Cobblestones, Conversations, and Corks
A Son's Discovery of His Italian Heritage
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Diversion Books
Published:16th Aug '22
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Giovanni Ruscitti's memoir about his father and his hometown in Central Italy, the author's parents' struggles as children during WWII in Italy, their relationship, and their eventual "American Dream" immigration to the US. It is an inspiring love story about people, a town, and a culture, told through a trip the author took with them to their hometown in 2013 that brought his father's stories and life-long wisdom to life for the family.
Moving memoir...The author lucidly combines the personal and the political...A thoughtful consideration of the meaning of a person's sense of self and the nuanced ways in which it is constituted by elements that preceded the individual and elude full comprehension. As a result, the author's recollection transcends the particulars of his own life and should resonate with readers similarly gripped by the struggle to understand their origins. A captivating, candid, and insightful account about a man's Italian heritage.
—Kirkus Reviews
A deftly scripted, inherently engaging, and ultimately inspiring account of the impact of war upon a community and a family...A story of survival and immigration—especially timely in today's denigration of the value and causes of immigrants to America by families seeking asylum from the horrors and aftermath of war, and for a better life for themselves and their children...A compelling read from cover to cover.
—Midwest Book Review
At the end of the day, Ruscitti proves that not only can you go home again, you can also go home for the first time. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
—Manhattan Book Review
Giovanni Ruscitti's father Emilio urged his son to ‘tell our story.' This remarkable memoir fulfills not only that promise but describes the hopes and dreams of immigrants who brought to this country their traditions, their love of family, and a unity that survived the melting pot of the American experience. This first-generation Italian-American author has created a beautiful, intimate, and touching portrait of not only a father's love but a family's commitment to each other and what we all hope to know—where we came from and who we are. It is a story that preaches the art of living life in full, with joy and compassion.
—Dan Luzadder, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and...
Giovanni Ruscitti has written a wonderful book of special relevance for all North and South Americans whose ancestors have migrated from Asia, Europe, and Africa. His journey to the land of his forefathers is so meaningful not only because of the discovery of what connects us ‘Americanos' to the rest of the world but also the journey within. A trip in which we all feel recognized. Bravo maestro!
—Hernando de Soto, finalist for Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and author of Mystery of Capital
Amazon #1 Bestseller Cobblestones, Conversations, and Corks is a passionate and deeply moving story about a father-son relationship; a culture rooted in family, food and wine; and an ancestral small town in Central Italy that was left behind after World War II.
On November 11, 1943, the Nazis invaded Cansano, forcing its two thousand inhabitants to make a tough decision—fight and be killed or sent to a POW camp, stay behind as servants to the Nazis, or move into the unforgiving mountains of Abruzzo while the Nazis used their village as a home base. Giovanni Ruscitti's family chose the latter and spent the next few months living in horrendous winter conditions in the rugged mountains. When the war ended, they returned to a village so ravaged by the Nazis that, today, the town has less than two hundred citizens and remains in a dilapidated state.
In this memoir, Ruscitti visits Cansano for the first time with his family, including parents Emiliano and Maria. As he walks Cansano's cobblestones, his father's stories and life are illuminated by the town piazza, the steep valley, and the surrounding mountains. He relives the tales of his parents' struggles during World War II, their extreme post-war misery and poverty, their budding romance after, and their decision to immigrate to the US in search of the American Dream.
Ruscitti's adventure is not just an exploration of his homeland but reveals what family, culture, wisdom, and love really means. And what our heritage really tells us about who we are.
ISBN: 9781635767964
Dimensions: 152mm x 229mm x 13mm
Weight: 308g
224 pages