News & Events

Sons of Italy® Releases Fall 2003 Book Club Selections

Press Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org

WASHINGTON, September 17, 2003 How to live like an Italian, what to see in Calabria and a novel about four generations of Italian America women are the subjects of the Sons of Italy® Book Club selections for the fall 2003.

"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.]

"Stolen 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]

ALSO WORTH READING...

• "Legacy of Gladiators" by Nick Manzello. Forty-nine sports figures are chronicled in this tribute to Italian American athletes (but only two of them women!), who excelled in everything from baseball and football to track, golf and gymnastics. [$24.95; hardcover; Ambassador Books]

• "The Thread of Life" retold by Domenico Vittorini. Twelve old Italian fairy tales about heroes, magicians and enchanted animals, each teaching a lesson about life, are presented in this book, beautifully illustrated by Mary GrandPr?of "Harry Potter" fame. For children ages 4-8. [$15.95; hardcover; Running Press Books]

• "From the Same Vine: Italian Americans of the 20th century" Eds. George Carpetto & Diane M. Evanac

This handy book offers 200 mini-bios of Italian American achievers from Danny Aiello to Frank Zappa. [$39.95; hard cover; free shipping and handling. Bulk discounts available. Contact: OSIA Grand Lodge of Florida at 561/641-1643]

The Sons of Italy® National Book Club is dedicated to the works of Italian American writers who focus on Italian American issues, themes and experiences. OSIA chooses three to four fiction and non-fiction books each quarter for a total of 12 to 16 titles a year.

OSIA encourages its 700+ lodges as well as other Italian American organizations, clubs and individuals to choose one or more of the books each quarter to read and discuss.

The three fall 2003 book club selections can be bought on the OSIA Web site (www.osia.org).

Order all your books through OSIA and Amazon.com. Just go to www.osia.org, click on "Sons of Italy® Book Club" and choose either a Book Club selection or another book or product. Most orders are shipped within 24 hours.

As a special bonus, Amazon.com will donate a percentage of all sales ordered on our site to OSIA.

OSIA is the largest and longest established national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States. It has more than 600,000 members and supporters and a network of more than 700 chapters coast to coast. OSIA works at the community, national and international levels to promote the heritage and culture of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans, the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.