Book Specs
Binding
Trade Paper
Publisher
W. W. Norton & Company
Published on
Jun 17, 2001
Edition
st Edition
Dimensions
5.50x0.60x8.30 Inches
Weight
0.60 Pounds
About the Book
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."