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Author Interview
JR Giuliano
The Rock in Our Story
The Italian American Press
specializes in offering a selection
of books primarily written by
authors of Italian heritage who
write about Italian American and
Italian culture, heritage, and
history. Many of these authors are
independent publishers and
market their own books.
Reading stories of Italian
American culture and history will
educate, inform, and entertain
people of all nationalities.
What inspired you to write The Rock in Our Story?
The
What:
My
life
is
rooted
in
the
culture
and
customs
of
Italy,
where
I
grew
up
in
an
ethnic
neighborhood
comprised of nearly all Italian immigrants.
Living
among
such
a
large
community
sharing
heritage,
family
values,
and
determination
to
protect
them
was
a
warm, welcoming, and safe place to call home.
Directed
to
the
least
favorable
part
of
town,
penned
in
by
railroad
tracks
and
dead-end
streets,
surrounded
by
factories,
foundries,
a
coal
yard,
a
soot-producing
power
plant
and
junkyard,
the
immigrant
grocers,
barbers,
bakers,
tailors,
masons,
seamstresses
and
homemakers
served
the
community
well,
while
the
laborers
built
the
roads
and
rails
that
enabled
commerce to thrive in the growing town.
D
espite
the
challenges,
there
were
backyard
gardens,
doors
were
always
open,
the
sweet
smells
of
baking
bread,
sizzling
meatballs
and
simmering
gravy/sauce
invited
anyone
in,
anytime.
Even
strangers,
though
strangers
stayed
away
for
fear
of
the
unknown. This community's resilience and determination to thrive in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.
The
Who:
In
two
words
-
my
mother.
From
childhood
to
my
grandfatherhood,
I
have
never
tired
of
listening
to
stories
about
Italy,
"The
Old
Country,"
and
her
homeland.
She
described
the
beauty
of
the
land
and
the
bounty
it
provided.
She
told
me
about
crime,
criminals,
and
government
and,
their
too
often
scarcely
held
differences.
She
spoke
of
the
widespread
poverty
in
Southern
Italy
in
the
late
1800s,
the
challenges
people
faced
in
their
daily
lives,
the
hopes
they
had,
and
the
faith
they
needed
to
fuel
their
determination to find a better life for themselves and the following generations.
To
do
so
in
1923,
when
they
came
to
America,
they
had
to
overcome
the
fears
of
leaving
parts
of
their
families
behind,
being
under-educated,
some
illiterate,
impoverished,
and
unable
to
speak
the
language
-
all
of
which
led
them
to
long
hour,
low-paying,
unskilled
labor
jobs.
Six
years
later,
before
they
had
a
chance
to
realize
the
American
Dream,
the
fortunate
ones
struggled
through
and
survived
the
hardest
of
years
from
The
Great
Depression
in
1929
to
the
end
of
WW
II
in
1945.
Surviving
and
raising
families through those times took enormous faith, grit, determination, kindness, and love for each other and humanity.
Teachers,
nurses,
doctors,
lawyers,
politicians,
artists,
musicians,
athletes,
engineers,
scientists,
architects,
and
so
on,
spring
forth
from
these
humble
beginnings.
There
is
plenty
of
inspiration
in
their
stories,
even
though
there
was,
and
sometimes
still
exists, a prejudice that anyone who carries an Italian name is characterized as Mafia.
What is the most important attribute of the book?
Almost
anyone
can
identify
with
the
emotions
that
arise
from
trying
times,
the
disappointment
that
comes
from
unsuccessful
attempts to achieve sought-after goals, and the joy that results from kindness, loving, and being loved.
Why should someone read it?
Perhaps
to
discover
that,
as
much
as
we
are
different,
we
are
all
the
same.
The
band,
R
E
M
says,
"Everybody
hurts,
sometimes."
It's
safe
to
say
that
everyone
is
joyful,
happy,
healthy,
helpful,
needy
etc.,
sometimes,
too.
Reading
it
may
help
the
reader
to
understand
or
underscore
the
importance
and
benefits
of
trying,
hoping,
believing,
caring,
and
loving.
And,
tthat
nothing
–
neither
good
nor
bad
–
lasts
forever.
This
book
encourages
understanding,
empathy,
and
an
open-minded
approach
to
our
shared
human
experiences.
Why did you write it from several different perspectives?
Perhaps
because
this
was
my
first
attempt
at
publishing
a
book,
I
didn't
understand
the
principles
of
writing
for
a
critical
audience.
At
first,
I
started
telling
parts
of
individual
stories
as
an
observer.
Then,
as
the
characters
developed,
I
let
each
character
tell
their
own
story.
And,
I
thought
that
by
letting
the
characters
speak
directly
to
the
reader,
then
each
character
would
have
to
earn
their
way
into
the hearts of the reader.
