A Review by     Fred Gardaphe, Ph.D.
    Professor of Italian-American Studies
    SUNY at Stony Brook

A Son records his Mother's tragedies and triumphs

Wanting others to know the power of his mother's life, Mario Macaluso, Ph.D. has translated stories of her life from Sicilian into English and published them in "My Mother: Memoir of a Sicilian Woman." At 93 years old, Giuseppina Liarda Macaluso, is a vibrant and exciting storyteller. She speaks to her son, and gives the good and the bad. It's like eavesdropping on a conversation, a great way of rendering a personal touch, as though she is speaking only to the reader. "I have gone through many unpleasant experiences during my lifetime! And yet, I am still living. I am still here. Yesterday I did the wash. I am tired." From the Spanish Influenza, through two world wars, Giuseppina recalls a life with frightening honesty rarely found in family histories. - "The day after my wedding, my honeymoon of misery and troubles began..." She dispels the myth of the perfect family, and strengthens our belief that strong is the family that confronts its weaknesses. Starving while carrying her children because of her mother-in-law's jealousy, giving birth by candlelight in a house with a leaky roof, Giuseppina suffers in silence and holds no grudges; her memory is her vendetta. Her retaliation comes through what she sees as God's way of taking care of injustices. In a fresh and simple prose, Mario Macaluso, Ph.D. has rendered a fine family history that transcends the confines of one family to speak to us all.

The price: Softcover is $22.00(includes postage and handling)