundred years later, Justin, born and raised in New Jersey, knows little of his family beyond the Garden State. Growing up Italian-American meant macaroni on Sunday and going to Mass, but for the most part, the family embraces American culture wholeheartedly.. That changes in 2001 when Justin discovers that his grandfather’s cousin, Padre Gaetano Catanoso, is a Vatican-certified miracle worker. After a life of serving the poor and founding an order of nuns, Gaetano had been approved by Pope John Paul II to become a saint, the first priest from Calabria, ever to be canonized. A typically lapsed American Catholic, Justin embarks on a quest to connect with his extended family in southern Italy, and ultimately, to awaken his slumbering faith. My Cousin the Saint charts the parallel history of two relatives—Justin’s grandfather, Carmelo, and his sainted cousin, Gaetano. While Carmelo leaves his homeland to pursue New World prosperity, Gaetano stays behind to relieve Old World misery. Justin reunites the two halves of a sundered family by both exploring the life of the saint in Calabria and uncovering the untold story of his grandfather’s family raised in New Jersey between two World Wars. Morning Glory by Bernadette Carson   Struggling through painful post-divorce healing, columnist Glory English sustains another emotional shock. Discovery of her deceased mother’s uncompleted letter sends Glory unexpectedly to Ogunquit, Maine. Although her mission is bittersweet, she is entranced by Maine's serene lifestyle. When she befriends energetic restaurateur Frannie Oliveri, they form a business partnership for a new waterfront restaurant. Glory's ambition is clouded, however, when Alex Howard enters her life. Talk of his wife's mysterious death haunts her and strains her friendship with Frannie. But when Glory and two teenagers are missing, Frannie and Alex form an unlikely alliance to find them, hopefully alive. Non soltanto un baule by Concetta Perna An  anthology of ten stories depicting the struggles that millions of Italians experienced in their search for a better life outside Italy. Told through the voices of descendants or friends, the immigrants' stories richly express the emotion, pride and heartbreak of their emigration to Australia, the United States, Argentina, and Canada. The book includes exercises for comprehension, discussion, research and writing; footnoted vocabulary with explanations in Italian; a table of passato remoto verbs in three conjugations; and cultural notes. This text was designed for general readers as well as for use in Italian language classes.             Odyssey of An Etruscan Noblewoman by Rosalind Burgundy                    Larthia is a married, childless Etruscan noblewoman who            disguises herself  as a man to exercise her gift of scribing..            Opening the Tomb of the Ancestors marks her fate.  Abducted            and forced into an unwanted journey, Larthia uses her charm,            sex, and scribing tools to outwit her enemies from Tarchna            (modern Tarquinia), to Rome, Sicily and on to Athens and beyond            through the turbulent Mediterranean waters. Against her will            she voyages to Egypt where she is initiated as priestess into the            rites  of the Cult of Isis. Helped by a mortal god,  and sponsored             by the pharaoh, Larthia maneuvers her way back to Etruria            only to find chilling surprises. Aided by a stranger, the merchant-            vintner from Curtun, she must challenge her destiny and discover            where she will be for eternity.              Other books by Rosalind Burgundy: Song of the Flutist               and Tuscan Intrigue     Olivia and the little Way by Nancy Carabio Belanger and illustrated by Sandra Casali LewAllen Fifth grader Olivia Thomas has moved to a new school in another state, and is eager to make friends. Her best friend quickly becomes someone she has never seen--St. Therese of Lisieux. Follow Olivia's trials as she tries to fit in at St. Michael's School. With the help of her grandmother, she learns about the "Little Way" of serving God and how it can change everything! This touching and heartfelt novel celebrates the life of St Therese and will inspire young readers to follow her example and discover their own "Little Way" miracles. Nancy Carabio Belanger's inspiring book, targeted toward children ages 8-13, is beautifully illustrated by Sandra Casali LewAllen. The Catholic Press Association has written the following about Olivia and the little Way: "This book offers a unique and fresh way to celebrate the life of St. Therese of Lisieux. It is a wonderful and engaging novel suitable for all but especially for ’tweens. They can share Olivia’s life lessons as she deals with different relationships and real challenges." Old Italian Neighborhood Values by Stephen L. DeFelice, M.D. From the opening martini cocktails, through the peasant antipasto, the pasta, pietanza, dolce, espresso, and finally grappa, we move deeper into life, from casual observations about kids, families, divorce and their relationship to calcium and highways of today, to heated arguments about sex, politics, God, the liberal media, and many other controversial subjects. "Old Italian Neighborhood Values" is required reading for anyone who has grown up in a Little Italy; those who didn't will wish they had. In a time when people are leaving little Italys left and right, DeFelice's imagination has given us all a way back home.”--Professor Fred Gardaphe, Director of Italian American Studies Stony Brook University-- Other books by Dr. Stephen L. DeFelice: The Carnitine Defense, Consumed: Why Americans Love, Hate, and Fear Food, Drug Discovery: The Pending Crisis, From Oysters to Insulin: Nature & Medicine at Odds, Nutraceuticals: Devloping, Claiming, and Marketing Medical Foods One Beautiful American by Nicholas Caruso The spirit of the Italian immigrant comes alive in the story of beautiful Isabella Bertinella.  As a little girl living with her grandfather outside Naples , her parents summon her to America . Leaving her grandfather breaks her heart as he sends her off to escape poverty in southern Italy. Life in America places Isabella between two cultures.  In school, her heritage is ignored for the sake of Americanizing her so she can make something of herself.  At home, her father warns her to stay among her own kind and that the satisfaction of hard work and the dream of success do not belong to women. But when tragedy strikes the Bertinella family, living in America becomes simply a matter of survival for young Isabella, who demonstrates the American spirit of determination and compassion.  She leads by example, confronting personal hardships in the 1920s, enduring the Great Depression, and becoming an American patriot during World War II.  Most of all, this is a love story about passion and heartbreak, and the triumph of love everlasting. Isabella’s life is an American success story.  She is an inspiration.  Revered in her community, honored as an American heroine, she lives a long and rewarding life. One Way Out by James Azzarelli As a young baby boomer, son of a World War II veteran, grandson of a Sicilian immigrant, and part of a successful family construction business, Jim Azzarelli’s future looked bright indeed. But no one could have prepared him for the vast changes he was about to experience. One Way Out is one baby boomer’s story of living through a time when America experienced tumultuous change. A third generation Italian-American, Azzarelli made it his mission to follow in his family’s footsteps and make his own way in the construction business. But the political, social, and cultural upheaval of his generation would greatly impact his future. Azzarelli protested the Vietnam War and narrowly missed being drafted toward the end of the conflict. He bore witness to Woodstock, the Watergate scandal, the Civil Rights movement, and the death of John F. Kennedy. Yet despite such life-altering events, Azzarelli clung to the old world values of his grandfather and his father—the importance of hard work and putting family first. He founded his own construction business in Florida, married, and raised a family of four. Full of wit and wisdom, One Way Out brings to life the turbulence of a generation and reveals how one man learned that in planning for the future, one must always consider the past. 1,000 Italian Recipes by Michele Scicolone The latest in the critically acclaimed 1,000 Italian Recipes series, this book highlights and simplifies the best in modern and classic Italian cooking. Divided into chapters by food—from antipasti to soups and salads, from sauces and pastas to meats and desserts—Scicolone offers readers treasured recipes from her personal collection gathered over the years from family members, cooks met in her travels, her favorite restaurants, and her dearest friends. All have been adapted to appeal to today’s home cooks—for authenticity, variety, ease of preparation, and healthiness, while never having to sacrifice flavor. Scicolone not only offers 1,000 wonderful recipes for everyday and entertaining, she also imparts her honed expertise in technique, preparation and presentation. She guides cooks through such topics as when fish is ‘done,’ how to prepare an authentic antipasti platter, and how to make perfect risotto. She shares techniques and tips, such as how to properly cook dried pasta (used in Italian cooking for ages) so that sauces “stick,” and how to grate cheese for maximum flavor. In addition, there are delightful menus for holidays and special occasions—or when home cooks need assistance to provide a unique dining experience that holds true to Italian flavors and verve. 1,000 Italian Recipes gives readers endless, delicious options for approachable cooking with heavenly results every night of the week. In true Italian tradition, it’s a feast for soul and the senses. For more information about 1,000 Italian Recipes contact Michele Sewell at msewell@wiley.com Outlines of Greatness by Joseph V. Colello In the author's own words, inherent in Italians has always been the obligation to work to support their families. They have always taken pride in their work, their art, and their love of life. From the very beginning, Italians made many contributions towards making America a great nation. They came to contribute, not to conquer. Actually, what astonishes the reader of these Outlines of great Italians in the old and new world, is the sheer scope of their endeavors. It's not widely known, for instance, that William Paca, one of the signatories of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, was an American of Italian origin. The founder of the F.B.I. was an Italian-American named Bonaparte. Many of these names in art, industry, entertainment and sport roll easily off the tongue. Others, such as Vigo, Brumidi, di Cesnola, Fermi, Iacocca, and Sirica, are less familiar to us than say, Di Maggio or Sinatra. But for all Americans, of whatever background, they are the new Rispettati, and as such they merit our interest - and our respect. The Pact: A Theological Thriller (Un Thriller Teologico) Edizioni Diabasis, 2005, by Linda  Foster & Edmondo Lupieri Gabriele Palladino is an ex-seminary student turned ambitious genetic researcher who opts to join the great brain drain of scientists and leave his native Italy to further his chances in the US. He works for a company in California, Biogas, whose official goal is research into the effects of pollution on the animal genome but unofficially Gabriele is the key component of a team which has developed a technique for cloning anencephalic human embryos for the lucrative organ transplant market. When he finds his discovery has been appropriated by his superior, he agrees to a meeting with a stranger representing a mysterious organization who offers him a new job.... Although the book's summary is posted in English, the book  is presently available only in Italian.  Pearl by Joseph E. Scalia Lucio, a pearl fisherman in La Paz, on the Baja, has heard the stories of how his proud grandfather Kino had once found "The Pearl of the World" and lost his house, his boat and his child in a desperate attempt to keep it. Years after Kino´s terrible ordeal little has changed in the Mexican town, and less for young Lucio. Life has been difficult for the poor fisherman, that is, until luck and the gods reward Lucio with a great pearl of his own, and then his life becomes unbearable. Lucio´s pearl unleashes the evil that has been lying always just beneath the surface in La Paz, and when evil does show itself, Lucio must confront the danger, at the risk of losing everyone and everything he loves. This sequel to Steinbeck's The Pearl is a new chapter to an old story, a story of luck and love and sacrifice. This poignant story was chosen as a finalist in the ForeWord Magazine 2001 Book of the Year Competition.           Peschici: A Guide by Lucy Vecera "Puglia is getting to be an important tourist attraction. An English language guide book is a must for the many travelers who come to Peschici, the gem of the Puglia on the heel of the Italian boot and who are fascinated by the nature, art, and the food. this booklet will be particularly useful to the people whose grandparents emigrated from the area and who are searching for their roots."--Dr. Regina Soria-- To enquire about or to purchase this book email Ltlux@aol.com Piazza: Italy's Heart & Soul by Joe Bauwens & Marybeth Flowers Immerse yourself in the living story of the piazza. Celebrate its everyday patterns, festivals, and reenactments of medieval events, ancient athletic contests, grand processions, antique fairs, and more. These stunning images capture the warmth, joy, and delight of Italian life. Italy comes alive in the piazza; it is the true heart of Italy's culture and has been for centuries. Join the photographers on a journey through the country's rich and varied history as they explore the grand of piazzas of Rome, Venice and Florence, and small towns in the Italian countryside with intimate squares bustling with activity.  Life in an Italian piazza is romantically reminiscent of a bygone era. Spectacular architecture serves as a backdrop to the daily rhythms of each town. Explore the piazzas of Italy and discover an enchanting mixture of love, laughter, intimacy, family, and friendship. This book features 250 dazzling photographs in vivid color of Italy's town squares. Pius XII, the Holocaust and the Revisionists: Essays Edited by Patrick J. Gallo Through a series of articles and essays, the editor and eight contributors critique the works of revisionists who allege that Pius XII was sympathetic to the Nazis or unresistant to their atrocities. The essays discuss the roots of these views in the relentless Nazi and communist propaganda of the era, and the debate’s revival after a 1960s stage play portrayed the pope as a leader afraid to speak out. By bringing intellectual rigor and responsibility to the issue, this work makes a solid contribution to the history of the papacy and to the biography of Pius XII. Pizza, Pasta, and Poker by Vince Burgio   Burgio's book is not a how-to-win at poker item. It is more of a "glimpse of a professional poker player's life." Burgio wants the public to understand what goes on in the lives of professional players, who "just happen to have not-so-normal lives." It covers the author's ups and downs, his wins and losses, those who influenced him, the lessons he's learned the hard way, and he does it with humility. With Burgio's fantastic memory for people, places and incidents, it's a continuous entertaining trip down memory lane. You'll meet colorful characters, dealers, find out how a steak house was named after a cat; how it feels to move from low limit play to the highest stakes games; how he faced and detected cheats and how pasta and pizza (part of the book title) became an integral part of his life growing up. Packed with pictures but not indexed by name or places, the book contains 28 short chapters, has a reasonable price and presents itself properly as a slice of life -- with a little pepperoni and oregano tossed in.  Plumbing in Harlem by Joe Benevento In 1980, Gus Perazzo, 30, takes work in Harlem to have time with his mother, Ana, who has liver cancer.  Gus's time plumbing is mostly comic, due to his ineptitude and an odd cast of co-workers and tenants.  His time with his family, in a world of homemade pasta, loud talk and never spoke love, forces him to confront his past, while he helps his mother face her mortality.  Three love interests tempt Gus further from his failing marriage: Helen Boisclair, a beautiful Creole he has loved since grammar school; Maritornes Martinez, his sexy first girlfriend; and Maggie McGuinnis, a college crush and present chiropractor, who still believes inGus.  During eight intense weeks in NY, Gus Perazzo seeks faith in the possibilities of cure, for his mother, for Harlem, for himself.  In facing decay, betrayal, even death, he finds a way to choose a renovation of his own life. Other books by Joe Benevento: Holding On (Poems--Published by Warthog Press) and Willing to Believe (Poems--To be published by Timberline Press, Fall, 2003) The Poet, The Count, and The Peddler by Anthony Bottagaro   Leaving an oppressed and poverty-stricken Sicily, nine-year-old Mario Ferrara and his family begin a new life in what they believe is the Promised Land. However, the American dream soon becomes tainted. Living in New York City’s Little Italy affords the Sicilian immigrants opportunity but brings with it a struggle against discrimination and injustice. Decades later, an Italian witch-hunt spearheaded by a relentless congressman sows seeds of rebellion in Mario’s heart. Tormented by the chaos of the times and driven by a strong sense of heritage and his love of la famiglia, Mario takes on the fight against the power, greed, and corruption in business, government, religion, and society. This revolutionary man’s tenacious persistence threatens his life and all he holds dear—his family, his friends, and his heritage. A vindictive prosecutor, a manipulative businessman, and a ruthless cardinal tied to the Vatican Bank are out to destroy him. His efforts to right wrongs drag him deeper and deeper into an abyss of conflict. Disorder, betrayal, prejudice, and fear lead to a tumultuous murder trial. Never giving up his quest for liberty, Mario, the Peddler, passionately dares to challenge the very fabric of society’s traditions, institutions, and belief systems. Is he a quixotic figure fighting windmills of his mind or a dauntless hero fighting a very real battle? Powers of Fate by Mono DeAngelo Powers of Fate is a sweeping family saga that covers the turbulent fifteen-year period between 1930 and 1945. It is the story of a young Italian-American street hustler with a penchant for shooting craps. He enlists in the U.S. Army at the outbreak of World War II and at the war's end, returns home with a wife and an infant son. By providing an intimate look into his life, as well as that of the beautiful Italian girl he falls in love with, this novel gives the reader a unique perspective of the war bride phenomenon. Unlike the many wonderful books written celebrating the love and courage of war brides, this story details the unpredictable chain of events in each of the main character's live which bring them together. Rich with colorful characters, such as mobsters, eccentric priests, fashion designers and endearing rogues, this novel carries the reader across three continents on one couple's journey of personal growth and discovery. For anyone whose parents or grandparents were a part of this extraordinary experience, Powers of Fate will transport you back to that time in their lives and allow you witness the love, passion and bravery of this remarkable generation. To obtain more information on Mono DeAngelo's writings, visit his Website. Promises to Keep: The Untold Story of a Family in War-Torn Italy by Thomas F. Dwyer, Ed.D By For several decades, Italian-born Domenico Forte worked hard in America with the hopes of bringing his family with him. It was a slow process punctuated by two world wars. Domenico survived the first war, but World War II found him in America while his family was trapped in some of the most ferocious fighting of the Italian campaign. The Forte family eked out an existence on a farm just outside of Pico, a village in central Italy in the foothills of the Aurunci Mountains. The mountains’ towering presence, coupled with a nearby labyrinth of strong rivers, became the setting for some of the most brutal combat of WWII. With a population of about 3,000, Pico became the linchpin of the German defenses; its fleeting military importance quickly brought the scourge of battle upon its citizenry. The Forte family was caught in the middle. Promises to Keep chronicles the war in Pico from two perspectives. It examines the military backdrop against which the taking of Pico occurred, and discusses the military celebrities in command at the time of the siege. But more than that, it shows how the brutal reality of war affected the population of Pico. The Quest by Raphael Ferraro This unique and inspiring text is a small but powerful book examining the research and findings relevant to spiritual healing as well as offering simple and powerful methods such as prayer, meditation, and visualization to promote health and well being. The book written in an easy step-by-step format encourages one to develop, support, and maintain a healthy body, mind, and spirit by awakening and experiencing the loving energy of the universe, a healing power available and responsive to all who seek it. Raising the Child by Theresa ( Catalanotto) Hickey   Theresa Hickey is an idealist in life and in poetry. Readers find that she shares her humanity through poetry and in word and deed. All proceeds from her chapbooks go to support area soup kitchens, abused women shelters, the arts, and other non-profit organizations. That's one good reason to buy Ms. Hickey's chapbook. Another incentive is the stunning poetry. Remembering people precious to her is a recurring theme throughout this book. "Old Country" memorializes the poet's grandfather. "Tea & Eucharist" is the poignant memory of time spent with her ill mother. Another long poem is "Soup Kitchen" in which the poet hopes to inspire compassion in her daughter by serving in the soup kitchen. Instead, she learns a hard truth about herself from observing her daughter with a disenfranchised woman, Dorothy.   In a Midwest Book Review, Laurel Johnson writes, “This is a chapbook of exceptional poetry. Theresa Hickey shows us rare glimpses of remembered joy and stark moments of regret with honesty and dignity. Her work with words is beautiful and memorable."            Rambling Round by Anthony Buccino Revisit New Jersey through the past six decades from the western mountains outside Blairstown to the Hudson River shoreline at Wall Street West, and, of course, northeastern Essex County.Readers from Ashtabula, Ohio, and other points outside the Garden State will identify with life’s everyday encounters captured here. Chuckle and groan through these casual essays about the familiar ... family, house work, high school, and those dog days. Returning readers will feel like they are catching up with an old friend, and will want to take him to Starbucks for an afternoon of story swapping. Buccino’s essays are written from the heart and the hearth. These 65 casual essays represent his best recent work. Most of these essays appeared as the author´s  Rambling Round columns in Worrall Community Newspapers, primarily The Independent Press of Bloomfield, the Glen Ridge Paper, the Nutley Journal and the Belleville Post, all in New Jersey. The Recipe by Amilya Antonetti Now more than ever, in business and life, leaders and their teams are the key ingredients. Success is a collaborative process where we come together to be better as a whole than we can ever be separately. The question is how? How do we find the right teammates? How do we find our place on the team? And, when it is our turn, how will we lead?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a magical recipe with all the right ingredients, the perfect utensils and easy to understand directions you could follow? It does not matter if you are running your home, launching a business, leading a division, or building an empire. Where ever you are and where ever you’re going, you need a winning team. Enter the world of Prosperous Bakery where six brothers and their guide discover The Recipe for teamwork and success along the leadership path. You’ll recognize the characters. We all know them. You’ll identify with their challenges. We all have them. You’ll learn their lessons in a wonderful story sprinkled with Little Spoonfuls of helpful tips and thought provoking Food for Thought to help guide you on your journey from the personal notebook of one of today’s most engaging entrepreneurial leaders, Amilya Antonetti. Recipes My Nonna Taught Me by Fran 'Francena' Hall Francena writes, "When I was a little girl I would visit my Sicilian grandmother (Nonna) and watch her cook. I wrote this cookbook to preserve her recipes for my daughters. I have tried to create a cookbook that is fun, easy to follow, simple to prepare using inexpensive ingredients, and delicious. This cookbook is not fancy, but it is a practical and useful addition to your kitchen." Recipes My Nonna Taught Me is a treasure trove of "Old World" favorites! It is a tribute to Francena's Sicilian heritage and legacy left by her beloved Nonna. A great hostess gift or stocking stuffer! The author of this delightful book was featured as a celebrity chef, along with Sal Scognamillo of Patsy's Restaurant in NYC and Tony Casillo of London, at the 2003 Chicago Italian Food and Wine Festival.  The Requiem: Book Two of the Dream Series by Jessica Barone The Requiem is the confessional journal of the vampire, Jason Maura. It is the story of how he was made a vampire; the conflicts he had to face which sculpted him into what he became. It is a tale which spans across continents and time, from Europe to America, from the year 1677 to 1995. Excitingly frightening and filled with vampiric seduction, it is a novel that readers of The Dream Series will not want to miss. Revisionary Identities: Strategies of Empowerment in the Writing  of Italian American Women by Mary Ann Mannino   Recently daughters and granddaughters of Italian immigrants have begun to write fiction and poetry about their experiences as Italian/American women. This informative text focuses on the writings of these women and argues that their works reveal a new identity composed of both Italian and American elements although neither completely Italian nor totally American. For these writers, the categories of race, class, gender and religion blur causing various conflicts. Attempting to resolve these conflicts, the authors suggest an all-powerful immigrant grandmother with whom they have bonded and by whom they have been deeply influenced.  Writers discussed in this book include Helen Barolini (Umbertina), Maria Fama, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Sandra Mortola Gilbert.   Revisonary Identities has been used in classes that teach Italian American literature. The Road to Calabria by Susan Bria The Road to Calabria reads like a novel but is the factual account of Susan's   travels to Italy, which develop into the discovery of Calabria, the land where her family originated. In this heartwarming true story Susan Bria joins her passion for Italy with her love of writing. Susan guides her readers through an ancient land of history and beauty. With ease she makes the connection between her family in the United States and its traditions and origins in two small towns in Southern Italy and comes to know and love the relatives she finds there. Surnames in the book include Bria, Spezzano, Caruso, and Conforti. Other titles by the author: From the Heart of a Caregiver: A Spiritual Journey and Grandma is Going to Live with Grandpa, an audio book for children and adults. Contact the author at SSBria@aol.com to order or to obtain further information about her publications. Roses for Mama, An Italian American Saga by Joe Criscuolo Recount the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of an immigrant family from Southern Italy to America in the beginning of the twentieth century. This novel is based on the author's recollections of an Italian-American child growing up in the 1940's, and stories told to him by his grandparents, and the struggles of their first days in America. The Rosselli Cantata by A.S. Maulucci In this novel of a man's search for his father's murderer, an Italian immigrant breaks a cycle of vengeance.  Salvatore Rosselli is the son of a poor Italian farmer embroiled in a feud over a precious patch of fertile land in an arid region of Foggia in southern Italy.  The events of a single day in 1924 change Salvatore's life forever.  He vows to avenge his father's murder and spends the next year pursuing the killer to Naples and then New York City, where he loses track of him.  When he finds him again it is 38 years later and Salvatore, now a wealthy businessman, is able to forgive his father's killer because of a strange twist of fate. Sardinian Silver by A. Colin Wright To Arthur Fraser, a young Englishman, Sardinia in 1960 is perfect. It’s an island filled with Roman ruins, exotic scenery, local customs, and morally traditional values—he loves everything. To assimilate into strange place and belong to a society different from his own has always been his desire. Arthur arrives in the resort town of Alghero to work as a representative for a tourist company. His ambition is to find a Sard girl for himself. He is quickly thwarted, though, by the orthodox beliefs of the inhabitants. Unmarried couples cannot meet without chaperones, and anyone with “continental” attitudes is immoral. Arthur quickly learns that dating is fraught with real dangers . When Arthur finally falls in love with Anna, a Sard girl, he discovers that she lives in Rome and is no longer accepted at home. But she then falls in love with one of his best friends, and Arthur becomes irrationally obsessed. He incessantly schemes about winning back her affections, despite her efforts to dissuade him. In Sardinian Silver, author Wright masterfully evokes a mysterious society, its flamboyant people, and the Island’s beauty. Like Arthur, you’ll never want to leave Sardinia, with its wide sands, low hills, sun, and blue sea – and its superficial pleasantness of life. The Scattered Italians by Thomas Gambino The Scattered Italians is an impressively deep and revealing book, filled with the gusto and a love of life which permeates the core issues of discovering one’s roots and thus one’s true identity.  This nonfiction book interlaces historical factors with behavioral characteristics leading to conclusions and answers affecting over 25 million Italian-Americans and potentially many other hyphenated citizens of the world. The story is presented in the author’s delightful and often witty style allowing for a pleasant, informative and entertaining read. The literary visits with some of the giants of history, along with personal anecdotes, mix to provide a fascinating story on a very humane stage for all to see and enjoy. The Secret of the Christmas Biscotti by Rita DeBona The Secret of the Christmas Biscotti is a heartwarming story that links three generations of an Italian family together as a grandmother reluctantly reveals a part of her past. As they listen to the grandmother's story, Marie and her mother learn the secret of the Christmas biscotti. Rita DeBona, granddaughter of Italian immigrants, was an educator, counselor, and administrator for over twenty-six years. She currently owns a small business and writes in her spare time to give her family an appreciation of their Italian legacy. Sicily! Up Close ! By Bud Lang Unlike the average travel book, Sicily! Close Up! is not packed with page after page of historic information, it doesn’t mention the Mafia; it doesn’t bore you with useless data. Rather, this book gets right to the point providing personal insight into many factors of traveler interest. For example, one chapter gives the reader information on web sites and magazines concerned with genealogy, while each section dealing with the Nine Sicilian Provinces ends with the addresses of local officials and the offices where visitors might find ancient records This fascinating text is designed to excite readers and motivate them to visit Sicily to discover what the land and its people are all about. The book also contains many black and white photographs as well as two colorful sections packed with bright, striking photographs. Searching for Italy in America ’s Rural Heartland by Celeste Calvitto   This book tells the stories of Italian immigrants who in the late 1800s and early 1900s came to America to find work in the nation’s coal mines and on the railroads and farms. Focusing on the rural rather than the urban immigrant experience, this well-written book with numerous color photographs takes you on a journey to six states—Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana—and, through dozens of interviews with immigrants and their descendants, provides readers a glimpse into the past. As the author has written, “Searching for Italy in America ’s Rural Heartland contains the “profiles of families and vintage photographs which tell stories of freedom and family, inspiration and intimidation, humor and humility.” The Second Venice (Venezia Due) by Prof.(Hon.) Architect Askin Ozcan As The Italian Government puts a limit on the number of tourists to Venice, to protect it from destruction and pollution, an American consortium (McBigBite and Pshht Cola) build beside the real Venice a "Second Venice" which is "bigger and better". This book is the ludicrous story of life in this fake Venice. With its fake canals and gondolas, its fake museums and fake paintings, its "Fake Films" festival, congresses and college and dog shows, the Second Venice attracts a sizeable tourist crowd to compete with the real Venice. Spy stories and thieves as well as heated discussions in its pubs, among tourists of various nationalities add a spice to this marvelous humoristic masterpiece. Finally, a sheik buys The Second Venice at a bargain price, kidnapping the daughter of a friendly family who is a major shareholder of the city. Chapter after chapter this book will make you laugh and will be a pleasant addition to your "humor" library. To obtain information or to order other books written by Askin click the titles of the following texts: Wisdom In Smile, Stockholm Stories, and The Mini–Submarine. Shadow of Enid Lux by Louis Bascetta   "Virginity Rites," a  tale of ancient times,  was written by a charming teacher to enlighten the minds of her students, parents and, possibly, humanity. The manuscript, however, is stolen by the seniors, misinterpreted and performed to celebrate their graduation, thus ending in a tragic accident. The novel encompasses the lives of administrators, teachers, students, parents, the Board of Education, the spreading of drugs under the symbol of Bougainvillea, and the destruction of lives. The story ends with the redemption of many and the triumph of justice. The simple plot, the fast pace action, and the recurring voice of love and generosity make the novel an enjoyable reading venture. Sharing Meals Heals: An Italian 'Menu' of Reflections For Inner Peace by Father William Faiella This is a self-help book for young adults to seniors.  It offers support regarding issues and feelings that we all face in life such as relationships, abandonment, spirituality, grief, frustration, hurt, anger, fear, shame, guilt, etc. The author serves it as a ‘meal’ complete with 1) antipasto (Italian proverbs); 2)  zuppa e l’insalata  (soup and salad, a few contemporary ideas the author feels need to be tossed upside down like salads, or diluted like some soups); 3)  pasta (the main course, short reflections and biographical sketches of how certain creative and loving people from different walks of life responded to  the vicissitudes of human existence and 4)  dolci (dessert, a few poems, jokes and prayers).  The author attests that sharing meals is a way of  reconciling with others and that sitting around the table together encourages the recounting of joys, sorrows, hopes and dreams, the mutual disclosing of which heals the mind and spirit.  The meal theme is borrowed from Jesus who broke bread often with people to help them restore wholeness. In sum, the book encourages those who want to change to do so, but first suggests self-acceptance since it is the quality that offers energy for personal transformation. Shelter Cove, the Early Years by Lenore Lafayette   Shelter Cove, the Early Years is a true story about a small Northern California coastal community.  The secluded beach, together with the quaint cottages lining the Cove and the surrounding environs, are rich in history. The story begins in the Eighteenth Century with the explorers, the native Indians and the Missions. Tales are spun about the short-lived Ocean Shore Railroad and the wild Prohibition years. When the background details are all in place, the saga of a San Francisco Italian family follows.The large, close-knit  family spent weekends and vacations at the Cove.   Book is available from Cherry Orchard Books, P.O. Box 3854, Los Altos, CA 94024-0854.  Price is $16.95 plus tax and shipping.  This book includes maps, sketches and illustrations. SHOWTOONZ by Charles Mandracchia  Charles Mandracchia has done it again! From the creative mind of this imaginative artist has emerged SHOWTOONZ, a book of his latest collection of colorful images. The old vaudeville era of the last century has all but disappeared from the stage and lives only in celluloid depictions on the screen. SHOWTOONZ breathes new life into these almost mythic icons of the stage. The cast of "Headliners" in this book includes the endearing "Stars," Fright-A-Stare and Green Kelly, among many others. Hoofers with canes and spats and bowler hats, chanteuses, comedians, and even the audience, all jump out at the reader and come back to life.  Charles' volume of endearing limericks, tongue twisters and unusual characterizations, all intended as a language tool and as a way of reaching children. One can't forget the funny vocal patterns of those wild and wacky characters: the Broccoli Green Marine, Sassy Sally, Davy and the Wavy Navy and the Toothless Vampire.  Small Drops of Ink: A Collection of Short Stories by Vincent Iezzi This book of short stories tells of the lives and loves and desires and needs of ordinary people who have dreamed life and experienced the excitements, pains, love and loneliness of living. It tells of people alone and without love, of people surrounded by many and without love, of eternal love, of passing-by people who touch others with feathered gentleness or with rough sandpaper. From a far off island, an isolated farm, a cold Broadway theater, a library, a classroom and a retirement house you hear the stories of men and women living and needing to live more. From a doctor's office, a telephone room, a credit office, a television soundstage, a subway ride you become a part of the big hopes, eternal joys, small failings and tiny dreams of men and women loving and needing to be found and loved more. From the private worlds of success, despair, loneliness, and isolation you encounter band-aids that helped the characters to live and to survive. From the imagination of another being you find out about others and yourself as you live their lives through words which are Small Drops of Ink. Soldiers of Siam by Peter Loria During the Viet Nam War, there were some 70,000 G.I.'s reported to be in Thailand as support troops. Soldiers in Siam paints the lives of an Army construction platoon and their attempts to cope with a new, strange and exotic experience. The Son of the Red Corsair by Emilio Salgari The Italian American Press is pleased to announce the posting of The Son of the Red Corsair by Emilio Salgari, the first English translation of a classic Italian book by one of the most popular authors of adventure and fantasy stories for young readers. Translator Michael Amedio writes that this book is "...a complete translation, faithful to the original, rendered in a way that will appeal to the modern reader. It is a unique opportunity for English readers of all ages to acquaint themselves, or reacquaint themselves, with one of Salgari's most enjoyable novels."    A captivating mix of adventure, romance, and comedy, The Son of the Red Corsair is the story of Enrico of Ventimiglia, and Italian gentleman disguised as a corsair who fights his way through the Spanish conquests of Central America in search of the half-sister he has never met, the child of his father's second wife, the daughter of Darien's Grand Cacique. In his adventures he is accompanied by a handful of colorful characters including the ever-faithful Mendoza, the French gentlemen turned buccaneer--Buttafuoco, and the boisterous Don Barrejo, as well as the beautiful Marquise of Montelimar and various bands of the Pirates of the Caribbean. The Spear of Lepanto by Leon J. Radomile The year is 1570. All of Europe is fragmented and embroiled in religious turmoil. England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire are preoccupied with petty disputes, and reject the pope's urgent plea for a united Christian stand against the Ottoman Turks. Only a brokered alliance forced by the Holy See between Spain and Venice can give Europe a fighting chance against the invincible Turkish colossus. Two worlds, diverse in philosophy and custom, converge to meet in a titanic clash for survival and supremacy. Pius V boldly moves to secure a Christian victory by attempting to reclaim the ancient talisman, the spear of Longinus. Has he been divinely inspired, or is he simply a religious zealot blinded by his own delusions of faith? The Spear of Lepanto is an epic tale of adventure, romance, and heroism, vividly bringing the distant past to life. The Spirit of Jesuit John Walchars by Virginia Violante Malachowski The Spirit of Jesuit John Walchars is about an especially devout priest who directed spiritual retreats to more than a thousand men and women. Although his death on July 21, 1992, ended the sharing of his knowledge and wisdom, this biography reveals a totally fulfilled life from his service in China to his retreat work around the world.  In addition to interesting details of the 1945 war between Chiang Kai-Shek's National Government and the Chinese people, this book includes seven challenging and useful meditations from his files. This book is dedicated to the many friends and admirers of Father Walchars and to the late Josephine MacDonald Ryan, a local well-known writer and editor. The Spirit of Northern Italy by Marco P. Zecchin  For twenty-six years, Marco P. Zecchin had not returned to his Father’s home in Italy. Growing up in America, he was able to keep his family heritage at arm’s length. When he did return, it was to a world that had changed little. Marco’s childhood memories and his Father’s stories were locked in the land and buildings of Northern Italy. What they stirred in him was the start of a ten year Odyssey to mesh his past with his present. The Spirit of Northern Italy is Marco’s photographic journal of this voyage. "I see the creative process as a prayer for understanding. The images in this book are evidence of that process." Through his elegant black and white images, he has captured the beauty of Northern Italy and Venice. Each photograph challenging us, as they did him, to look deeper into ourselves and lovingly explore and accept that which makes each of us unique–family and heritage. The Story Behind the Rock by John Pagliaro Jr. The Story Behind The Rock lists over 100 unique ways one can propose.  This interesting  book has been referred to as the world's most creative directory of romantic and surprising engagement proposals. Streets of the Near West Side by William S. Bike Streets of the Near West Side tells the tales of the individuals and events for which the thoroughfares of one of the most interesting neighborhoods in one of the most fascinating cities in the world are named. Presidents, priests, politicians, pharmacists, physicians, soldiers, businessmen, real estate developers, financiers, philanthropists, Revolutionary and Civil War battles, Indian chiefs, Southern plantations, immigrants, playwrights, poets, and tavern owners all are part of Chicago's history--and their stories can be found in Streets of the Near West Side. Streets of the Near West Side also recounts events that happened in the area, from long-ago tales of the Chicago Cubs playing on Polk Street, to news pertinent to today's breaking headlines. Other books by William S. Bike: Winning Political Campaigns, Essays on Earl Renfroe Subway Music by Reynold Joseph Paul Junker Subway Music begins in a Manhattan hotel room the day after he and his wife celebrated their Christmas anniversary. She coaxes him into taking her to Brooklyn to see where "all those stories you tell all of the time about growing up" took place. As a certified Californian, that's the last thing he wants to do. Subways were then. Freeways are now. But they go. At Prospect Park he "finds" his father and learns about both courage and reverse prejudice—prejudice against his "Nazi" father. At Coney Island he remembers his Jewish best friend and futile attempts to convert him to Catholicism using the holy waters of Coney Island to turn him into a Jewish Cary Grant. At Kings Highway he visits the house haunted by his old ghosts. At the end of Subway Music he realizes that subway music and Brooklyn will always be as much a part of him as the color of his eyes or the color of his hair. Being from Brooklyn was his fate. Being a Californian is just the way things sometimes work out. Sun Sparks The Day: Poems of Sicily by Sal  Amico M. Buttacci Spend a morning in Acquaviva Platani, the village of his parents where you’ll meet the men in the piazza like Turiddu and the barber Vanuzzu and Padre Giambetta the village priest. Visit with a mother whose only son has died in the war and all she has to treasure are a last photograph and his final letter. Eavesdrop on a parting scene at a railroad station: Vincinzu is leaving his village for the l’America and Giovanni Quaranta  is going there too and will eventually strike it rich. Smell the bougainvillea blooming on the side of Dr. Milano’s house. Walk with a Sicilian couple across the Rialto Bridge in the romantic city of Venice where hearts dance and hearts break. Meet once more the foolish Icarus who almost landed in Sicily but died in flight. Ask the young Sicilian woman who yearns to live in the big city of Rome how she will remember the little town she left behind.  Here is a collection of poems to read and re-read over and over again! A Teacher from Another Time by Vittorio Barbagiovanni (Armando Siciliano Editore, Messina, Italy--Translation by Francesca Di Meglio, U.S.A.) The story narrated by the author is inspired by the events lived by a Sicilian teacher, Maria Rosa Liuzzo of Tortorici (Me), from 1914 to 1945, recorded by the protagonist even during recent journalistic interviews. These are the years of her childhood during World War I, her studies to become a teacher, the advent of Fascism, her difficult teaching assignments in small towns in the Sicilian hinterland accessible only by walking two hours on unpaved mule paths and, in the end, the years through the tragedy of World War II. The various events are lived with discernment in moments of tragedy and comedy, framed by the various historical happenings that transformed and disturbed the world. Noisy, swarming cars that bring you to your destination in minutes did not exist yet but only mule drivers or “trazzere” which were graced by the slender figure of the protagonist, often under the rain or snow, to reach her scholastic assignment. Children with their innocent smiles and tender words were waiting for her.   Directions for purchasing A Teacher from Another Time are available through Tony Mazzurco at agmazz33@aol.com or Tel: 9547715341. They Came By Ship: The Stories of the Calitrani Immigrants in America by Mario Toglia This informative text is the product of the Internet Age which brought together people researching their roots to their ancestral town of Calitri in Southern Italy. They came to know one another and, in many cases, rekindled old friendships and discovered distant relatives in second and third cousins. They began sharing stories on the Net of the good old days, recalling neighborhoods where their parents and grandparents had settled after emigrating from Italy. These communities included Brooklyn, New Rochelle, Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry, Batavia, Mount Vernon in New York; Montclair, Paterson, Newark in New Jersey; Stamford, Bridgeport, Torrington in Connecticut; Dunmore in Pennsylvania; Washington, DC and Pittsfield, MA. Their recollections proved to be so interesting and poignant to all that they needed to be set down in permanent form and preserved for future generations. Mario Toglia of New York initiated this book project with Josephine Galgano Gore, Angela Cicoira Moloney, Fred Rabasca, Rick Morris and Mary Margotta Basile, descendents of original immigrants from Calitri. The book contains over 100 personal and biographical stories, which illustrate various aspects of the lives, traditions and customs of the Calitrani community within the Italian immigrant experience. Also included are several newspaper articles and obituaries, as well as a list of more than 4000 Calitrani names who settled in America. Thompson Street  by Ralph Cutro If you enjoyed reading such fictional novels as Ellis Island  and The Immigrants, you will love this true story of the hardships, struggles, and triumphs of the Cutro family and their fellow inhabitants of New York's Greenwich Village during the tumultuous times of the first half of the 20th Century. This book treats the reader to a colorful picture gallery of fascinating and real life portraits of events and people. You become a participant in the battles of World War I at Messines Ridge and Chateau Thierrey, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the poverty and living conditions during the Great Depression, and the patriotism of a great and united nation during World War II   Spanning the 100-year period from 1850 up until the end of the Korean War, Thompson Street successfully transports you back into the history and customs of a tumultuous era, while simultaneously highlighting a kaleidoscope of fascinating and memorable characters with whom the author shared his life on the Streets of New York. Tony's Son by Edward Russo   In this book about the author's father, Russo writes that he always wanted to be like his father when he grew up, and he believes he has achieved  that accomplishment. He is very proud of his father, who was a kind person that everyone loved. Russo relates stories of his hardworking father, the fun they had together, the struggles in his life, and the lessons Russo learned from him. Russo, also, reminisces on summers at his uncle's farm, selling wood with his father, and how good his mother's leftovers tasted when she fried them in a pan and added some eggs. All his memories are clear and vivid and are a good description of life in the 1940s and 1950s.   Tony's Son is the author's second book. Russo's first book, Memories of the West Side, is about the his growing up in Buffalo, New York. Russo did not have anyone edit Tony's Son because it is written like he talks, and he did not want a single word to be changed  for fear it would taint the meaning of his sentences. Tony's Son includes ,any photos and ends with two pages of helpful advice based on what Russo has learned from life. To obtain more information or to purchase a copy of this book, send an e-mail to writermemories@hotmail.com. The Toy Chest by Bernadette Martorelli Carson Noah Hollander is a widower who exudes friendly charm and whose prestigious position earns him respect. But under a deceptive façade lies a black heart. It wasn't always that way. Noah's dark mind was born from betrayal; or what he perceived to be betrayal. An unsuspecting victim, Angel Delaney, becomes another of his targets. When Angel gets swept into the dangerous whirlpool of Noah's dark mind, she fights for survival with the only weapons she has available: her intellect and a pair of  nail clippers. And when another person is missing, a massive search begins to hunt down the abductor. The last person anyone would ever suspect of being the perpetrator of these and other heinous crimes is Assistant District Attorney Noah Hollander. Train of Thought (II Treno) by Elisabetta Benedetti This is the short trip of an Artist within his own life-story, looking for his dormant talent and for the strong emotions that change human beings. It contains excerpts of old poems that serve as windows, using which is possible to look at the past and recover old feelings. During this trip, leading the protagonist to explore himself, his value as a human being and the value of his life mission,he will remember the sense of emptiness that surprises an artist after creating something; the limits and merits of talent, seen as a backwash you can walk on. He'll travel over again the brief encounters that "carve a niche for themselves in the soul" and stay there forever; the traumatic mental crossing from childhood to adulthood, the ancient sensation that his scream is "nothing within the silence". The three stops of "The Train" tell about the protagonist's journey "within the visible and not visible", celebrating the beauty of life, of the individual, and the caducity of certainties. Get a free Italian or English e-book version of this fascinating narrative by clicking the title of the book.. The Treasure of Alaric by Daniel Costa  Alaric, King of the Visigoths, died in 410 A.D., a few months after he conquered and plundered Rome. The Visigoths, who believed that gold was important to have in the next world, buried him with fabulous riches in a secret location near Cosenza, Southern Italy. Modern scholars suppose that, while in Rome, Alaric seized the sacred treasure of the Jews, which had been captured by the Romans of Titus in 70 A.D. It has been speculated that the massive, golden Menorah of the Jerusalem Temple might be buried with Alaric. With the passing of years, many treasure hunters, including Reichs Führer-SS Heinrich Himmler, have tried in vain to find Alaric's grave, which has an inestimable archaeological, historical and symbolic value for the entire Judeo-Christian world. Three amateur archaeologists from Cosenza discovered a site, which, in their opinion, is the final resting place of the King. Could this be it? Treasure of My Heart  by Christine Caligiuri A naive, young Clerina is brought by her much beloved husband, Leonardo, from the towering, mystical mountains of Southern Italy to America's flat Heartland where there is promise of better livelihood. As she struggles to understand an alien culture, reels from deaths of children, and agonizes over bitter letters from her disapproving mother in Italy, her spirit gradually fades. The story mirrors the trauma of many immigrants to this country. It also faithfully depicts ordinary life in the Italian community of Des Moines, Iowa early in the 20th century. Trionfo (Triumph) by Anna Lia Notardonato   The Italian American Press announces the posting of Anna Lia Notardonato's captivating memoir, Trionfo (Triumph), an uplifting narrative vividly portraying the universal struggle of individuals against the fates. The book is chockful of colorful characters from Pozzone--a real world, Italian Lake Wobegon with stories certain to make readers laugh, cry, and even be momentarily transported to a simple time and place. Readers are invited to purchase or learn more about Trionfo (Triumph) by visiting and clicking the headings "Italian American Fiction & Nonfiction" or "Italian American Writers & Books." Both headings are located on the Homepage of the IAP. Truth Teller by Carmeline TruthTeller is a collection of poems that the poet has written over the past twenty-five years. They represent her journey to find and experience the universal Truth in Life.  Sometimes, her search required her to enter areas of life that were quite different from what  she would normally experience in her role as a wife and mother.  It took great courage to look honestly into these experiences, and quite often she would feel the need to retreat somewhere away from home and family in order to “hear” the ideas that were coming through her. At times receiving these ideas occurred  in Carmeline's home, resulting in various interactions with her family which provided the inspiration for her to write the poems. Tuscan Intrigue by Rosalind Burgundy From the author of Odyssey of an Etruscan Noblewoman comes the second in a trio of Etruscan Italian novels. Rosalind Burgundy brings those ancient people to life in Tuscan Intrigue, a modern archeological escapade through the Etruscan countryside. An explosion in an Etruscan tomb sends renowned archeologist Montgomery Adams into an Italian hospital, seriously burned and comatose.  His daughter Amanda Oliver, a cultural arts historian and quasi-archeologist, rushes from San Francisco to his bedside.  Simultaneously, the mysterious disappearance of Montgomery’s assistant and lover, Joanna, gets her brother, lichenologist Trent Winston, to Orvieto.  While the police are stalling the investigation, Amanda is chased, threatened, abducted and framed as she attempts to seek the culprits herself.  Stumbling into the complex world of obsessed archeologists, greedy collectors and murderous tomb robbers, Amanda learns that they all seek a priceless, exquisite third Etruscan Sarcophagus of the Married Couple.  Someone thinks Amanda knows where it is--and that someone wants her dead.Tuscan Intrigue is an engaging, action-packed adventure sure to give pleasure and enjoyment to readers. Ultimate Italian Trivia: A Treasure Trove of Fun and Fascinating Facts by Scott Paul    Written by trivia enthusiast and history buff Scott Paul Frush, and featuring a foreword by Chairman Emeritus of the National Italian American Foundation Frank D. Stella, Ultimate Italian Trivia is a collection of over 1600 amazing trivia tidbits as educational as they are fascinating. Ultimate Italian Trivia is finacially suported by the National Italian American Foundation.   This extravaganza of curiosities on all things Italian is truly a delightful discovery. Ultimate Italian Trivia will prove fascinating for those of Italian Heritage and a lively feast for trivia buffs of all backgrounds.