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After Laughing Comes Crying: Sicilian Immigrants on Louisiana Plantations by Joseph L. Cacibauda Based on facts and heavily researched, the culture of Sicilian immigration is examined as workers travel to Louisiana to labor on sugar plantations.  AUTHOR INTERVIEW Adrianna's Eyes and Other Stories by A.S. Maulucci Stories of love, family, and the search for identity, some addressing the author’s “Italian American cultural heritage” and “the complex realities of growing up Italian in America.” Coal War in the Mahoning Valley by Joe Tucciarone and Ben Lariccia As the country and the economy grew during the Industrial Revolution, immigrants became a useful source of labor, and in many cases, not to their benefit. This detailed history of an 1873 coal miners’ strike in Northeast Ohio focuses on the Italian immigrants brought in –  among deception and prejudices –  to work the mines, and how they eventually established a vibrant Italian American community. AUTHORS INTERVIEW  BOOK REVIEW Daughters, Dads, and the Path Through Grief: Tales from Italian America by Donna DiCello, Psy.D., and Lorraine Mangione, Ph.D. A book of love, loss, hope, and the creative continuance with emphasis on Italian heritage and its effect on the deep father/daughter bonds after death. Eat Now; Talk Later by James Vescovi A twist on the usual immigrant tale, this book tells the story of two Italians – born when oxen were used for plowing – facing the American world of refrigerators, telephones, and TV wrestling.   Francesca’s Song by Noreen Castelli Sweeney Based on a lifetime of letters between two girlfriends in America and Italy, the story chronicles twentieth century America through the eyes of an immigrant with a strong desire to hold onto her culture.   Frank’s Christmas Book by Frank P. Riga For children and adults, a collection of Christmas stories intertwined with the history of the customs that developed the stories into legends. Includes photographs and additional resources. Free Gondola Ride by Kathleen González A first-person narrative about the occupation, vessels, and lifestyles of Venice's gondoliers.   Heritage Italian American Style, 2nd Edition by Leon Radomile The revised second edition has been expanded from 1492 to 1776 fact-filled questions that highlight the endless contributions made by Italians and Italian Americans to western civilization.   Italian American Writers on New Jersey Edited by Jennifer Gillan, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Edvige Giunta Fiction, poetry, memoir, oral histories, and journalistic pieces offer a chronicle of the Italian American experience in New Jersey from the late nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century.   Italians Swindled to New York: False Promises at the Dawn of Immigration by Joe Tucciarone and Ben Lariccia The 1861 Unification of Italy launched a new European country promising to fulfill the dreams of millions of Italians. As the young Kingdom of Italy modernized, it ended feudalism, a move that opened many opportunities. But a large sector of poor peasants found themselves cutoff from the changed order and desperate to survive. In 1872, an army of speculators invaded the countryside, hawking steamship tickets and promising fabulous riches in the Americas. Propelled to New York through fraud, these arrivals were the first rumblings of Italian mass immigration. AUTHORS INTERVIEW  BOOK REVIEW The Journey of the Italians in America by Vincenza Scarpaci Traces the evolution of the Italian immigrant of the 1800s with 500 photographs that illustrate the story of the immigrants and their descendants. Lost in Translation by Susan Nanfeldt A series of stories blending culture and heritage and evoking memories of Italian American traditions during the mid-twentieth century. Not for Self: A Sicilian Life and Death in Marion by Joseph L. Cacibauda Based on the true story of a Sicilian immigrant who first worked in the coal mines and later opened a tavern in southern Illinois in the early 1920s. The turbulence of the times – Prohibition and bootlegging, the Ku Klux Klan and racism, the United Mine Workers of America and coal mine strikes, and political discord – causes additional obstacles to making a life in America. BOOK REVIEW  AUTHOR INTERVIEW   Old Italian Neighborhood Values by Stephen L. DeFelice, M.D. A dinner discussion about life in the 1950s as a comparison to life in the twenty-first century. Out of Rushmore’s Shadow - The Luigi Del Bianco Story by Lou Del Bianco The incredible story of Luigi Del Bianco, the chief carver of Mount Rushmore, told by his namesake and grandson, Lou Del Bianco. Filled with historic documents and photographs, and family memorabilia, the book chronicles three stories – the carving of Mount Rushmore, the life of Luigi Del Bianco, and Lou’s quest to have his grandfather recognized as the chief carver of Mount Rushmore. LUIGI DEL BIANCO WEBSITE   BOOK REVIEW  AUTHOR INTERVIEW   Searching for Italy in America’s Rural Heartland by Celeste Calvitto Stories of Italian immigrants who, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, came to America to find work in the Midwest in coal mines, on the railroads, and on farms.   The Seven Golden Apples by Robert Cirillo In this beautifully illustrated Calabrian folktale, initiated by the author’s great-grandfather in the 1880s and passed down orally up to the present, seven apples of solid gold disappear mysteriously from the royal castle and the courageous swordsman Prince Laticus sets off on a perilous but enchanting journey to recover them.  BOOK REVIEW  AUTHOR INTERVIEW The Strega and the Dreamer by Theresa C. Dintino The story of a man who is willing to sacrifice everything for a dream, and a passionate woman questioning the confining roles allowed to nineteenth-century women.   Sweet Figs, Bitter Greens by Donna L. Gestri Against a backdrop that shifts from Italy to the streets of Brooklyn, through two wars, and with an unforgettable cast of characters, the power of friendship, loyalty, faith and family endures. Italian American life in the mid-twentieth century sets the scene for the lives of the Salvatori family – Maestro Rinaldo, his loving wife Guiliana, and their four children. The Maestro, an Italian immigrant, founded a small opera house and oversees its operation, while he deals with changing family ideals and the family secrets he left behind in Italy. BOOK REVIEW They Came By Ship: The Stories of the Calitrani Immigrants in America by Mario Toglia A compilation of recollections of people researching their roots to their ancestral town of Calitri in Southern Italy.   Time Takes No Time by Donna L. Gestri A story about love and life in a small Sicilian village at the end of the nineteenth century.   Treasure of My Heart by Christine Caligiuri The story of a young couple that emigrates from Southern Italy to America’s Heartland is told in this faithful depiction of ordinary life in the Italian community of Des Moines, Iowa during the early 20th century.   Under the Southern Sun: Stories of the Real Italy and the Americans It Created by Paul Paolicelli A  journey through southern Italy and the many fascinating elements of its society, history, and culture. Vina, A Brooklyn Memoir by Joseph C Polacco An Italian “I Remember Mama,” set in Brooklyn in the mid-1900s. In a series of vignettes spanning over 50 years, Joseph Polacco writes about “the abundant roads lit by Mom,” and compares “her passing as the dimming of a light in so many people’s lives.” The book includes photographs – some of the “old neighborhood;” a guide to all the stops along the West End Line, part of the NY City transit system that ran from Coney Island north to Central Park (and also featured in the car chase scene in The French Connection); and a glossary of words (mostly Italian) commonly used at the time. AUTHOR WEBSITE  BOOK REVIEW  AUTHOR INTERVIEW With Tears and Laughter: An Immigrant Voyage by John C. Alessio  The unification of Italy in 1861 led to a mass migration of Southern Italians to America from the late-nineteenth to the early-twentieth century. It affected millions of Southern Italians who migrated west for a better life, but found living conditions radically different from their home country. With history as a background, follow the journey of Lorenzo Adamani that begins in a small village in Calabria and moves back and forth between Italy and America. AUTHOR WEBSITE  BOOK REVIEW  AUTHOR INTERVIEW  ITALIAN VERSION

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Italian Through Food by Andrea Parisi A self-guided language reader, originally designed as a community college course, that combines the rules of Italian grammar and pronunciation with a menu of traditional Italian foods and food history.

The Adventures of Silvana and the Magic Unicorn by A. Longus An imaginative children's adventure tale about a young girl in New York and a magical flying unicorn, who journey back and forth through time and travel to Italy to learn about Silvana's heritage. The Garden and Forest Behind Grandpop's House by Vincent Iezzi The adventure begins listening to the flowers in the garden by the well, then visiting pleasant and inspiring places with a walk into the forest. Hopping to America: A Rabbit’s Tale of a Wedding by Diana Pishner Walker Two families from Italy prepare for a traditional Italian wedding in America, and learn of a last-minute surprise. Hopping to America: A Rabbit’s Tale of Immigration by Diana Pishner Walker The Riepule family in Italy immigrates to West Virginia, and blending their customs and traditions, become Italian Americans. Hopping to America: A Rabbit’s Tale of La Befana by Diana Pishner Walker As they learn about the American customs of the holiday season, the Riepule family prepares for Christmas and looks forward to a visit from La Befana. Let’s Eat Snails! by Barbara Barcellona Smith A cultural tradition of food preparation will capture the curiosity of children and adults in this learning experience about acceptance. Olivia and the Little Way by Nancy Carabio Belanger; illustrated by Sandra Casali LewAllen A touching and heartfelt novel that celebrates the life of St Therese and will inspire young readers to follow her example and discover their own "Little Way" miracles. The Ghosts of the Garfagnana: Seven Strange Stories from Haunted Tuscany by Paul Salsini In the northwest region of Tuscany – an area of steep forests and misty valleys – is the Garfagnana, abundant with caves, ancient villages, marble quarries, and chestnut trees. It’s the perfect location for a series of stories with a supernatural theme woven into everyday life. The first story takes place in 1225, with the announcement of a new monastery to be built; the last story is in 2018, as a college student travels to the Garfagnana to research ghosts in the theater. BOOK REVIEW  AUTHOR INTERVIEW The Seven Golden Apples by Robert Cirillo In this beautifully illustrated Calabrian folktale, initiated by the author’s great-grandfather in the 1880s and passed down orally up to the present, seven apples of solid gold disappear mysteriously from the royal castle and the courageous swordsman Prince Laticus sets off on a perilous but enchanting journey to recover them.  BOOK REVIEW  AUTHOR INTERVIEW Stefano and the Christmas Miracles by Paul Salsini The figurines of the presepio (nativity) come to life, as grandson and grandfather share a Christmas tradition. Stefano and the Tuscan Piazza by Paul Salsini When Stefano’s family moves to San Ferdinando, he learns about the medieval buildings in the piazza through the stories told by his grandfather. Spaghetti & Meatballs: Growing Up Italian by Diana Pishner Walker Fond childhood memories of family, holidays, and special occasions celebrated with Italian traditions; recipes included. The Wonderful Travels of Drake by Peter T. Cavallaro The story follows the journey of a young boy, Drake, who accompanies his father and uncle on a trade expedition from their home in Naples to the mysterious land of Cathay, present-day China.