"One of the best books about the immigrant experience in America....unique and gracefully written."—
San Francisco Chronicle
Maria Laurino sifts through the stereotypes bedeviling Italian Americans to deliver a penetrating and hilarious examination of third-generation ethnic identity. With "intelligence and honesty" (
Arizona Republic
), she writes about guidos, bimbettes, and
mammoni
(mama's boys in Italy); examines the clashing aesthetics of Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace; and unravels the etymology of southern Italian dialect words like
gavone
and
bubidabetz
. According to Frances Mayes, she navigates the conflicting forces of ethnicity "with humor and wisdom."