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The Sons of Italy Book Club is dedicated to the fiction and non-fiction works of Italian American writers who focus on Italian American issues, themes and history.
Preference is given to books published by the major publishing houses (Random House, HarperCollins, Penguin Books, etc.) because such titles are widely available through bookstores nationally and on amazon.com.
Three to four titles are chose each quarter for a total of 12 to 16 titles a year. The selections are posted here and published in Italian America magazine.
We encourage all our chapters around the country to choose one or more of the books each quarter and devote part of their monthly meeting time to discuss it.
Book Club selections are available through local bookstores nationwide.
To order online, click on the "Buy from amazon.com" button next to each book.
Buy ANY product from amazon.com through a partnership with OSIA (and OSIA receives a donation from Amazon for every product sold!)
WHY WE'RE ALL ROMANS
By Carl J. Richard
This lively account of Ancient Rome describes its administration, law, engineering, architecture, art, and literature over the 1,200 years from the founding of the city to its fall in the 5th century A.D. Rome preserved Greek democracy, theater and philosophy and helped the spread of Christianity thanks to the peace and stability of the Empire. Rome also gave English more than half of its vocabulary while school children for several centuries studied Latin. [$26.95; soft cover; 328 pages; Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.]
ANNA MARIA'S GIFT
By Janice Shefelman
Inspired by the Pieta, a real Venice orphanage and famous music school, this illustrated novel brings thehistory and music of Venice to life for children. Nine-year-old Anna Maria is sent to the Pieta after her father dies. There she practices on the violin that he made for her and quickly becomes composer Antonio Vivaldi's favorite student. This story captures what life was like for orphan girls in 18th century Venice and how they found joy in music. [$12.99; hardcover; 112 pages; Random House Children's Books]
ANTONIO AND THE ELECTRIC SCREAM:
The Man Who Invented the Telephone
By Sandra Meucci, Ph.D.
This scholarly yet engaging biography of Antonio Meucci is aimed at young readers, but appeals to adults, too. It encompasses Meucci's life in New York where he perfected his invention of the telephone during the late 1850s, years before Bell. In 2001, more than 160 years after his death, the U.S. Congress recognized Meucci's contribution to the invention of the telephone. The book includes detailed drawings of his early telephone models. [$14.95; soft cover; 138 pages; Branden Books]
TOSCA, THE CAT LADY
By Gina Lagorio
Tosca spends her senior years among numerous cats, all descended from her first pet. She is alone but not alienated, looking for the answer to what makes life worth living. This is a translation of the novel that won the 1984 Viareggio Literary Prize. [$16; soft cover; 226 pages; Bordighera Press]
SICILY! UP CLOSE!
By Bud Lang
With this book author Lang offers his personal insights on each of the nine Sicilian provinces with tips to help newcomers to the island, including info on finding ancient family records, renting (and driving) cars, useful magazines and websites. [$17.95; soft cover; 157 pages; Ital Press]