BOOK REVIEWS
SUMMER 2020 SELECTIONS
THANK YOU UNCLE SAM: From Calabria to America, Family Stories of Emigration By Niall Allsop
Inspired by the many conversations he had upon retiring to Calabria, Thank You Uncle Sam is an intriguing account of Irish-born author Niall Allsop’s journey stateside in a quest to uncover the stories behind several Calabrian families and their immigration to the United States. What Allsop unearths are stories that, at times, prove that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. His tour takes him across the country—from New York and New Jersey to Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Mexico. During these travels, he learns about a woman who raised her family on livestock and vegetables because she didn’t know that her husband’s checks could be cashed, a woman who received several marriage proposals including one from her engaged cousin upon traveling back to Calabria, and the deeply emotional story involving the separation of siblings who reunited 62 years later.
DID YOU KNOW? In Calabria, married women retained their maiden names. Through these stories, readers will learn not just about individual family history, but also general immigration history as well. Perhaps the most eye-opening evidence presented in Allsop’s research asserts that the errors on travel documents—such as the misspellings of names and inaccurate birth dates—more likely occurred in Italy upon embarkation rather than at Ellis Island upon arrival. One of the most enjoyable dynamics of this book occurs when Allsop gathers family members together and each one begins sharing details of their family history that the others never knew about. After reading Thank You Uncle Sam, you will certainly be tempted to crack open some of Allsop’s other southern Italy-inspired books, including Stumbling Through Italy and Scratching the Toe of Italy. SUMMER 2020
18
CONSTANT TIDES: A Story of Messina
By Peter Crawley
An ambitious undertaking, Peter Crawley’s Constant Tides is a three-part book set in Messina, Sicily, and its surrounding towns. It travels through history and generations of characters in a fluid yet edifying manner. The first part takes place during the 1908 Messina earthquake and portrays the destruction through the eyes of two lovers—Lilla Lunapiena and Enzo Ruggieri. Crawley offers a vivid depiction of death and destruction, giving readers a glimpse of the horror brought on by the earthquake—the crumbling of buildings, the swell of tidal waves, the unfathomable loss of life. He effectively illustrates the many forms that human interaction assumes in the face of tragedy—some of it beautifully altruistic, some of it sickeningly selfish.
DID YOU KNOW? Male swordfish will not abandon its female mate when she is caught. It will essentially surrender itself to the fishermen. The second part takes place during the early 1940s in the midst of World War II when Messina was occupied by Italian and German soldiers as Allied forces were landing. Crawley highlights the devastation that Mussolini brought to Messina, while also depicting the allure that brought Messina to Mussolini. The third part takes place in present-day Messina. A thoroughly researched novel with the help of many Messina natives, Constant Tides follows characters that span three generations. Beginning with Lilla and Enzo, the ensuing plots involve those who come after them in a story of love and culture that is both lost and found. Meanwhile, the novel’s story is set against one very fitting backdrop: fishing. Perhaps the perfect mirror for the city of Messina and the characters of Constant Tides, a fisherman’s life on the sea is both harsh and beautiful—particularly for the fishermen in the novel, who hunt swordfish. ITALIAN AMERICA
