Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America

Type

Book

Authors

Maria Laurino

ISBN 10

0393321959

ISBN 13

9780393321951

Tags

Essays, Criticism & Theory, Italian, Reference, Customs & Traditions, Emigration & Immigration, Ethnic Studies, Minority Studies, Cultural

Description

"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." - from Amzon

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