Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Book for Young Girls: " Giovanna's 86 Circles.." by Paolo Corso

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Although I would recommend this book, as a gift to a young Italian American girl, because it involves stories BY Italian American Girls, and those stories have  metaphorical visions, like Corso's prose, that are memorable and entrancing, and powerful in the moment thanks to the imagery's dream-like density,  these stories may not always involve or illuminate Italian-American lore.

 

For late teen Italian Americans, "Looking Through My Mother's Eyes: Life Stories of Nine Italian Immigrant Women" by Giovanna Del Negro (Guernica Editions Inc) would give a deeper insight  into their culture.. This look at the traditional and subversive world of women's folklore examines the realm of women's talk, exploring the ways Italian immigrant women use classic folk genres to stretch the boundaries of their culture. Through songs, lullabies, bawdy riddles, and trickster tales, these women subvert, redefine, and alter what it means to be Italian and female in North America. This book delves into broader themes of gender, immigration, and ethnicity, showcasing voices that contradict homogenizing interpretations of traditional historical scholarship.

 

 

GIOVANNA'S 86 CIRCLES AND OTHER STORIES by Paola Corso

 

Now out in paperback with the University of Wisconsin Press

ISBN 0-299-21284-X $16.95

To order, call the Press distributor  toll free at 1 (800) 621-2736.

Discounted copies for bulk orders available.

 

In this mesmerizing fiction debut, Italian American women and girls spin their culture's lore to enliven a dying steel town.

 

Even a wrecking ball is no match for the legend of Giovanna's green thumb in the title story.

 

Quirkyand profound, Paola Corso's magical leaps reveal the poetry of these women'slives.

 

The book is a Best Short Stories of 2005 Selection in The Montserrat Reviewby Grace Cavalieri,

a John Gardner Fiction Book Award Finalist, and Sons of Italy National Book Club Selection.

 

Review excerpts include:

 

"Entrancing.powerful in the moment."- Publisher's Weekly

 

"Captivating storytelling in the tradition of Italian fairytale makers."--Daniela Gioseffi, Rain Taxi and Voices in Italian American,"

 

A major contribution to female Italian American literature. Corso mixes myth and reality, fable and grit to illustrate the beauty, power and necessity of storytelling."-Rita Ciresi, author of Remind Me Again Why I Married You and Blue Italian

 

".rewards second and third readings.the test of a good story. Brava!" -Fred Gardaphe, Fra Noi

 

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