Culture & History

THE WISDOM OF TUSCANY
By Ferenc Mate

What can we learn from ancient Tuscany? Author Mate offers some answers. For example, in the U.S., arts and crafts are hobbies that produce knick knacks. In Tuscany, crafts produce useful items like chairs or curtains that are "of superb quality, designed to last for a lifetime." Tuscans inject this pride of workmanship in everything from building a house to preparing a meal. What does this teach us? That there is "pleasure...to be had from everyday life," Mate notes, "...if the tasks produce something as good as your hands and mind can make." [$24.95; hardcover; 272 pages; Albatross Books at W.W. Norton & Company]

I'M STAYING WITH MY BOYS
By Jim Proser

This is a family-authorized biography of the Marine Gen. Douglas MacArthur called "a one-man army." The narrative focuses on the battle of Guadalcanal when Basilone and three other G.I.s held off 3,000 Japanese troops until help arrived. That battle earned him the Medal of Honor. He later received the Navy Cross and a Purple Heart before dying in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Basilone is the only enlisted man in WW II to earn both the MOH and the Navy Cross, our nation's two highest medals for valor. Book includes never-before-published photographs and an extensive bibliography. [$14.99; soft cover; 336 pages; St. Martin's Griffin]

FINDING YOUR ITALIAN ANCESTORS
By Suzanne Russo Adams

This handy beginner's guide shows how to tap census data, naturalization records and ships' manifests in the U.S. as well as helps sort through the maze of civil and church records in Italy. Includes English/Italian translations of bureaucratic terms; sample letters in both English and Italian for requesting information and documents and even a short history of Italy and handwriting samples from the 1500's to the 1900's to help in reading original documents. Author Adams closes with pertinent web sites and societies to help with further research. A gem of a book! [$19.95; soft cover; 189 pages; Ancestry Publishing]

PROMISES TO KEEP
By Thomas F. Dwyer

The Forte family ran a farm near Pico, a town mid-way between Rome and Naples. The nearby Aurunci Mountains were the scene of terrible combat in WW II, exposing Fortes and their 3,000 fellow villagers to violence when the German forces took over the town, trapping them. Author Dwyer describes how the brutal reality of war affected this family and their neighbors. [$14.95; soft cover; 124 pages; iUniverse, Inc.]

Abramo's Gift
By Donald Greco

Set in 1918 in Youngstown, Ohio, "Abramo's Gift" chronicles the conflict between working class Italian and Irish immigrants. Abramo Cardone, a recent Italian immigrant and carpenter, finds himself all alone in Youngstown where he finds work in the local steel mill; meets two Irish men who don't like Italians and learns what he has to do to finally be at home in America. [$13.95; soft cover; 292 pages; Bridgeway Books]

Never Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons from Italy's Culinary Capital
By Eric Dregni

What begins as a journey through Italy's rich culinary traditions soon becomes a revealing portrait of how Italians live and how their culture differs from America's. A professor of English at Concordia University in Minnesota, author Dregni spent two years in Modena, the "culinary capital" in the title. There he delved into the lore of Modena's famous balsamic vinegar, rich polenta, and even chocolate salami. He learns never to mix basil and oregano or cut up his spaghetti...it spoils the taste, he's told. Anecdotes about his adventures and mishaps abound in this book about life in unpredictable Italy. [$22.95; hardcover; 240 pages; University of Minnesota Press]

The Roman Forum
By David Watkin

Today, the Roman Forum is mainly a tourist attraction, but once this site, no bigger than a football field, was the religious, political and economic center of Ancient Rome. It began as a swamp, drained in the 7th century B.C., and eventually housed temples, shops, the Senate and even private homes and brothels. Here Julius Caesar's body was cremated; Marc Anthony and Cicero railed against conspiracies and victorious emperors held parades. After the fall of Rome, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque buildings were added to it. Author Watkin captures the history and reincarnations of one of the most famous pieces of real estate in history. [$19.95; hardcover; 288 pages; Harvard University Press]

The Secret Sin of Opi
By Peter D. Cimini

Why do good people do bad things? In his novel, author Cimini explores this contradiction in the story of a terrible abduction. In 1947, Daniel Ciarletta and his father, Pete, leave America to visit Pete's ailing father in Italy. But Daniel is kidnapped and taken to a rural mountain town that had lost all its able-bodied boys and men during the war. Now the townspeople imprison young foreigners to take the place of the men they have lost. Daniel and six other young boys spend the next 22 years as slaves. Meantime, in America, his family falls apart, not knowing if Daniel is alive or dead. [$24.95; hardcover; 300 pages; Robert Reed Publishers]

Italy Revisited: Conversations with My Mother
By Mary Melfi

In a unique approach to memoirs, Mary Melfi writes her autobiography as a double memoir in a conversation between herself and her mother. In the process, readers become eye witnesses to life in a southern Italian village at the turn of the 20th century. The narrative also explores the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, especially those found in immigrant families. [$23; soft cover; 332 pages; Guernica Editions Inc.]

Brava, Valentine
By Adriana Trigiani

In the sequel to Very Valentine, popular author Trigiani re-introduces Valentine Roncalli, who begins her career as president of her grandmother's firm, the "Angelini Shoe Company." Juggling her career, love life and passion for family, Valentine embarks on the next phase of her life, finding an adventure in Argentina that challenges and changes her. In Buenos Aires, she discovers a deeply hidden family scandal that could change the Roncallis forever. [$25.99; soft cover; 352 pages; Harper.]

The Journey of Italians in America
By Vincenza Scarpaci

Nearly 500 photographs of Italian neighborhoods, families, businesses and celebrities help tell the story of Italians in America. It begins in the late 1870s and ends with the modern era. Author Scarpaci's thorough research offers a wealth of facts and details that reveal how the immigrants and their descendants have succeeded despite many hardships. A "must-have" for every family and an excellent book to donate to schools and public libraries. [$35.00; hardcover; 320 pages; Pelican Books; 1-800-843-1724]

Tebaldi: Voice of an Angel
By Carlamaria Casanova [Translated by Connie Mandracchia DeCaro]

This authorized biography is newly expanded by translator DeCaro, who was Renata Tebaldi's lifelong friend. The great opera singer overcame polio and was discovered by Toscanini who called her voce d'angelo (angel voice). She debuted at the Met in 1955, where she sang some 270 times. In all, Tebaldi knew 1,048 operas and gave 1,262 performances before retiring in 1976. She died in 2004 at age 82. Included are 84 pages of photos and a CD of Tebaldi singing her most popular Italian arias. [$39.95; hardcover; 265 pages; Baskerville Press; amazon.com and local bookstores]

The Great Earthquake
By Salvatore LaGumina

In 1908, an earthquake and tidal wave struck Sicily and Calabria. In Messina, 15,000 of the city's 150,000 people survived. In Reggio Calabria, a city of 50,000, only 10,000 lived. President Theodore Roosevelt immediately sent US Navy ships that brought food, water, medicine and supplies to the victims. This American rescue effort is central to historian LaGumina's vivid account of the greatest natural disaster the world had ever known. The book also features stunning "before and after" photos of the two cities. [$29.00; paperback; 248 pages; Teneo Press; 1-716/807-1167 and at amazon.com]

Wild Dreams
Edited by Carol Bonomo Albright & Joanna Clapps Herman

This anthology of more than 60 short stories, memoirs, poetry and interviews by many of the greatest Italian American writers is compiled from the literary journal Italian Americana. For more than 30 years, this journal has promoted Italian American letters, including the work of John Fante, Dana Gioia, Jerre Mangione, John Ciardi, Daniela Gioseffi and Camille Paglia. An essential book for all interested in Italian American literature. [$21.95; paperback; 329 pages; Fordham University Press; 1-718-817 4782 and amazon.com]>

The Brenner Assignment
By Patrick K. O'Donnell

For the first time, the facts behind the most daring covert operation of WW II are revealed in this true adventure story. Since the Romans, the Brenner Pass had been an essential military route through the Alps and was a major supply artery for the Nazis. Tapping thousands of recently declassified files, documents and interviews, author O'Donnell tells how American Special Ops military worked with Italian partisans behind enemy lines. [$25.00; hardcover; 286 pages; Da Capo Press; 1-617-252 5212 and local book stores]

Signora da Vinci
By Robin Maxwell

Leonardo da Vinci is famous, but little is known about his mother, Caterina, who was only 15 when she gave birth to him in 1452 in the tiny Tuscan village of Vinci. Robin Maxwell presents Caterina as a daring young woman who fights to regain her son. Maxwell's story is fiction, but the novel takes the reader back to life in Renaissance Italy.

Old World Daughter, New World Mother: An Education in Love and Freedom
By Maria Laurino

A vivid description of the tug between the traditional values of home, family and sacrifice embraced by Italian parents and the new-found liberation, career aspirations and independence of American women.

The Sicilian Judge: Anthony Alaimo an American Hero
By Vincent Coppola

His parents were illiterate Sicilian immigrants, who taught him to have courage, compassion and patriotism. He needed them as a WW II fighter pilot; a POW and eventually a judge who had an unswerving sense of fairness as well as compassion.

Galileo's Leaning Tower Experiment
By Wendy Macdonald; illustrated by Paolo Rui

This story helps children understand Galileo's great discovery about gravity through a lively text and richly colored illustrations. Ages 4-8.

Pippo the Fool
By Tracey E. Fern; illustrated by Pau Estrada

This story is based on the life of Filippo "Pippo" Brunelleschi, the man who designed the huge dome of Florence's cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore in 1420. Accompanied by Pau Estrada's beautifully detailed illustrations. Ages 9-12.

La Bella Lingua
By Dianne Hales

Author Hales subtitles her memoir "My love affair with Italian, the world's most enchanting language." In it, she traces the evolution of Italian from the graffiti on the walls of Pompeii to the works of Dante and other great writers. She also shares the personal story of her decades-long quest to become fluent in Italian and offers insights into what makes Italian so expressive by showing how Italians weave their manners, customs and even food into their idioms and slang. For example, someone "uptight" is a baccalà (dried cod) and a bad movie, a polpettone (big meatball). [$24.95; hardcover;300 pages; Broadway Books]

It Happened in Italy
By Elizabeth Bettina

After Denmark, the Jews in Italy had the highest survival during WW II. Yet the story of how thousands of Italians in big cities and tiny villages risked their lives to save strangers is rarely told. Bettina learns of these incredible rescues from the survivors, including the heroism of Giovanni Palatucci, an Italian official who gave Jews false exit papers or sent them to his village in Campania for safety. He saved at least 5,000 lives before he was discovered and sent to Dachau where he died two months before the war ended in 1945. [$24.99; hardcover; 379 pages; Thomas Nelson, Inc.]

Alexandria
By Lindsey Davis

For a new twist on the detective story, author Davis sets hers in ancient Egypt in 77 A.D. Her private eye is Marcus Didius Falco, a private "informer," who works for Emperor Vespasian. While vacationing with his family in Alexandria, Falco learns that the director of the city's famous library has murdered in a room locked from the inside. As he investigates the case, Falco uncovers more bodies in a race to find the killer before he strikes closer to home. Author Davis's exciting mysteries set in ancient times are known for their historical accuracy. [$24.95; hardcover; 338 pages; Minotaur Books]

The Islands of Divine Music
By John Addiego

This novel introduces several generations of the Verbicaro family as they make their way from southern Italy to a new life in America at the turn of the last century. Their struggles and triumphs span most of the 20th century in America as they and their descendents adapt to America's changing scene and many crises, including two world wars, Prohibition, the computer revolution and the dawning of a new century. [$24.95; hardcover; 241 pages; Unbridled Books]

The Fires of Vesuvius
By Mary Beard

Beard, an acclaimed historian, explores daily life in Pompeii – its politics, food, religion and even its slavery and sensual pleasures. Here we meet Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, an elected official; Caius Norbanus Sorex, an actor; and a host of other citizens of this ancient city along with descriptions of their homes, shops and spas. Richly illustrated with photographs and drawings of Pompeii’s household items, mosaics, streets and art. [$26.95; hardcover; 360 pages; Belknap Press]

Vic Damone: Singing Was the Easy Part
By Vic Damone with David Chanoff

Brooklyn-born Vito Farinola changed his name to Vic Damone and as an usher at New York's Paramount Theatre before shooting to the top of the Billboard Chart in 1947 with his first hit "I Have But One Heart." He was 19 years old. Over the next six decades, Damone had one of the most successful singing careers in America. In this thought-provoking autobiography, he talks frankly about his career, celebrity friendships, money problems, many marriages and religious beliefs. [$25.95; soft cover; 288 pages; St. Martin's Press]

Green, White, Red: The Italian-American Success Story
By Dominic J. Pulera

With a wealth of detail and solid facts, author Pulera shows how the Italian immigrants and their descendants in the U.S. overcame poverty and discrimination to achieve success over the last 100 years. Pulera interviewed hundreds of people around the globe to learn about their experiences and perspectives on Italian-American culture. By examining the history of Italian Americans, insights can be drawn that apply to current discussions of immigration. [$29.95; hardcover; 455 pages; L'Italo Americano Press]

Why Italians Love to Talk About Food
By Elena Kostioukovitch

Pick up this book and take a mental journey with Kostioukovitch from Venice and Umbria all the way to Sicily and Sardinia. Making plenty of stops along the way, she captures the passionate local pride and diversity of each region and explores the history and traditions that spice each dish. For good measure, she throws in plenty of illustrations, maps, menus, and glossaries. Published for the first time in English, this international best-selling book will both delight and educate readers. [$30; soft cover; 431pages; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux]

Lambrusco
By Ellen Cooney

It's 1943. The Nazis have invaded Italy. Former opera singer Lucia Dantini has entertained the customers of her late husband's restaurant for years, but now it too has been seized by the Nazis and a resistance squad of waiters and tradesmen has formed, led by Lucia's son Beppino. When he disappears after destroying a German truck, Lucia sets off to find him across a war-devastated Italy. [$14.95; soft cover; 337 pages; Anchor Books]

American Passage: The History of Ellis Island
By Vincent J. Cannato

In the 19th century, it hosted pirate hangings, but at the turn of the 20th century, it became the first stop for millions of hopeful immigrants who encountered hostility, corruption, harsh conditions, and political scheming. Cannato captures the dramatic and bittersweet accounts of the immigrants, officials, interpreters, and social reformers who all played important roles in Ellis Island's amazing story. [$17.99; hardcover; 487 pages; HarperCollins]

Kimchi & Calamari
By Rose Kent

Fourteen-year-old Korean adoptee Joseph Calderaro is stumped when his social studies teacher assigns an ancestry essay. He doesn't know his birth parents and even though he thoroughly enjoys his Italian American family he begins a search for his birth family.

Kent's debut novel humorously captures a young teen as he fights with his sisters, has crushes on girls and makes a new friend. The book has special appeal for adoptees, but the questions about family roots that it raises are universal. A great read for ages 9-12. [$15.99; hardcover; 240 pages; HarperCollins]

Italian Lessons
By Peter Pezzelli

Two lonely men form an unlikely friendship in Pezzelli's latest novel. Fresh out of college, Carter Quinn returns to Providence, R.I. unsure of everything except his plans to go to Abruzzo to pursue the woman he loves. He can't speak Italian so he turns to Professor Giancarlo Rosa, who knows first-hand what disappointments and betrayals are found under Italy's blue skies. What begins as an apparent mismatch between teacher and student soon blossoms into a friendship that teaches both of them about life, love and forgotten secrets. [$14.00; paperback; 320 pages; Kensington]

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944
By Rick Atkinson

Vol. II of Pulitzer-winning author Rick Atkinson's projected trilogy on WW II covers the liberation of Italy from German control. It follows the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and attack on the mainland Italy two months later, ending with the liberation of Rome in June 1944.

Military historians still debate whether the Italian campaign was necessary, but Atkinson shows it was there that the American army honed its battle skills despite paying a high price for the mistakes their generals made. [$35.00; hardcover; 816 pages; Henry Holt and Co.]

Playing for Pizza
By John Grisham

After causing his team to lose a championship game, third-string quarterback Rick Dockery flees vengeful fans and finds refuge in the most unlikely corner of professional football: the Italian National Football League. First baffled and then enchanted by all things Italian, Rick navigates his new home in this charming fish-out-of-water novel. [$21.95; hardcover; 272 pages; Doubleday]

Sicily Through Symbolism and Myth
By Paolo Fiorentino

"Sicily for the Ancient Greet was what America was for the19th century Europeans: a promised land of plenty," writes Sicilian scholar Gaetano Cipolla in the introduction to Fiorentino's study, which offers an in-depth, analysis of the Greek and Roman myths associated with the largest island in the Mediterranean. [$12.95; paperback; 124 pages; Legas]

The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family
By Laura Schenone

In this family memoir, Schenone sets off on a mission to find the authentic ravioli recipe that her Genovese great-grandmother brought to New Jersey at the turn of the 20th century. Over the years, the dish had changed and she decides to find the original. Her search brings her to Italy where she uncovers a story of love and loss. Included are traditional recipes from Liguria where ravioli and pesto were invented. [$26.95; hardcover; 384 pages; W. W. Norton]

Italy’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Roman Ruins, Wonderful Wines and Renaissance Rarities
By Luciano Mangiafico

Less than half the size of Texas, Italy is only about 116,000 square miles, but its contributions from the time of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance down to today are far out of proportion to its size. In 50 chapters, Mangiafico offers fascinating facts about Italy’s cuisine, culture and history over the past 2,000 years. [$13.95; paperback; 336 pages; Potomac Books Inc.]

Time Takes No Time
By Donna L. Gestri

An enterprising olive grower in the late 19th century village of Resuttano, Saverio Rivito is torn between honoring his father’s legacy and the desire for a better life than Sicily’s unrelenting land allows him. Sicilian traditions, beliefs and customs along with colorful characters are found in this novel, inspired by what the author’s grandfather swears is a true story. Its characters transcend time and culture to speak to all who have the courage and faith to leave the familiar to seek a better future. [$14.95; paperback; 150 pages; Legas]

Lodging in Italy’s Monasteries
By Eileen Barish

“Monasteries,” Barish writes, “are an integral part of Italy’s history and heritage and symbolize the incredibly diverse Italian culture.” By conducting extensive research, including the history of each monastery, Barish has compiled a directory of detailed, precise information for a unique Italian experience: an inexpensive travel alternative to staying in big-name hotels. [$22.95; paperback; 512 pages; Anacapa Press]

The Duke’s Amulet
By Phyllis Martino-Nugent

In this novel, a young woman 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. This adventure sends her back in time where she falls in love and must decide if living in Renaissance Italy is better than returning to the present. [$16.95; paperback; 244 pages; iUniverse, Inc.]

My Cousin the Saint
By Justin Catanoso

Catanoso writes a memoir of his family history and its famous member, Padre Gaetano Catanoso, whom Pope John Paul approved for sainthood in 2005. The author, a successful journalist, made several trips to his ancestor’s town, Chorio di San Lorenzo in Calabria, taking part in family feasts and funerals and listening to stories about Padre Gaetano’s holy life and amazing miracles. In his book, Catanoso charts the parallel history of his sainted cousin and his grandfather who immigrated to America. [$25.95; hardcover; 352 pages; William Morrow]

Italy, the Romagnoli Way: A Culinary Journey
By G. Franco & Gwen Romagnoli

Renowned chef and restaurateur G. Franco Romagnoli and his wife, Gwen take a journey through Italy’s amazingly varied culinary landscape to explore the specialties of its regions. The record of these travels includes authentic recipes from each region as well as its folklore, history and traditions. The result is a cookbook, travel guide and a delightful bedside read. It is also richly illustrated with stunning color photographs. [$24.95; hardcover; 368 pages; The Lyons Press]

Rosa’s Story By Jim Damiano

Rosa’s journey begins in Italy in 1924 with an arranged marriage to an Italian American in Utica, New York. It is the true history of a young girl’s experiences fictionalized around key events in her life. Through this moving tale, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the immigrant experience and a young woman’s unwillingness to resign herself to her fate in a time when strong women were considered a threat. [$17.99; paperback; 336 pages; Tate Publishing & Enterprises. Can order through author’s site at www.jimdamiano.com]

One Hundred & One Beautiful Towns in Italy: Shops and Crafts
By Paolo Lazzarin

Gorgeous photographs accompany informative essays about the cities and towns that produce the handcrafted products for which the country is famous. Organized by region, the book explains the history and traditions behind these regional specialties: Venetian glass; Milanese and Como silks, the ceramics found in Umbria’s Deruta as well as in Puglia and Sicily. [$45.00; hardcover; 272 pages; Rizzoli]

The High Heart
By Joseph Bathanti

The short stories in this award-winning collection are all linked by an ensemble of heartbreakingly vivid characters, headed by the young Fritz Sweeny and his volatile and eccentric parents. The setting is the Italian American neighborhood of Pittsburgh in the sixties and seventies, when the city still lay in the trough of industrial collapse. Through the painfully honest perplexity of Fritz, the reader gets a clear view of the family, the neighborhood, the city, and the era. [$14.95; paperback; 192 pages; Eastern Washington University Press]

Eat Smart in Sicily
By Joan Peterson & Marcella Croce

Sicily’s unique cuisine is influenced by the Greeks and Arabs as well as many other civilizations that once conquered the largest island in the Mediterranean. This is a handy guide both to ordering in Sicilian restaurants and preparing authentic Sicilian dishes at home. Designed for the restaurant-goer/tourist, the book also gives a history of regional dishes and their recipes; translations of menu items from Sicilian to English; and is richly illustrated with color photographs. [$13.95; paperback; 160 pages w. illustrations; Ginko Press]

Emigrant Nation
By Mark Choate

Between 1880 and 1915, 13 million Italians left home, launching the largest emigration of a single people in recorded history. How did the loss of nearly one-third of its people affect the newly formed Italian state? Here author Choate explores how Italian immigrants abroad helped establish Italy as a “global nation,” by spreading Italy’s culture, religion and customs through schools, cultural societies, chambers of commerce and even special banks. [$45.00; hardcover; 319 pages w.maps & photos; Harvard University Press]

Dark Water
By Robert Clark

This dramatic account of a flood that ravaged Florence gives the facts along with gripping stories of heroic efforts by Italians and foreigners alike, who worked tirelessly and at some risk to save the city’s priceless treasures. The flood hit on November 4, 1966 when the Arno River overflowed, destroying or damaging hundreds of works of art and covering a billion pages of books with mud and oil. Clark also offers a brief history of other floods that struck the city that many call “the cradle of the Renaissance.” [$26.00; hardcover; 368 pages; Doubleday]

1492: The Fourth Caravel of Christopher Columbus By Rita M. Stark

Everyone knows about the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, but some scholars now believe that the great Italian sea captain’s caravels were followed by la Fusta, a privately financed ship that could be rowed as well as sailed. The possibility of a fourth ship helps author Stark explore the political and cultural conditions that made Columbus’s historic voyage of discovery possible. [$13.95; paperback; $23.95 hardcover; 108 pages; IUniverse.com. Call 1-800-288-4677 or see Amazon.com.]

Calabrian Tales By Peter Chiarella

In this novel, set in late 19th century Calabria, author Chiarella describes the injustices, poverty and cruelty that the peasants there had suffered for centuries. Beautiful Marianna is forced by her family to become the mistress of a wealthy landowner, a decision that changes her life and the lives of her descendents in Calabria and America. [$20.00; paperback; 377 pages; Regent Press www.regentpress.net or 510-547-7602]

Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence and the David by Anton Gill.

Il Gigante ("The Giant") tells the story of Michelangelo's David. Set at the turn of the 16th century, it focuses on Michelangelo at 17 and the unveiling of the David in Florence's Piazza della Signoria in 1504. Drawing upon broad historical sources, the author paints a vivid picture of a troubled, eccentric Michelangelo during one of the most artistically creative periods in history. [$14.95; soft cover; 388 pages; St. Martins/Thomas Dunne Books]

Desperate Inscriptions: Graffiti from the Nazi Prison in Rome
by Stanislao G. Pugliese and Liana Miuccio

In 1943, in Nazi-occupied Rome, hundreds of Italian partisans and anti-fascists, along with Jews were imprisoned and executed. While the prisoners awaited their fate, they scratched their thoughts, poems and last messages on the walls of their cells. Pugliese, an historian, and Miuccio, a photographer, have collected and photographed these graffiti in a bi-lingual Italian-English volume. [$12.00; soft cover; 102 pages; Bordighera Press]

Italians in America by Alison Behnke is full of historical facts dating back to the late 1800s when Italians began immigrating to the United States. It also profiles earlier Italians such as Amerigo Vespucci, Filippo Mazzei and Giuseppe Garibaldi as well as contemporary Italian Americans and organizations like the Order Sons of Italy in America. It includes recipes, timelines and sources and abundant color photos to make it an excellent tool for teaching children about their ancestors in America. [$27.93; hardcover; 80 pages; Lerner Publications Company]

The Cinema of Italy Edited
by Giorgio Bertellini

Written for movie lovers, this anthology of essays examines 24 classics of Italian cinema made between 1932 and 1994. Included are such landmark films as Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves, 1948); La Strada (The Street, 1954); La Ciociara (Two Women), for which Sophia Loren won an Academy Award in 1962, and many others. [$24.50; paperback; 271 pages; Wallflower Press]

For Love and Country: The Italian Renaissance
by Patrick Gallo

This non-fiction work tells the little-known story of the Italian resistance movement during World War II. Italy's was one of the most successful resistance movements in European impressive feat given the fact that it came at a time when Italy was the battleground for three simultaneous wars: civil, class and the Nazi occupation. Gallo shows how the movement in Rome involved men and women of all ages, classes, ideologies and religions. [$55.00; paperback; 361 pages; University Press of America, To order, call 800/462-6420]

The Death of Spring
by Silvio J. Caputo, Jr.

In 1913, immigrant coal miners, many of them Italian, went on strike in Ludlow, Colorado to protest inhumane and dangerous working conditions and wages of $1.68 per day. The mines were owned by the Rockefeller family and when the strike continued into 1914, the company attacked the striking workers and their families, killing 23. Caputo has based his novel on the historical events that led up to the Ludlow Massacre of 1914, with extensive interviews of survivors and descendants. [$14.95; paperback; 310 pages; Ashley Books, Inc. To order, call 719/544-1135.]

Dante in Love: The world's greatest poem and how it made history
byHarriet Rubin.

Banished from his native Florence by political rivals, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) spent the last 20 years of his life in bitter exile. But during his travels through Italy, inspired by the memory of his childhood love, Beatrice, Dante also discovers the meaning of life captured in his epic poem, La Divina Commedia. [$13.00; paperback; 274 pages; Simon & Schuster]

The Long Italian Goodbye
by Robert Benedetti.

Chicago's West Side Little Italy in 1948 was more like a village in his grandparents' native Tuscany than an American neighborhood to ten-year old Joey. An only child born in the Great Depression, Joey's Italian American childhood shapes this coming of age novel by Emmy-Award-winning film producer Robert Benedetti. [$19.95; hardcover; 231 pages; Durban House]

Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A history of Southern Italy
by Tommaso Astarita.

Southern Italy is rich in culture but poor in industry. Its six major regions make up nearly one-third of Italy, but for many southerners and northerners alike, the area is not considered "really" Italy. Naples-born author Astarita reveals the economic, political and historical conditions that have helped shape the Italian south.[$24.95; hardcover; 352 pages; W.W. Norton & Company]

Cipango! (The Story)
by Anne Paolucci

Marco Polo's description of Cipango, (Renaissance Italian for "Japan"), inspired Columbus to cross an ocean to find it as we learn in this short but powerful biography of the greatest navigator of the Renaissance by noted Columbus scholar Anne Paolucci.

She starts with Columbus' early life in Genoa where he began sailing at age 15 and ends with his tragic fourth and last voyage when a storm sank almost his entire fleet of 32 ships. The facts are enhanced by excerpts from Paolucci's award-winning play, also named Cipango! A "must-read" for adults and teens. [$14.95; paperback; 144 pages; Griffon House; to order call: 302/677-0019]

Feeling Italian: The Art of Ethnicity in America
by Thomas J. Ferraro

How are Italian Americans different from today's Italians and yesterday's immigrants? And are they losing their ethnicity? Feeling Italian explores how Sinatra's music, Coppola's Godfather, Madonna's Italian background and other cultural phenomena have shaped the Italian American identity. [$21.00; paperback; 256 pages; NYU Press]

I'm staying with my boys...: The heroic life of Sgt. John Basilone
by Jim Proser

Medal of Honor winner John Basilone didn't have time to write his autobiography. He died on the sands of Iwo Jima when he was only 29 years old. Today, exactly 60 years after his death, author Jim Proser, tells Basilone's story in his own voice, based on hundreds of hours of interviews with people who knew him well. This is the only family-authorized biography of Basilone and features many never-before-published family photographs. A documentary, based on this book, is available to OSIA members at a discount. [$19.95; paperback; 354 pages; Lightbearer Communications Company]

Vita
by Melania G. Mazzucco

Winner of Italy's prestigious Strega literary award, this novel follows two cousins who arrive on Ellis Island in 1903 with 2,000 other southern Italians. Mazzucco's inspiring immigrant story follows the pair as they take on this often harsh new world and try to make it their own. [$25.00; hardcover; 448 pages; Farrar Straus Giroux]

Odyssey of an Etruscan Noblewoman
by Rosalind Burgundy

Etruscan scholar Burgundy brings the ancient world to life through fictional heroine, Larthia, an Etruscan noblewoman, living 500 years before Christ. To escape her society's taboos for women, she disguises herself as a man, becomes a scribe and faces many life-threatening adventures. [$22.99; paperback; 347 pages; Xlibris Corporation]

When One Stood Alone: John J. Sirica's Battle Against the Watergate Conspiracy
by Donald J. Farinacci, J.D.

Author Farinacci vividly describes how Judge John J. Sirica, the judge that presided over the Watergate trial, defeated the criminal conspiracy led by President Nixon to cover up his administration's role in this infamous episode that eventually led to Nixon's resignation. [$17.84; paperback; 109 pages; Xlibris Corporation]

Home to Big Stone Gap
by Adriana Trigiani

Welcome back to the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia and its heroine, Ave Maria MacChesney in Adriana Trigiani's fourth novel in the series. Life is changing for Ave Maria: her daughter has married an Italian and lives in Italy and her husband, Jack is seriously ill. These woes, along with directing the town play and a rift with a close friend, take Ave on an emotional rollercoaster ride. As always Trigiani has populated her novel with the memorable characters and magic of small-town life fans have come to expect of this series, launched over six years ago. [$25.95; hardcover; 320 pages; Random House]

The Humble and the Heroic: Wartime Italian Americans
by Salvatore J. LaGumina

Italian Americans have a stellar World War II record: 13 Medal of Honor recipients as well as the heroic Don Gentile, "the highest scoring fighter pilot in American history." Now historian and author, Salvatore J. LaGumina examines the war's impact on Italian Americans on the battlefield, at home and especially on those first-generation Americans when the country of their birth declared war on the country of their choice. With this book, we learn how ordinary people did the extraordinary while enduring history's most devastating war. [$29.95; paperback; 356 pages; Cambria Press]

Our Roots are Deep with Passion: Essays by Italian American Writers Edited
by Lee Gutkind & Joanna Clapps Herman

With a foreword by actor Joe Mantegna, this essay collection showcases 21 authors of Italian heritage writing on subjects ranging from food and wine to religion, immigration and language. Louise DeSalvo recalls that her grandfather always drank wine instead of water because in his native Puglia, water was often home to malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Laura Valeri tackles the mystical side of life with an account of a childhood séance in Sardinia that goes eerily awry, and Stephanie Susnjara charts the history of garlic in society and in her own kitchen. [$15.95; paperback; 288 pages; Other Press]

Blue Guide: Sicily
by Ellen Grady

This comprehensive overview of Sicily covers everything from what to see and where to eat to how to appreciate museum artworks. What makes this guide book stand apart from the rest? It includes a short history of each city and town on this island that has been invaded by the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans, who all left their mark on it. Each of Sicily's nine provinces has a chapter listing where to stay, local transportation and the best restaurants for local cuisine along with color photographs, maps and diagrams. [$26.95; paperback; 512 pages; W.W. Norton]

Franca's Story: Survival in WWII Italy
by Diane Kinman

Biographer Diane Kinman tells the true story of her neighbor, Franca Mercati's experiences as a fourteen year old girl in war-torn northern Italy from 1937 to 1945. Whether she is rescuing a downed British pilot, visiting the Pope's quarters or risking her life to feed her starving family, Franca shows a streak of courage throughout her ordeal. This award-winning book is available at a $4.00 discount and free shipping if ordered through the website: www.wimerpublishing.com [$26.95; hardcover; 204 pages; Wimer Publishing Company]

Italian Voices: Making Minnesota Our Home
by Mary Ellen Mancina-Batinich

By 1915, an estimated 2 million Italian immigrants had entered the U.S., but only about 10,000 went to Minnesota to work in its iron ore mines; lumber, steel and flour mills; and farms where they routinely put in 10-hour days, six days a week.

The late Mary Ellen Mancina-Batinich spent 20 years interviewing these Minnesotans about their everyday life in the Italian communities of the Iron Range, Duluth, and the Twin Cities between 1900 and 1960. Her book offers their stories in their own words, making it a "must read" for anyone interested in Italian American history. Foreword by the respected immigration historian, Rudolph J. Vecoli. [$29.95; hardcover; 336 pages; Minnesota Historical Society Press]

The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany
by Paul Salsini

During World War II, the beautiful countryside of Tuscany became a battlefield as Hitler's troops invaded the region and its terrified villagers fled to the hills.

The Cielo, (The Heaven,) powerfully describes how the villagers of Sant' Antonio cope as the war rages around them. While hiding together, they learn to overcome petty differences, confront a neighbor's betrayal, protect an escaped prisoner and survive a Nazi raid.

Based on the wartime experiences of the author's relatives, The Cielo is both a fact-filled history lesson and an inspiring story of the human spirit. [$19.95; paperback; 324 pages; iUniverse, Inc.]

The House That Giacomo Built: History of An Italian Family, 1898-1978
by Donald S. Pitkin

Pitkin, an anthropologist, spent more than 30 years documenting the lives of the Savo family and how three generations of this Calabrese family overcame huge obstacles of poverty, illiteracy and class prejudice over nearly a century.

By turns horrifying in its description of the family's sub-human living conditions yet inspiring because, no matter what, they stay united, the book proves graphically that for poor Italian families, "togetherness" is not just a greeting-card sentiment, but vital for survival. Together they face many hardships until one day they win some land in a lottery, build their house and slowly climb out of poverty and into the working class. [$9.95; paperback; 339 pages; Dowling College Press]

An Italian American Odyssey: Through Ellis Island And Beyond
by B. Amore

With words and images, author Amore tells the story of the journey to America across seven generations of one Italian American family, based on her multimedia exhibit, Lifeline: filo della vita, which has been mounted at New York's Ellis Island Museum and to sites in Boston, Rome, and Naples.

The book version, in full color and bilingual in Italian and English, includes numerous interviews, documents and historic photographs from the Ellis Island archives. It includes essays by Fred Gardaphè, Edvige Giunta and Robert Viscusi, who explore Italian Americans' cultural memory, ethnic identity, issues of gender, race, and generational change. [$45.00; hardcover; $24.95; paperback; 300 pages; Fordham University Press]

Brazzá, A Life For Africa
by Maria Petringa

This is the first English language biography of Pierre Savorgnan de Brazzá, a late 19th century Italian nobleman who admired Africa and fought to protect its native populations from the excesses of European colonialism. Brazzá bought slaves and set them free, collected African tribal art, documented African plants and animals and recorded for history the daily life of many African tribes.

As colonial governor of French Equatorial Africa, he tried unsuccessfully to help Europeans and Africans understand each other. In gratitude, the Republic of the Congo named the city he founded in his honor. Today the capital, Brazzaville, remains the only African city named for a European. [$19.99; paperback; 276 pages; Authorhouse]

Starting a Business in Italy
by Emma Bird and Mario Berri

Working in Italy is tricky in a country known for its love affair with red tape and high (8%) unemployment rate. The solution? Start your own business, advises authors Bird and Berri.

They offer personal experiences and interviews with other foreign business owners to explain tax information, etiquette, paperwork, networking and cultural nuances. (Especially popular is the Bed & Breakfast.)

Appendices include info on the regions, laws regarding visas, taxes and glossary of business terms in Italian and English. Aimed at those considering a permanent move to Italy, it has useful information for anyone planning on temporarily relocating, studying or just touring in Italy. [$24.75; paperback; 348 pages; How to Books]

The Lost Gold of Rome
by Daniel Costa

In 410 A.D., Rome was invaded for the first time in 800 years by a barbarian army. Led by the Visigoth king, Alaric, Germanic hordes sacked the city and carried off its most valuable treasures.

Alaric died unexpectedly before he could leave Italy and was buried in a secret tomb with part of the fortune. For centuries treasure hunters have searched for his grave and the lost gold. This lively history describes how the invasion contributed to the fall of Rome and the rise of the Papacy. [hardcover; 256 pages; NPI Media Group; imprint: Sutton Publishing]

Sweet Lemons: Writings with a Sicilian Accent Edited
by Venera Fazio and Delia De Santis

Over 60 works of poetry and prose showcase Sicilian-American and Sicilian-Canadian authors in this anthology. Since lemons grown in Sicily are sweeter than those found in North America, the title evokes a "sweet" image of Sicilians to combat the prevalent Mafioso stereotypes.

Topics range from traditional mythology and historical accounts to family customs, saints' feast days, fig trees, and mother-daughter discord. All shed a warm light on Sicily's rich history and culture. [$22.00; paperback; 300 pages; Legas]

Openwork
by Adria Bernardi

The lives of three generations of Italians and Italian-Americans are revealed in Adria Bernardi's newest novel that begins in a Tuscan mountain village and stretches across the U.S., spanning the cataclysmic events of the 20th century.

The title recalls an embroidery technique and symbolizes the intertwining lives of the characters, struggling to learn English and establish themselves in the New World. Language plays a key role in the novel, which is peppered with Italian phrases - many in dialect. [$22.50; hardcover; 328 pages; Southern Methodist University Press]

Talismans/Talismani
by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

This bilingual Italian/ English collection is a poetic twist on the classic coming-of-age tale in both poetry and prose.

As a child, the author disguises her Italian name and family, desperate to fit in as an American at school. Eventually she learns to embrace her heritage -- her poems capturing specific historic events and personal memories such as the years of work visible in a grandmother's hands or a father's efforts to celebrate Columbus Day. She passes these bittersweet lessons to her children and grandchildren as well as to her readers. [$14.00; paperback; 104 pages; Ibiskos di A. Ulivieri]

The Pompeii Pop-Up Book
by David Hawcock & Peter Riley

Learning history has never been this much fun for both children and adults! "See" the 2,000-year-old history of Pompeii in 3-D rise before your very eyes. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted August 24, 79 AD, it blanketed the city in lava and ash. The city lay buried for nearly 2,000 years until the late 19th century when archeologists discovered the lost city and its treasures.

Pop-ups include a busy Pompeii street scene, the forum, a Roman home, stores and a spa as well as Vesuvius in full eruption. All the artwork is accurate and realistic, accompanied by informative text and booklets. A bonus section is devoted to nearby Herculaneum, also destroyed that day. [$29.95; hardcover; 12 pages; Universe]

Italian Pride: 101 Reasons To Be Proud You're Italian
by Federico & Stephen Moramarco

There are hundreds of reasons to be proud of Italy and here you will learn 101 of the best. A tour guide, cookbook, history and culture reference, and mini-biographies are all combined in one to showcase Italy's finest contributions.

It is divided into four parts: culture and history; places; people; and food with each part 20 or more chapters. They include bios of geniuses like Verdi, Machiavelli and Montessori; the history of famous cities like Verona (the most Roman city outside of Rome) and details about the culture of Italy's 20 very different regions, their cuisines and recipes. [$14.95; hardcover; 246 pages; Citadel]

The Boston Italians
by Stephen Puleo

In his lively and engaging history of the Italians in one of America's oldest cities, Stephen Puleo begins in the late 19th century when Italian immigrants began settling in the city's cramped North End. Focusing on this first and crucial Boston Italian neighborhood, Puleo describes the experience of the Italian immigrants as they battled poverty, illiteracy, and prejudice. Italians were lynched more often than members of any other ethnic group except African Americans.

Much of the story is told from the perspective of the Italian leaders who guided and fought for their people's progress, reacquainting readers with pivotal historical figures like James V. Donnaruma, founder of the key North End newspaper La Gazetta (now the English-language Post Gazette), and politician George A. Scigliano. The book's final section is devoted to interviews with today's influential Boston Italian Americans, including Thomas M. Menino, the city's first Italian American mayor and former CSJ national president Albert DeNapoli. Richly illustrated with historic photographs. [$26.95; hardcover; 344 pages; Beacon Press]

Openwork
by Adria Bernardi

The lives of three generations of Italians and Italian-Americans are revealed in Adria Bernardi's newest novel that begins in a Tuscan mountain village and stretches across the U.S., spanning the cataclysmic events of the 20th century. The title recalls an embroidery technique and symbolizes the intertwining lives of the characters, struggling to learn English and establish themselves in the New World. Language plays a key role in the novel, which is peppered with Italian phrases - many in dialect. [$22.50; hardcover; 328 pages; Southern Methodist University Press]

Talismans/Talizmani
by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

This bilingual Italian/ English collection is a poetic twist on the classic coming-of-age tale in both poetry and prose.

As a child, the author disguises her Italian name and family, desperate to fit in as an American at school. Eventually she learns to embrace her heritage -- her poems capturing specific historic events and personal memories such as the years of work visible in a grandmother's hands or a father's efforts to celebrate Columbus Day. She passes these bittersweet lessons to her children and grandchildren as well as to her readers. [$14.00; paperback; 104 pages; Ibiskos di A. Ulivieri]

Italian American Writers on New Jersey Editors
by Jennifer Gillian, Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Edvige Giunta

This anthology of poetry, fiction, memoirs and stories present New Jersey life as experienced by such gifted Italian American writers as Gay Talese, Louise De Salvo and Maria Laurino, author of Were You Always Italian? [$21.95*; soft cover; 290 pages; Rutgers University Press]

Christ in Concrete
by Pietro di Donato

This classic novel, written during the Depression, depicts life in an Italian American working class family. The novel describes how this blue-collar family struggles to find work, overcome discrimination and survive tragedy in search of the American dream. [$6.95*; soft cover; 236 pages; Signet Classics]

Where the Birds Never Sing
by Jack Sacco

This biography of Joe Sacco, written by his son Jack, reveals his life as a soldier during World War II, and includes the liberation of the infamous Dachau concentration camp. Sacco's story is accompanied by historic photographs of what he saw. [$24.95*; hardcover; 336 pages; Regan Books]

Storia Segreta Edited
by Lawrence DiStasi

An authoritative review that documents the restrictions, searches and other civil rights violations that occurred during World War II to people in the U.S. because they had Italian last names and were not citizens. [$21.95; soft cover; 327 pages; Heyday Books]

A Kiss from Maddalena
by Christopher Castellani

A haunting novel about family duty and love that survive even in the worst of times. Inspired by the author's own family's experience, the book captures life in a small, war-torn Italian village whose people held strong to their values. [$23.95; hardcover; 338 pages; Algonquin Books]

Clay Creatures
by Mark Ciabattari

This slim volume gives the reader "two for the price of one "-two intriguing short stories set in Sicily whose characters face an absurd dilemma The Jar (La Giara) by the Nobel-prize winning author Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) and The Urn by acclaimed contemporary writer Mark Ciabattari. [$10.00; soft cover; 94 pages; Canio's Books]

Killer Smile
by Lisa Scottoline

Find out why this book has been making the New York Times best-seller list since its debut in early June. A young lawyer tries to uncover the truth behind the death of an Italian American in an internment camp during World War II in this riveting mystery novel. [$25.95; hard cover; 368 pages; HarperCollins]

Rosa: The Life of an Italian Immigrant
by Marie Hall Ets

An authentic tale about coming to America told from the experiences of Rosa Cassettari, from her childhood in Italy to her immigration to America in 1884. It is one of the rare books describing what Italian women faced coming to America. [$16.95; paperback; 256 pages; University of Wisconsin Press]

Heritage: Italian American Style
by Leon J. Radomile

In his second edition author Radomile has expanded his 1492 questions to 1776 about Italian and Italian American contributions. This bilingual edition, in Italian and English, covers everything from food, music and entertainment to science, literature, including Ancient Rome. [$19.95; paperback; 480 pages; Vincero Publisher]

The Enemies of Christopher Columbus
by Thomas A. Bowden.

Who are the enemies of Columbus and why do they want to destroy his reputation? This book provides this answer and others in a clear and direct question-and-answer format. Also includes passages about the "Indian question" from legendary writers such as Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson, and Charles Dickens. [$29.95; hard cover; 133 pages; The Paper Tiger]

Seasons in Basilicata
by David Yeadon.

Inspired by Carlo Levi's masterpiece, Christ Stopped at Eboli (see "Also Worth Reading"), David Yeadon spent a year in Aliano, the same village where Levi was exiled to nearly 70 years earlier. The story follows Yeadon and his wife as they rent a house and live among the 1,000 inhabitants of this little town in Basilicata, creating a vivid portrayal of a place that few outsiders know. [$25.95; hard cover; 480 pages; HarperCollins]

Blue Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams
by Alfred Lubrano.

In his work of narrative nonfiction, award-winning reporter Alfred Lubrano describes the experiences of over a hundred "straddlers," who represent the 13 million Americans stuck in a class-dictated limbo marked by resentment, jealousy and racism. "They face the daunting task of fitting into a middle-class life without losing touch with their blue collar families. [$27.95; hard cover; 272 pages; Wiley]

I Love You Like a Tomato
by Marie Giordano

It's 1950 and ChiChi Maggiordino lives in Minneapolis with her fatherless family. Her grandmother teaches her how to use the Evil Eye, which ChiChi plans to use to help her family. When her grandmother passes away, ChiChi searches for her own happiness and meets two Italian circus performers, who introduce her to commedia dell'arte, Italy's famed improvised theater. Through them she learns the secret to happiness. [$6.99; paperback; 400 pages; Forge Books]

Italy, A Love Story: Women Write about the Italian Experience Edited
by Camille Cusumano

This collection of 28 essays explores various women's encounters with all that Italy has to offer. More than travel articles, they delve deep into the history and culture of a land that is both complicated by and adored for its rich traditions. Among the authors are Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Frances Mayes and Mary Simetti Taylor. [$15.95; paperback; 342 pages; Seal Press]

Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles
by Raymond Arroyo

In 1981, with only $200, Mother Angelica launched the Eternal World Television (EWT) network, the first Catholic cable network. Today it is the world's largest religious media empire, reaching over a hundred million viewers all over the world with religious and cultural programs. Author and EWT News anchor, Raymond Arroyo traces her life, based on exclusive interviews with Mother Angelica. [$23.95; hardcover; 400 pages; Doubleday]

The King of Mulberry Street
by Donna Jo Napoli

New York City in 1892 was no place for a child with no family, but that was the fate of nine-year old Dom, whose mother sent him across the Atlantic from Naples so he could have a better life. A Junior Library Guild Selection aimed at children ages 7-12, The King of Mulberry Street follows a young immigrant as he fights to overcome the odds and live the American dream. [$15.95; hardcover; 245 pages; Wendy Lamb Books]

Giovanna's 86 Circles
by Paola Corso

These ten short stories are set in working-class river towns near Pittsburgh and have as their main characters Italian American women and girls. All begin ordinary stories that take an unpredictable twist, making every one truly original. A high school girl discovers she can see the future while in the title story, a developer finds his wrecking ball is no match for Giovanna's green thumb. [$21.95; hardcover; 144 pages; University of Wisconsin Press]

Salone Italiano
by Kay Niemann

Historical detail and rich drama are found in the story of the Sartore family, who immigrated to Colorado at the turn of the last century. Based almost entirely on about 150 letters written by family members to their relatives in Piedmont, the author follows the family from their arrival in 1903 to 1940. Includes historic photographs of these Colorado pioneers. [$16.95; paperback; 264 pages; Western Reflections Publishing Company]

On the Road with Francis of Assisi: A timeless journey through Umbria and Tuscany, and Beyond
by Linda Bird Francke

For more than 20 years, Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) crisscrossed Italy and the Mid-East on his way to sainthood. Now you can follow in his footsteps with this travelogue that combines medieval history and contemporary Italy. The spoiled son of a rich merchant, Francis wasted his youth, was captured in a war with Pisa and finally undergoes a religious conversion, embracing poverty. Author Francke visits all the towns and villages where the Saint performed his miracles and recounts the many stories about this extraordinary man and his times. [$25.95; hardcover; 288 pages; Random House]

History on the Road: The Painted Carts of Sicily
by Marcella Croce and Miora F. Harris

The first book ever published in English about the painted carts of Sicily, History on the Road explores the history, art and cultural significance of these decorated carretti that once traveled Sicily's country roads by the thousands, carrying passengers, food, wine and other cargo.

In the two centuries since their creation, Sicilian carts have been decorated with everything from images of the saints, Charlemagne and his knights to opera scenes, Napoleon, Columbus and even Mussolini. The book also features which museums have the best examples and where to buy the carts. Richly illustrated with more than 100 photographs and designs. [$19.95; paperback; 140 pages; Pogo Press]

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture
by Gabrille Euvino with Michael San Filippo

Did you know that in Italy today more women than men are in college and in the workforce? Or that the structure of the Electoral College used to elect the U.S. president can be traced to the Roman republic? These and other interesting facts are in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture. It begins with the Romans and Etruscans and ends with inspiring stories of Italian immigrants and their cultural impact on America. A good reference book for all things Italian. [$18.95; paperback; 408 pages; Alpha]

The Spear of Lepanto: The Papal Prize
by Leon J. Radomile

This adventure novel, set in Italy, presents Leonardo Radolowick, a 16th century "Indiana Jones," searching for the spear that pierced the crucified Christ-a sacred relic that Pope Pius V believes will decide the fate of Christian Europe fighting the Ottoman Turks in 1570. [$19.95; paperback; 335 pages; Vincero Enterprises: 415-883-1545]

Home to Italy
by Peter Pezzelli

In this novel of loss and renewal set in Abruzzo, Peppi leaves the home he made in Rhode Island after losing his wife and heads back to Italy and his childhood village. There he's reunited with his best friend, meets a fiery new woman and, with help from family, friends and Italy's legendary zest for life, gets a second chance at happiness. [$14.00; paperback; 274 pages; Kensington Publishing Corporation]

Beyond Bagheria
by E.P. Vallone

In 1918, the deadly Spanish flu swept through the Sicilian town of Bagheria, leaving young Isabella an orphan. In desperate straits, she accepts a marriage proposal that brings her to New Orleans and involves her in a whirlpool of greed, power and prejudice. Based on a true story, this young immigrant learns her dreams are very different from the reality of life in America. [$19.95; paperback; 206 pages; PublishAmerica]

Falling Palace: A Romance of Naples
by Dan Hofstadter

It was founded 2,500 years ago by the Ancient Greeks, was once the culture capital of Europe and became a battleground during World War II, when its citizens drove the Nazis out. Small wonder that Naples and its charming, eccentric people have thoroughly captivated writer and New Yorker contributor Dan Hofstadter. Through his stories and vivid descriptions, Hofstadter captures both the allure and sorrow of Naples and the Neapolitans. [$24.00; hardcover; 247 pages; Knopf]

The Stonecutter's Aria
by Carol Faenzi

The true story of Aristide Giovannoni, a stone carver from Carrara with a passion for opera, is the basis for this novel, which, like an opera, is divided into three acts that span over 100 years. It begins with Aristide's 30-day crossing to America in the early 1900s on a ship where "disease, exhaustion and fear clung to us like our wrinkled and filthy clothes," and ends in the present with his great-granddaughter, the author of the novel. [$16.95; paperback; 314 pages; Aperto Books. To order: 800/345-6665]

Sometimes I Dream in Italian
by Rita Ciresi

Angelina ("Angel") and Lina Lupo rebel against the rigid Old World values of their immigrant Italian parents as they seek their own road to happiness and success in this series of inter-connected short stories about second-generation immigrant children and their conflicts.In her honest, vivid and often funny description of life in a traditional working class Italian family, Ciresi examines what it means to be an Italian American woman in America with its paralyzing freedom and disturbing lack of moral guidelines. [$23.95; hardcover; 209 pages; Delacorte Press]

The Innocent
by Magdalen Nabb

Salvatore Guarnaccia, a Sicilian detective living in Florence, attempts to solve the murder of a Japanese woman, mysteriously found floating in a fountain in the Boboli Gardens. After identifying the victim, he uncovers her dramatic escape from her homeland while suspicion of guilt falls on one of his colleagues in this novel that is both a social commentary on modern Italy and an entertaining crime story. [$22.00; hardcover; 240 pages; Soho Crime]

Penny From Heaven
by Jennifer L. Holm

Inspired by Newbery Honor winner Jennifer Holm's own Italian American family, Penny from Heaven is a heartwarming book for pre-teens age 9-12 that reveals a lot about what keeps families together or tears them apart. It's the summer of 1953. Penny Falucci, 11 going on 12, lives with her American mother and grandparents, but she has an open invitation to visit her father's Italian family, who refuse to talk about his death. [$14.00; hardcover; 288 pages; Random House]

Sebastiano: A Sicilian Legacy
by Connie Mandracchia DeCaro

Both an historical novel and a love story, the saga of Sebastiano, an iron worker, and Costanza, an aristocrat, is set against the background of the historical events that led to Sicily unifying with Italy in 1860. [$14.95; paperback; 232 pages; Legas]

By Beppe Severgnini

Italian newspaper columnist and author of the memoir Ciao, America! Beppo Severgnini, delights readers once again with his funny observances on Italy and her people in this his latest book which roughly translates as "Making a Good Impression."

Organized as a tour of both Italy and its lifestyle, his "guide" includes such insights as, "An Italian red light doesn't warn or order as much as provide an invitation for reflection."

Ten days, thirty places. From north to south and from food to politics, Severgnini's guide will help you understand why Italy "can have you fuming and then purring all in the space of hundred meters or ten minutes." [$23.95; hardcover; 240 pages; Broadway]

Alive on the Andrea Doria! The Greatest Sea Rescue in History
by Pierette Domenica Simpson

It's been 50 years since Pierette Domenica Simpson was one of 1,660 passengers who survived the wreck of the Andrea Doria. Forty-six were not so lucky the night of July 25, 1956 when the MS Stockholm mysteriously rammed into the Italian luxury liner, which sank 11 hours later.

Simpson, who was 9 at the time, is the first to publish an eyewitness account of the collision and sea rescue. Through interviews with other survivors and nautical experts she reveals who was to blame for the collision of two huge ships on a clear summer night off the shore of Nantucket. [$18.00; paperback; 312 pages; Purple Mountain Press]

Road to Robes: A Federal Judge Recollects Young Years & Early Times
by Ruggero J. Aldisert

This autobiography tells the fascinating journey through life taken by Federal Judge Ruggero Aldisert. The son of an Italian immigrant who, as a teenager, made his own way to America, Aldisert begins with a first- person account of life as an Italian boy during the 1920's in Western Pennsylvania.

It is chock-full of must-read chapters, including a childhood experience with the KKK (who would have thought they went after Italian immigrants in Pennsylvania?!). He survives and goes on to law school and a legal career at a time when relatively few Italian Americans even went to college. His narrative includes exciting accounts of criminal trials and insights into high level corporate legal issues. [22.95; paperback; 444 pages; Authorhouse]

The Lonesome Cobbler
by Anelio F. Conti

World War II was hard on Italian civilians—especially those in rural Italy. In this moving novel, we see the wartime struggles of the peasants in Montelieto, a fictitious town in central Italy. As Mussolini's Fascist regime gains control over Italy and their own town, the people turn to both the local cobbler and parish priest for leadership and survival. [$22.95; hardcover; 342 pages; Vantage Press]

In the Gathering Woods
by Adria Bernardi

This prize-winning collection of short stories studies the Italian experience from the Renaissance to the present. It opens in 20th century Italy as a child learns from his grandfather how to pick edible mushrooms and how his family has survived over time. It then skips back to the 15th century to a shepherd who longs to be an artist and then across the ocean to America as it explores how human nature finds the tools to survive life's challenges-with an Italian flair. [$14.00; paperback; 256 pages; University of Pittsburg Press]

"Under the Southern Sun"
by Paul Paolicelli (St. Martin's Press; $24.95*; hardcover)

A non-fiction work about the southern Italian values brought here by the early immigrants that help shape today's Italian Americans.

"The Italian American Reader"
Ed. Bill Tonelli (Wm. Morrow; $27.95*; hardcover)

The first mainstream hardcover anthology of 68 contemporary Italian American writers of fiction and non-fiction.

"Big Stone Gap"
by Adriana Trigiani (Ballantine Books; $12.95*; paperback)

A novel about Ave Maria Mulligan, an Italian American woman in a Virginia mining town in the 1970s, who discovers a family secret about her Italian roots.

"Street Boys"
by Lorenzo Carcaterra (Ballantine Books; $25.95*; hardcover)

A fictionalized version of a true episode during World War II when the people of Naples, including the street urchins or scugnizzi, drove the Nazis out of their city.

BREAD AND RESPECT: THE ITALIANS OF LOUISIANA
By A. V. Margavio & Jerome J. Salomone

Nearly 100,000 Sicilian immigrants settled in New Orleans between 1898 and 1929. The eight chapters in this well-documented history each tackles one yearning, hunger or hope that these immigrants felt as they struggled in the new world and explains the historical and social circumstances connected to those feelings. Includes biographical sketches, personal stories, and fact-based fictional vignettes. [$25; hardcover; 320 pages; Pelican Publishing Co.]

ITALIAN WOMEN IN BLACK DRESSES
By Maria Mazziotti Gillan

The 68 poems and prose vignettes in this slim book capture in simple, powerful and unforgettable language life's delights, disappointments and "little moments." In "After School on Ordinary Days," for example, Gillan remembers her family playing cards by a warm stove as the wind rattled the windows. "...we, inside, tucked in, warm and together on ordinary days that we didn't know until we looked back across a distance of forty years would glow and shimmer in memory's flickering light."

Poet Gillan founded and directs the respected Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in her native New Jersey. This is her seventh collection of poetry. [$13; softcover; 142 pages; Guernica Editions.]

DIMAGGIO: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
By Morris Engelberg & Marv Schneider

A hero to millions of boys and men in life, after his death in 1999 at age 84, at least one unflattering and unauthorized biography appeared on the best-seller list. Now DiMaggio's attorney and close friend Morris Engelberg and sportswriter Marv Schneider share their recollections of this complex legend and capture the strengths and frailties of the man America called "the Yankee Clipper." [$24.95; hardcover; 420 pages; MBI Publishing]

LIVING LA DOLCE VITA
by Raeleen D'Agostino Mautner, Ph.D.

A self-help book about how living like an Italian can lead to a more balanced life. Mautner offers suggestions through personal stories, anecdotes and the history of Italian culture, including a chapter on the Mediterranean diet. [$14.95; soft cover; 245 pages; Sourcebooks, Inc.]

FIGS AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN CALABRIA
by Mark Rotella.

Tracing his family's roots back to Calabria, Rotella visits his homeland and learns of its rich history, charming customs and deepest secrets. [$25; soft cover; 303 pages; North Point Press]

UMBERTINA
by Helen Barolini.

This classic novel, first published 20 years ago, spans four generations, beginning with the Italian peasant girl, Umbertina in the 1860s and ending with her great-granddaughter in New York City, almost 100 years later. [$18.95; soft cover; 453 pages; The Feminist Press]