Sunday,
June 03, 2007
"The
The
ANNOTICO Report
While
those who say Italians don
My
comment has always been, if you give Italians a book that is
"uplifting" they will buy. If it
A
FEAST OF ITALIAN HISTORY:
By Dana Barbuto
The Patriot Ledger SouthBoston,MA
Sunday.June 3, 2007
After hearing
I like their zest for life, food and family ties, said
Lawson of Bridgewater, whos Irish.
Lawson and about 30 others went to a recent book talk and signing at Di
Neros restaurant in Cohasset, where they were served a lively dose of
Italian history with their chicken parmesan.
Released on May 11, the book is at No. 8 on the Patriot Ledgers local
best-sellers list. Calling it very exciting, Puleo,
52, said theres some real pent-up demand and momentum for
this book, which is great to see. ...
Those in the audience at Di Neros said they are drawn to the book because
it feels familiar.
Cathy Coccimiglio of
I feel like my family is right here, she said clutching the
book.
Donna and Joe Zaccheo of
Im always being asked, Are we related? Puleo
said, laughing.
Thats because in a shared-history-overcome-adversity sort of way, all
Italians are related, Puleo said.
And thats what Puleo captures in his book - the spirit of proud,
hard-working people who rallied around each other to make a better life.
Its not a story of victimhood or
failure. They didnt succumb, they
overcame,
Puleo said.
Puleo was born in
As you flip the pages of The Boston Italians, you can practically
smell the sauce simmering on the stove. Its not a dull history lesson but
a narrative underdog tale of what Puleo calls the real
story of those early southern Italian immigrants.
Its a true American success story and at its root and core it is
the epitome of the American dream, he said.
Once the most hated immigrant group, southern Italians - many of them
unskilled, illiterate and with pennies in their pockets - arrived during the
great immigration wave between 1880 and 1 920. Puleos own grandparents
were part of this migration. One grandfather ended up a cobbler; the other
pedaled fruit from a pushcart.
They came to
Italian immigrants went from peasant villages to crowded, cramped tenements
in the North End, where each street represented a different region of
It was a big deal if you wanted to move from
Italians were comfortably isolated in their 800,000-square-foot enclave in the
city, shielded by the expressway.
The North End became the center of Italian cultural life with its
feasts and social clubs. It was a big deal to move away, Puleo said.
The Puleo family created a stir when they decided to head to
Wheres
Aiming to move beyond stereotypes, Puleo cites the 1972 release of
The Godfather as an important moment in Italian history.
Though the movie is one of his favorites, it forever stamped popular culture
with the image of the Italian-American as a gangster.
Thats only part of the story. Its
fact and we cant deny it. ... The problem becomes when that is the
predominant image of Italian-Americans.
Puleo remembers a friend asking him what he was working on.
I responded, A book about
Italians. Oh, so its about the mob? my
friend said.
Another time, Puleo was in a business strategy meeting - he does corporate
communications and marketing - discussing a competitor.
The vice president says to everyone, Maybe we can get one of
Puleos relatives to take out a contract on him. Puleo said.
Afterward I told him not to make those references.
Puleo said he looks forward to sharing the stories of what he calls the
most successful immigrant group at upcoming book events.
Were the children of hundreds of thousands of Italians whose
genius has shaped the Western world, Puleo said, But
were also the children of the Anthony Puleos who
overcame so much adversity.
Dana Barbuto may be reached at dbarbuto@ledger.com
.
http://www.patriotledger.com/articles/2007/05/30/life/life01.txt
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