The Heritage Edition was updated in September 2019.
WHAT EVERY ITALIAN-AMERICAN SHOULD KNOW
- Why did our ancestors leave Italy in the early 1900s?
- Why did they come to America?
- When they arrived, what were their first impressions of New York City?
- How were Italian immigrants processed at Ellis Island?
- Why did the US government encourage Italians to emigrate to America?
- What was life like for Italian-Americans in the early 1900s, and what was it like during World War II?
- What did Italian immigrants believe were the antidotes to anti-Italian prejudice?
- What is the meaning of "Birds of Passage," and "Il Campanilismo?"
- Why do Italians eat lentils on New Year's Day, and what do they do when they say "Via il vecchio, benvenuto al nuovo?"
- What is La Tavola di San Giuseppe?Â
- What are "Lucky Beans" and "Sfige di San Giuseppi?"
- How do you play the game, "Morra?"
- What is the meaning of "In Bocca Al Lupo" and what is the appropriate response when someone says this to you?
- What is the difference between being an Italian and being an Italian-American?
- Why do Italians give out candy-coated almonds at weddings?
- What do the expressions, "Vai Studi' e Vai Legge'," "Non fa' la brutta figura," "La vecchiaia e' una carogna, ma per chi non ci arriva e'una vergogna," and "Natale con I tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi, "mean?
- What is the difference between an Italian and an American Bar?
- What is "Scopa," "Briscola, "and "Tressette?"
- What is "C'e' La Luna Mezzo Mare," all about?
- What is an Italian Football Wedding?
- What is donuts spelled backwards?
- What do Mare Nostrum, Pax Romana, and SPQR mean?
- What is the real reason why the Roman Legions were so powerful?
- What phrase in the Declaration of Independence was suggested by an Italian?
- Which Italian general was offered a commission by Abraham Lincoln in the Union Army?
- What is the significance of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the lynchings of Italian-Americans in New Orleans, and the statue of Christopher Columbus in NYC?
- Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?
- Who was Mother Cabrini?
- What is the difference between Sauce and Gravy?
- Which Italian-American dishes are really not Italian?
- How do Italian witches tell fortunes using olive oil and water?
- What is Italian Folk Medicine, and who are the Benedetti?
- How do you defend against the "Malocchio?"
- What did Frank Sinatra say about being an Italian-American?
- Which Italian saint can help you sell a house and which one can help you climb up the corporate ladder?
- What is Agita, and what is Brioschi?
- What is Tombola Napoletana?
- What are Italian Naming Conventions?
- What does Jure Sanguinis mean?
- What is Sambucca Romana con la Mosca?
- What do Doppio Ristretto Espresso and Café Corretto mean?
- What are typical Italian wines, and what are their attributes?
Find the answers to these questions and much more in this reader-friendly and entertaining book that attempts to capture what it means to be Italian-American.
This book contains the stories of three generations of Italian-Americans, told by those who lived them in their own words and placed in historical context.
Profusely illustrated, with maps and photographs on almost every page, this 434-page book explores Italian-American history, values, and culture. It also contains Italian proverbs, offers sage Italian-American advice, and features a glossary of Italian-American words as well as recipes from Padula and Vico Equense.
Please visit "Facebook.com/GrowingUpItalianAmerican," where you will find videos that supplement the book.Â
P.S."Growing Up Italian-American" makes a great gift.
