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Book Reviews
UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE ITALIAN MOON
By Jennifer Anton
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On the eve of World War I, Nina is just ten years old with an entire life ahead of her. She grows up in Fonzaso, a town in the Veneto region. And while much of Under the Light of the Italian Moon is set against the backdrop of Mussolini’s subsequent rise to power and the onset of World War II, the story focuses on themes that transcend any specific time period—themes such as childbirth and child loss, womanhood, and family.
“It came down to getting documents in order. Paperwork. How many fates lay on desks in office trays hoping to make it to the top of the pile before the decision-makers went home for dinner. Every minute lost to a toilet break or a long lunch meant another day a family stayed apart. Destinies decided in mundane pauses.”
Nina’s mother, Adelasia, works as a midwife, aiding pregnant women in the surrounding villages, and inspires Nina to follow in her footsteps. Meanwhile, the man that Nina marries, Pietro, leaves for America in search of opportunity. He finds this in the coal mines of Joliet, Illinois, and begins saving money to bring Nina and their children over.
The novel vividly illustrates Mussolini’s rise, which initially comes with positive changes—such as domestic grain production, the building of the Autostrade, and programs for families and orphans. This, however, gradually gives way to changes that reflect a steady erosion of rights—such as taxes levied against unmarried men and the collection of gold wedding rings to help fund war in Africa.
As the horrors of World War II mount, the novel steadily shines a spotlight on family, both in the struggle to survive and the struggle to build a better life. Nina endures these struggles in the only way a mother can and hopes that one day it will lead her and her children back to Pietro. Through Nina’s life, author Jennifer Anton captures the resilience of women in the face of tragedy and sorrow.
LAST SUMMER IN THE CITY
By Gianfranco Calligarich
Last Summer in the City is an unromanticized and gritty novel in which the main character, Leo Gazzara, takes readers through his wayward summer of despair in Rome. Through Gazzara’s narration, Rome becomes a very humanized place, one that—like any city—is not perceived as being nearly as majestic when you live there. Through this, author Gianfranco Calligarich gives a very honest feel for the streets of Rome and daily life.
Leo, who works for the newspaper Corriere dello Sport, weaves his Alfa Romeo through Rome as he tries to find himself and gain his footing in the world of adulthood.
It’s always the teeth that betray that a person was born poor, the teeth and the eyes, and Graziano had known a lot of hunger during the war. They’d had to operate on him twice before they’d discovered that what gave him those pains in his stomach was simply the memory of the hunger he’d experienced as a child.
He pursues a summer love, Arianna, a character whose personality is charmingly reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Together, they frequent many recognizable places—from Piazza Navona to Piazza di Spagna—as Arianna’s capriciousness constantly lures Leo in before casting him back out.
While Leo can be despondent, aimless, and at times indulgent, he feels strikingly real, a character that is neither embellished nor glorified. It is in this vein that the overall mood and literary writing style of the novel bears a stark resemblance to John Fante’s Ask the Dust, a work which later greatly influenced Charles Bukowski.
With main characters whose actions and narration share such similarity, Last Summer in the City and Ask the Dust mirror each other in many ways. Any reader who has appreciated Fante’s work will appreciate Calligarich’s, which certainly stands on its own merit as a fine literary novel.
THE 57TH BIENNIAL CONVENTION OSDIA Elects New Jersey Son President
AUGUST 14, 2021
In its 116th year, the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA) officers gathered in Jersey City, New Jersey, to elect the leaders who will forge the future of the oldest and largest national organization for people of Italian heritage. Robert A. Bianchi, Esq. of New Jersey was elected as OSDIA’s 38th National President and sworn in on August 14. He will assume leadership from Immediate Past President Nancy DiFiore Quinn.
“We came into a tremendous challenge last year … personally, professionally, and as an organization,” President Bianchi said in his acceptance speech. “And I applaud Nancy because … we showed the power of what (technology) can do. And we showed the power of what a great leader like Nancy can do when she allows the talent in the organization to help out.” OSDIA’S NEW NATIONAL OFFICERS
Joining OSDIA National President Bianchi are the following officers: • Joseph A. Boncore, Esq. of Massachusetts, National
First Vice President • Michael G. Polo of Connecticut, National Second
Vice President • Thom A. Lupo of New York, National Third Vice
President • Dr. Mark S. DeNunzio of Florida, National Fourth
Vice President • Tony Bisceglia Anderson of Northwest, National
Fifth Vice President
And • Frank Gattuso, Esq. of New Jersey, National Orator • John Saladino of Massachusetts, National Recording
Secretary • Louis R. Santoro of New Jersey, National Financial
Secretary • Joseph Rondinelli of New York, National Treasurer • Lynn Lawrence-Murphy of California, National
Historian • Rev. R. Adam Forno of Florida, National Chaplain
National Past President Joseph Sciame of New York was appointed and elected to continue serving as President of the Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF), OSDIA’s philanthropic arm. Established in 1959, the SIF has contributed more than $166 million to scholarships, medical research, disaster relief efforts, cultural projects, veterans’ causes and other special projects.
Immediate Past State President Robert M. Ferrito of New York was appointed and elected to continue serving as National President of the Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ), OSDIA’s anti-defamation arm. The CSJ fights the stereotyping of Italian Americans. He plans on launching an aggressive campaign to preserve Columbus Day.
OSDIA National President Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., with his father, Angelo Bianchi, who served two-terms as CSJ President. (Photo by Mary Kovach)
OSDIA National Officers take an oath to uphold the principles of the Order. (Photo by Lisa Marie Falbo)
“My father used to say this to us as kids because I grew up in a coal-mining region where you couldn’t find anyone Italian, he said, ‘You may be the only person that someone meets today of Italian-American heritage— how are you going to present yourself in the world?’” Adriana Trigiani, Opening Address of the 57th Biennial Convention
A view of the Manhattan skyline from Jersey City. (L. to R.) OSDIA National President Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., Lisa Marie Falbo, OSDIA National 4th Vice President Dr. Mark S. DeNunzio, Mary Kovach, and Justin Smith. OSDIA National President Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., with his wife, Michele, and father, Angelo. (Photo by Lisa Marie Falbo)
OSDIA Past National Presidents hold up the Order’s banner. (L. to R.) Daniel J. Longo, Joseph A. Russo, Philip Boncore, Esq., Joanne Strollo, Vincent Sarno, Paul S. Polo, Joseph J. DiTrapani, Nancy DiFiore Quinn, and Joseph Sciame. Not Pictured: Vera Ferrara Girolami, who attended via Zoom.
(Photo by Lisa Marie Falbo)
The full 57th Biennial Convention will be a virtual event on Columbus Day week of October. OSDIA will present the Marconi Award to Award-Winning Actor Gary Sinise and the Sports Award to Former Major League Baseball Player and Manager Bobby Valentine. The Vincenzo Sellaro Award will be presented to OSDIA National Past Presidents Vera Ferrara Girolami and Vincent Sarno at the Plenary Session in Charleston, South Carolina, this February.
OSDIA’s State Presidents
Barbara Fumosa Wisniewski, California John Carochi, Colorado Neil Velleca, Jr., Connecticut Joseph Facciolo, Delaware Tony Cianciotta, Florida Paul Loparco, Illinois/Wisconsin Denise Furnari, Massachusetts Anita Lombardi Riley, Maryland Dan Matuella, Nebraska Diane Santoro, New Jersey Michelle Ment, New York Linda Anderson, Northwest David Corsi, Ohio Nancy Timperio Porcelli, Pennsylvania John J. Bonaventura, Rhode Island Larry Brennan, Virginia Richard Viglianco, West Virginia
OSDIA’S 38TH NATIONAL PRESIDENT Robert A. Bianchi
Bob Bianchi is the National President of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), the highest position attainable in the Order. President Bianchi is the founding law partner at The Bianchi Law Group, LLC, located in Parsippany, New Jersey (https://bianchilawgroup. com). Bianchi leads a team of former prosecutors who represent those criminally charged with crimes in Federal, State, and Municipal Court(s). On May 10, 2007, Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., was nominated by the Governor of the State of New Jersey to serve as the Morris County Prosecutor. As the chief law enforcement officer of Morris County, Bianchi was in charge of all prosecutions and police agencies in the county. President Bianchi is a National TV Legal Analyst and appears regularly on numerous national TV outlets. He is also a host/anchor at the Law & Crime Network, a Dan Abrams production. He can be seen at https://lawandcrime.com. Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in 1981. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, in American Studies/History from Providence College in 1985. He continued his education and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1988 and was admitted to the New Jersey State Bar as an Attorney at Law in 1988. Mr. Bianchi’s father, Angelo Bianchi, was the president of OSDIA’s Commission for Social Justice for two terms and has been a member of OSDIA for decades. Angelo always inspired his family to be proud of their Italian heritage and is the author of “I am an Italian American” which has been reproduced domestically and internationally for many years and hangs on the walls of many famous dignitaries throughout the world. Mr. Bianchi is married to Michele Barrett Bianchi, who is also an OSDIA member and a retired medical assistant. Michele has always been supportive of her husband’s dedication to the Order and has accompanied him on many journeys in support of the work that OSDIA performs. They live with their lovely terrier/beagle mix, Holly—also known as “The Legal Beagle.”
Robert Bianchi Media Kit: bit.ly/RABMediaKit Robert Bianchi TV Appearances: bit.ly/RABPlayList
By Angelo Bianchi, Esq.
I am an Italian American. My roots are deep in an ancient soil drenched by the Mediterranean sun and watered by pure streams from snow-capped mountains. I am enriched by thousands of years of culture. My hands are those of the mason, the artist, the man of the soil. My thoughts have been recorded in the annals of Rome, the poetry of Virgil, the Creations of Dante, and the philosophy of Benedetto Croce. I am Italian American and from my ancient world, I first spanned the seas to the New World. I am Cristoforo Colombo. I am Giovanni Caboto known in American history as John Cabot, discoverer of the mainland of North America. I am Amerigo Vespucci, who gave my name to the New World, America. First to sail on the Great Lakes in 1679, founder of the territory that became the State of Illinois, colonizer of Louisiana and Arkansas, I am Enrico Tonti. I am Filippo Mazzei, friend of Thomas Jefferson, and my thesis on the equality of man was written into the Bill of Rights. I am William Paca, signer of the Declaration of Independence. I am an Italian American. I financed the Northwest Expedition of George Rogers Clark and accompanied him through the lands that would become Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. I am Colonel Francesco Vigo. I mapped the Pacific from Mexico to Alaska and to the Philippines. I am Alessandro Malaspina. I am Giacomo Beltrami, discoverer of the source of the Mississippi River in 1823. I created the Dome of the United States Capitol. They called me the Michelangelo of America. I am Constantino Brumidi. In 1904, I founded in San Francisco, the Bank of Italy now known as the Bank of America, the largest financial institution in the world. I am A.P. Giannini. I am Guglielmo Marconi, the discoverer of wireless telegraphy and radio. I am the true inventor of the telephone. I am Antonio Meucci of Staten Island, New York. I am Enrico Fermi, father of nuclear science in America. First enlisted man to win the Medal of Honor in World War II, I am John Basilone of New Jersey. I am the founder of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint. I am Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. I am an Italian American. I am the million strong who served in America’s armies and the tens of thousands whose names are enshrined in military cemeteries from Guadalcanal to the Rhine. I am the steel maker in Pittsburgh, the grower in the Imperial Valley of California, the textile designer in Manhattan, the movie maker in Hollywood, the homemaker and the breadwinner in 10,000 communities. I am an American without stint or reservation, loving this land as only one who understands history, its agonies and its triumphs can love it and serve it. I will not be told that my contribution is any less nor my role not as worthy as that of any other American. I will stand in support of this nation’s freedom and promise against all foes. My heritage has dedicated me to this nation. I am proud of my full heritage, and I shall remain worthy of it. I am an Italian American.
