Interested in reading a good book by some Italian and Italian-American authors? Or by authors telling about an Italian or Italian-American experience? Here's the place to look for a book that may intrigue you. Also includes documentary DVDs.

The Long Way Home:
An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War

The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War by David Laskin. This book tells the story of the immigrant experience in the First World War. The book recounts the true stories of twelve young immigrants who served their adopted country in the trenches of France during World War I. Four of the men featured in the book were Italian-Americans, including Michael Valente, the only Italian-born American soldier to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War I. Born in the village of Sant’Apollinare near Monte Casino, Valente emigrated to the U.S. in 1914 and signed on with the New York National Guard two years later. He shipped out to France in the spring of 1918 with the 107th infantry, and won the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery during the epic battle to break the Hindenburg Line on September 29, 1918. Praised as “a compelling and well-written account of 12 men who became American the hard way,” The Long Way Home is a story of service and sacrifice on the part of hard-working immigrants.

For more information about the author and the book, view www.thelongwayhomebook.com (exit WisItalia). Visit the author's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=276137825004 (exit WisItalia).

If you would like to arrange a speaking engagement with the author, contact Jamie Brickhouse at jamie.brickhouse@harpercollins.com.

The book goes on sale on March 16, 2010. View the author's website for where the book can be purchased at www.thelongwayhomebook.com/purchase/ (exit WisItalia).

Milwaukee's Italian Heritage:
Mediterranean Roots in Midwestern Soil

Milwaukee's Italian Heritage: Mediterranean Roots in Midwestern Soil, by Anthony Zignego. The shores of Lake Michigan might seem a far cry from the coastline of the Mediterranean, even for a country famous for its opera singers. Nevertheless, enough Italians responded to the call—and returned home to repeat it confidently to brothers, brides and strangers—to create a thriving community in Milwaukee. Historians often emphasize Milwaukee's German heritage, content to relegate the story of Italian migration to New York or Chicago, but in Milwaukee's Italian Heritage: Mediterranean Roots in Midwestern Soil, Anthony Zignego passionately explores the ways in which Italians shaped the Brew City and were shaped by it in turn. From the Gardetto family to the enterprising women of the Third Ward to Festa Italiana, Zignego presents a portrait of the immigrant experience with personal stories of "ordinary" immigrants and Milwaukeeans, explaining the community's traditions and dispelling some of its myths. Milwaukee's Italian Heritage highlights the struggles and triumphs that have always made immigration an opening clause and concluding question in the American story.

For more information about the author and the book, view Boswell Book Company website (exit WisItalia). If you would like to arrange a speaking engagement with the author, contact him at azignego@uwm.edu or visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=257416213353 (exit WisItalia).

The book can be purchased online at Amazon.com (exit WisItalia).

It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust

It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust, by Elizabeth Bettina. One woman’s discovery—and the incredible, unexpected journey it takes her on—of how her grandparent’s small village of Campagna, Italy, helped save Jews during the Holocaust. Take a journey with Elizabeth Bettina as she discovers much to her surprise, that her grandparent’s small village, nestled in the heart of southern Italy, housed an internment camp for Jews during the Holocaust, and that it was far from the only one. Follow her discovery of survivors and their stories of gratitude to Italy and its people. Explore the little known details of how members of the Catholic church assisted and helped shelter Jews in Italy during World War II.

View a short video clip introduction to the book (exit WisItalia) of some of the survivors in Italy.

For more information about the book or where to obtain copies, view the Google Search page (exit WisItalia).

Walking on Air in a Field of Greens: An Italian-American Memoir

Walking on Air in a Field of Greens: An Italian-American Memoir, by Emilio DeGrazia. This book is a memoir and an examination of the author’s family and roots. It is a “collage” of pieces written over the span of thirty years, explores the meaning of family, immigration, and place through the stained glass windows of imagination and memory. DeGrazia’s memoir is rich in travelers’ tales, the earthly allure of home-baked bread, the good-humored intelligence of wine-warmed table-talk, the romance of discovery and the pathos of loss. Photos from family albums add atmosphere to the collage. “The pieces in this collection,” says DeGrazia, “are all ‘essays’—attempts to explore how I remember, feel, and live my life as transplant and hybrid in whom San Pietro—a village in the deep south of Italy, its people, and its very old fig tree—is still very much alive in me. These essays are also literary hybrids-the result not only of objective observation but of the mysterious way memory works on imagination.” DeGrazia lives in Winona, MN.

For more information about the book, or where to obtain copies, view www.nodinpress.com (exit WisItalia), www.amazon.com (exit WisItalia), or directly from the author at: Blue Leaf Books, 211 W. Wabasha Street, Winona, MN 55987.

Green, White, and Red: The Italian-American Success Story

Green, White, and Red: The Italian-American Success Story, by Dominic Pulera. L'Italo-Americano: 1st edition 2009. Price $29.95. In his book, Dominic Pulera looks at how Italian immigrants overcame poverty and discrimination to achieve success over the last one hundred years. Pulera credits Italian Americans for embracing their country and working very hard to make it in America—and celebrating the United States for giving them the opportunities to do so. Pulera interviewed hundreds of people around the globe to learn about their perspectives on Italian-American culture. He went to every state to research this book. The book includes references to Italians in Kenosha and Racine, including interviews with Roma Lodge members.

For more information about the author and the book, or where to obtain copies, view dominicpulera.com/green-white-red.html (exit WisItalia).

Keeping House: A Novel in Recipes

Keeping House: A Novel in Recipes, by Clara Sereni. Translation from Italian to English by Giovanna Miceli Jeffries and Susan Briziarelli. Introduction by Giovanna Miceli Jeffries. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005. This book, originally published in Italy in 1987 as Casalinghitudine (exit WisItalia), is a sort of autobiographical recipe guide. Chapter titles read like cookbook sections ("Appetizers," "Second Courses," "Eggs," "Vegetables" and "Sweets"), and contain a relevant recipe that evokes memories of events, either sweet or bitter, from the author’s life.

For more information about the book or where to obtain copies, view the Google Search page (exit WisItalia). Also, read the book review, "Food and Subjectivity in Clara Sereni's Casalinghitudine, on Italica 1994 (JStor).

Chianti Kitchen Cookbook (Unleashing the Afrodisiac Powers of Tuscan Cooking)

Chianti Kitchen Cookbook (Unleashing the Afrodisiac Powers of Tuscan Cooking), by Seamus de Pentheny O'Kelly. A descendant of a noble Irish family, Seamus was born and raised in South Africa. In 1985, he moved to Italy and fell in love with Tuscany. He purchased and restored the Castello di Spaltenna in Gaiole. During this period, he became a Master Chef of the Discovery Channel. Having sold Spaltenna, his "Chianti" base became the Osteria del Castello at the famous Castello Brolio where he began teaching cooking lessons. In 2006-07, he turned his dream project into reality: a cooking school in Tuscany - Chianti Kitchen (exit WisItalia).

Terry and Debra Hart from Terenzio Tours (exit WisItalia) did the excellent photography for this book.

There are two sizes of the book - the large format (11 x 13) comes in hard cover only, and the smaller size (8 x 10) comes in both hard and soft cover. You can order a copy directly from the Booksmart Publisher's web site at www.blurb.com/user/chiantichef (exit WisItalia).

You can also see a lower-resolution movie of the book on Terry and Debra Hart's web site (along with a 10-minute video of Chianti Kitchen) at web.mac.com/terencehart/Chianti/Movie.html (exit WisItalia).

El Marsam B & B, An Umbrian Farmhouse and Its Kitchen

El Marsam B & B, An Umbrian Farmhouse and Its Kitchen, by Ginda and Mike Simpson, owners of El Marsam B & B (exit WisItalia), located in Umbertide, Italy in the Perugia region. El Marsam is a three-hour drive north from Rome or a two-hour drive south of Florence. After six years in the making, Ginda Simpson has completed and published her first collection of recipes and stories. Famed chefs, friends, neighbors, peasants and strangers have all taught us something worth bringing to our table. Their lessons, garnered from their kitchens and from their lives, are shared in stories, recipes and sketches. This spiral-bound, soft cover book is 120 pages and contains 14 stories and 70 recipes.

View the flyer (pdf) for more information about ordering the book. View part of a story, "A Birthday Celebration" (pdf). View the recipe, Cappuccino Mousse, and the Recipe Table of Contents (pdf).

Too Much Tuscan Wine

Too Much Tuscan Wine, by Dario Castagno, a New York Times Best selling author. The book recounts the history and character of Chianti—the famous wine region at Tuscany's geographic and cultural heart. Castagno shares his most unforgettable experiences working as a Chianti tour guide for more than 12 years. Dario Castagno lives in the Chianti hill town of Vagliagli. Though purely "Chiantigiano," he was born in London to Italian parents who were exporting fine Italian wines and spirits to England. Castagno returned to Tuscany at age nine, and embarked on an exploration of the region that forms the heart of his writing.

For more information about the author, visit his website www.DarioCastagno.com (exit WisItalia). Information about purchasing the book is available on Amazon.com (exit WisItalia).

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

Never Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons from Italy's Culinary Capital, by Eric Dregni. From the press release, "I simply want to live in the place with the best food in the world. This dream led Eric Dregni to Italy, first to Milan and eventually to a small, fog-covered town to the north: Modena, the birthplace of balsamic vinegar, Ferrari, and Luciano Pavarotti. Never Trust a Thin Cook is a classic American abroad tale, brimming with adventures both expected and unexpected, awkward social moments, and most important, very good food."

For more information, visit the University of Minnesota Press website www.upress.umn.edu/Books/D/dregni_never.html (exit WisItalia). This website includes events, press releases and short clips (exit WisItalia) of Eric Dregni reading from a few sections of his book.

“Pane Amaro (Bitter Bread): The Italian American Journey from Despised Immigrants to Honored Citizens”

“Pane Amaro (Bitter Bread): The Italian American Journey from Despised Immigrants to Honored Citizens,” a 2009 feature-length documentary (DVD), has been called the first comprehensive depiction on film of the Italian American experience. It tracks the social, economic and political transformation of Italians from immigrant victims of violence and prejudice to prominent members of American society. This story is told by weaving together accounts from members of the community, comments by noted scholars and a treasure trove of historical footage and photographs. Major funding for “Pane Amaro” was provided by NIAF and the Foreign Ministry of Italy. “Pane Amaro” is available for sale on amazon.com (exit WisItalia).

Eat Smart in Sicily

Eat Smart in Sicily, by Joan Peterson and Marcella Croce, and illustrated by Susan Chwae. Rich with seafood, citrus, olives, and almond sweets, the cuisine of the sun-drenched island of Sicily reflects the influence of Greeks, Norman French, Tunisians, and Italians, among others. Unlike guidebooks that sweep Sicily into an overview of Italy, this latest addition to the award-winning EAT SMART series focuses solely on the cuisine of Sicily. Eat Smart in Sicily provides an historical overview of the peoples who have lived there and their contributions to Sicilian cuisine, with attention given to the fare distinct to the villages and urban centers of Sicily’s four regions. A helpful guide to Sicilian menus, with English translations of Italian (or Sicilian) words, makes ordering food in Sicily an easy and immediately rewarding experience. Highlighting regional recipe mainstays, Joan Peterson and Marcella Croce provide tips to shopping for traditional ingredients in Sicily and at home. The book also includes a comprehensive glossary of foods, kitchen utensils, and cooking methods to prepare authentic Sicilian specialties at home or abroad. View the exercpt of the press release (pdf) by the publisher, Wisconsin Press.

To obtain a copy, go to Wisconsin Press (exit WisItalia), or check with your online or local bookstore.

Il terremoto e il maremoto del 28 dicembre 1908

Il terremoto e il maremoto del 28 dicembre 1908, by Guido Bertolaso, Enzo Boschi, Emanuela Guidoboni and Gianluca Valensise, tells of the 1908 seismic disaster in Italy, commissioned by the Italian Civil Protection and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. The volume, as can be seen in the attachment, rounds up the historical and seismological research into the 1908 earthquake. Several newspapers and television broadcasts have been devoted to this volume, presenting it as a crucial point for the development of current seismological and historical knowledge. A DVD-rom comes with the volume, containing original documentation and two historical films on the effects of the earthquake. (Book and DVD are in Italian.)

This book, which costs 97.00 Euros, and other publications can be ordered at www.sga-storiageo.it (exit WisItalia). For more than ten orders, there is a 20% discount. For this discount and any other information, please contact info@sga-storiageo.it.

The Literary Show

"The Literary Show" by Andrea Marrone provides weekly literary reviews of books published recently in Italy with particular attention to emerging Italian authors and minor publishers. The reviews (in Italian) are independent and made without any commercial interest or business. The website lists current Italian narratives, essays, guides, books for children/teenagers, poetry, reviews, and links to other book websites. The site also has a forum where users can, after registration, exchange ideas, comment on the reviews, or start discussions. Website is in Italian.

Review the most recent email (3/6/10) from Andrea Marrone about his recent reviews (htm - in Italian).

Review the previous email (2/27/10) from Andrea Marrone about his recent reviews (pdf - in Italian).

Check out all the books and reviews on www.andreamarrone.com (exit WisItalia).

Link to the achives of the Books for Children/Teenagers (exit WisItalia).

Very Valentine

Very Valentine, by Adriana Trigiani, a first-in-a-trilogy, is a frilly valentine to Manhattan's picturesque West Village, starring a boisterous and charmingly contentious Italian-American family. Valentine Roncalli, adrift after a failed relationship and an aborted teaching career, becomes an apprentice to her 80-year-old grandmother, Teodora Angelini, at the tiny family shoe business.

View the author's website (exit WisItalia) for more details, including where to purchase copies of the book.

Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany

Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany, by Paul Salsini, is a sequel to The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany. In Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany, the Resistance fighter whose code name was Sparrow relentlessly pursues the collaborator of one of the worst Nazi atrocities in Italy during WWII. But in the treacherous and mysterious land of the Garfagnana, he discovers something he has long hidden within himself. Sparrow's Revenge is an unforgettable tale of revenge, retribution, guilt and, finally, forgiveness.

To obtain a copy, go to amazon.com (exit WisItalia), barnesandnoble.com (exit WisItalia), borders.com (exit WisItalia) and at Schwartz Bookshops (exit WisItalia) in Milwaukee, WI.

The Journey of the Italians in America

The Journey of the Italians in America, by Vincenza Scarpaci, Ph.D., uses 500 photos to illustrate 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. Topics, such as Italians in agriculture, interaction with other ethnic groups, striving for social justice and a look at current issues that engage Italian America, go beyond the typical nostalgic views featured in pictorial histories. Stories from the Greenbush Neighborhood in Madison, WI are included in this edition of the book.

To obtain a copy, ask your local bookstore, or order your book from Pelican Publishing Company (exit WisItalia) or 800 843-1724, or from Amazon.com (exit WisItalia). They are also available at Schwartz Bookshops (exit WisItalia) in Milwaukee, WI.

A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome

An artist who’s been dead for 450 years seems an unlikely candidate to join a revolution in book promotion, but the man who painted the Sistine Chapel has lately been making a splash on a virtual book tour. Angela K. Nickerson, author of the beautiful and eye-opening book A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome, is embarking on the second installment of a virtual book tour that keeps being extended due to popular demand.

A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome (exit WisItalia), published by Roaring Forties Press, follows Michelangelo from his arrival in Rome in 1496 to his death there almost seventy years later. It tells the story of the artist’s meteoric rise and artistic breakthroughs, of his tempestuous relations with powerful patrons, and of his austere but passionate private life. Each chapter focuses on a particular work that stunned his contemporaries and continues to impress today’s visitors.

Contact Deirdre Greene at dmg@roaringfortiespress.com or 510 527-5461 to set up an interview with Angela or to purchase copies of the book, which are also available at bookstores nationwide.

Forgotten Ellis Island

The final chapter in the Ellis Island story has at last been told. Lorie Conway's film and companion book, Forgotten Ellis Island, are the first to examine the extraordinary immigrant hospital on Ellis Island. Although it was the world's premier infectious disease hospital, and a place where the diagnosis of mental health was pioneered, 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. Only in the past few years have efforts begun to restore the historical site. Once the restoration is complete, the complex will include an immigration institute and public health museum. The film is narrated by Eliot Gould and premiered at Ellis Island. For more information, view the book summary and visit www.forgottenellisisland.com (exit WisItalia).

Italian American Press

The Italian American Press promotes self-published Italian American Books. Ralph Ferraro, Director of The Italian American Press, has put together a list of fascinating books written by Italian-Americans on a variety of interesting topics. Viewers to the Italian American Press website (exit WisItalia) will find that they have created categories for an extensive selection of their Italian-American books.

New Book Announcement: Olivia and the Little Way (pdf) written by Nancy Carabio Belanger and illustrated by Sandra Casali LewAllen.

You may also be interested in reading some Free E-Books (exit WisItalia) by Italian-American authors.

To learn more about the Italian American Press, view their website at www.italianamericanpress.com (exit WisItalia).

Greenbush Neighborhood Stories

NEW! Catherine Murray is writing another book, Spaghetti Corners and all that…Sauce! to help preserve many memories. The book will feature at least 150 Italian men: fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who once lived in the Greenbush neighborhood in Madison, WI. The page layout will be similar to the Grandmothers of Greenbush book. For more information, contact Catherine Tripalin Murray, 1421 Wyldewoood Drive, Madison, WI 53704, 608 244-3359, or e-mail greenbush4@aol.com.

Of interest to you may be some books self-published by Catherine Tripalin Murray. People have often compared them with life in their own Italian neighborhoods throughout the United States. Her stories are a collection of recipes, memories and photographs of the old Greenbush neighborhood, in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as the old Westside neighborhood in Kenosha, Wisconsin. These collections date back to the early to mid-1900s. Sold in the United States, these books have even been found in a library in Sicily.

To obtain these books, they are still available through Catherine Tripalin Murray, or by checking your local bookstore. For more details visit, www.greenbushcookbooks.com/ (exit WisItalia). To order a book, visit Greenbush...remembered Order Form (exit WisItalia).

Title	Author	Publisher-Year
Volume I, a taste of memories from the old "Bush": recipes, memories and photographs of the old Greenbush neighborhood, (Madison, Wisconsin) 1900-1960	Catherine Tripalin Murray	Greenbush...remembered, 1988
Volume II, a taste of memories from the old "Bush": recipes, memories and photographs of the old Greenbush neighborhood, (Madison, Wisconsin) 1900-1960	Catherine Tripalin Murray	Greenbush...remembered, 1990
Volume III, a taste of memories from Columbus Park: recipes, memories and photographs of the old Westside neighborhood, Kenosha, Wisconsin	Catherine Tripalin Murray	Old Neighborhoods...remembered with Kenosha In Neighborhood, 1992
Grandmothers of Greenbush: Recipes and Memories of the Old Greenbush Neighborhood 1900-1925	Catherine Tripalin Murray	Greenbush...remembered, 1996

Ultimate Travel Library

National Geographic Travelor lists books on their Ultimate Travel Library—Western Europe & the Mediterranean website (exit WisItalia). These books are not guide books, but are novels and narrative nonfiction, as well as classic photography books. Check out the books on Italy (exit WisItalia).

Some Recommended Books

Giovanna Miceli Jeffries, member of WisItalia, the Italian-American Women's Club and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recommends the following books by Italian-American writers on Italian-American life and identity. Some of the authors include Flavia Alaya, Helen Barolini, Regina Barreca, Marion Benasutti, Mary Jo Bona, Dorothy Briant, Rita Ciresi, Camille Cusumano, and Tina De Rosa to name a few.

Title	Author	Publisher-Year
Under the Rose (novel)	Flavia Alaya	Feminist Press, 1999
Taking it Home: Stories from the Neighborhood	Toni Ardizzone	University of Illinois Press, 1996
Umbertina (novel)	Helen Barolini	Feminist Press, 1999
The Dream Book: anthology of Writings by Italian American Women	Helen Barolini	Syracuse University Press, 2000
Festa: Recipes and Recollections of Italian Holidays	Helen Barolini	University of Wisconsin Press, 1988
Don’t Tell Mama (collection)	Regina Barreca	Penquin Books, 2002
No Steady Job for Papa (memoir)	Marion Benasutti	Vanguard, 1966
The Long Italian Goodbye	Robert Benedetti	Kindle Edition (hardcover, Durban House Publishing Co., 2005)
The Voices We Carry (collection)	Mary Jo Bona	Guernica, 1994
Claiming a Tradition (essays)	Mary Jo Bona	Southern Illinois U.Press, 1999
Miss Giardino (novel)	Dorothy Briant	Feminist Press, 1997
Blue Italian (novel)	Rita Ciresi	Hopewell, 1996
Mother Rocket (novel)	Rita Ciresi	University of Georgia Press, 1993
Sometimes I dream in Italian (novel)	Rita Ciresi	Delacorte, 2000
The Last Cannoli: a Sicilian-American Family	Camille Cusumano	Legas, 2000
Paper Fish (memoir)	Tina De Rosa	Feminist Press, 1996
Vertigo (memoir)	Louise de Salvo	Dutton, 1997
The Milk of Almonds: Italian American Women Writers on Food and Culture	L. de Salvo & E. Giunta	Feminist Press, 2002
Christ in Concrete	Pietro di Donato	Penguin, 1993
Writing with an Accent: Italian American Women’s Authors (essays)	Edvige Giunta	Palgrave, 2002
Italian Signs, American Streets (essays)	Fred Guardaphé	Duke Univ. Press, 1996
At the Copa	Marisa Labozzetta	Guernica Editions, 2006
Things my Mother Told Me (poems)	Maria Mazziotti Gillan	Guernica, 1999
Mattanza:Love and Death in the Sea of Sicily	Theresa Maggio	Perseus, 2000
Mount Allegro: a Memoir of Italian American Life	Jerre Mangione	Harper & Row, 1989
Italian Women and Other Tragedies (poems)	Gianna Patriarca	Guernica, 1994
The Oldest Map with the Name America (poems)	Lucia Petrillo	Random House, 1999
The Houseguest (novel)	Agnes Rossi	Dutton, 2000
The Quick: a Novella & Stories	Agnes Rossi	WW Norton, 1992
Sometimes the Soul: Two Novellas of Sicily	Gioia Timpanelli	WW Norton, 1998
Crossing Ocean Parkway (memoir)	Marianna Torgovnick	University of Chicago Press, 1997
Astoria (memoir)	Robert Viscusi	Guernica, 1996
A Cup of the Sun	Octavia Capuzzi Waldo	Harcourt, 1961

Updated March 6, 2010