Page 3 - Italian American Herald - September 2021

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
BOOKS
Father and son co-author a beguiling immigrant saga
SEPTEMBER 2021 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 3
Vol. 8 No. 9 – September 2021
A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
A DIVISION OF TODAY MEDIA Editor & Publisher
Robert F. Martinelli
Art Director
Rosalinda Rocco
This issue’s contributors
Melissa Cannavo-Marino Frank Cipparone Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo Charlie Sacchetti Robert Damien Santagata Murray Schulman
Senior correspondent
Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo
Managing Editor
Al Kemp
Associate Publisher/Director of Advertising
Charles W. Tomlinson Jr.
Advertising Sales
Tanya Tecce
Audience Development Director
David Bergeman
Production Director
Donna Hill
Graphic Designers
Eric Bolis Chris Johnson Shelby Mills
Editor Emeritus
Joseph T. Cannavo
TODAY MEDIA, A MARTINELLI HOLDINGS LLC
President Robert F. Martinelli Secretary-Treasurer Richard Martinelli
In Memoriam
Chairman Angelo R. Martinelli (1927-2018) Vice President Ralph Martinelli (1962-2019
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or email ctomlinson@todaymediainc.com.
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For editorial, email ItalianAmericanHerald@todaymediainc.com. Published monthly by Today Media,3301 Lancaster Pike, Suite 5C, Wilmington, DE 19805 and distributed
at various locations throughout the Tri-State area.
By Al Kemp Managing editor
Amid the first rumbles of World War II and the stirrings of the fascist movement in Italy, the newly
married Antonio and Sophia board the giant ship Viaggiatore in Naples, and set sail for America and an uncertain future.
And so the stage is set for “Angelina,” a novel that tells the tale of two generations
of Italian families along with their hardships, joys, trials and triumphs.
The novel follows Antonio and Sophia as they settle in Swedesboro, New Jersey, and build a modest farm into a 300-acre enterprise.
They worked hard and did back-breaking work. But it was their soil, their produce and their dream they never gave up on. Within three seasons their farm had become one of the most profitable farms in the region. The soil seemed to be blessed by God himself.
Even as they prosper in America, the couple feel drawn back to their homeland, and the passage of Antonio’s father is the occasion that pulls them to Teramo, where their lovelorn son Lorenzo encounters the lovely, enthralling and mercurial Angelina. The fateful encounter changes their families forever and launches the farm girl from her insular life in Italy and into a new world.
Angelina rarely laughed out loud, never taking down the fierce exterior façade for a man before. But something was different about this American guy she now found herself with. For the first time in her life she couldn’t control her smile. It was as if she dropped her shield and couldn’t pick it back up to protect herself against his charm.
One facet of “Angelina” that will interest readers in this region is the appearance of local touchstones in the narrative, including New Jersey diners, Wawa convenience
LOCAL
John and Ben Resini of Wilmington co-authored "Angelina."
Contents
Achiever ......................................... 4 Exploring Paradise.......................... 6 It’s All Good .................................... 8 News From Italy.............................. 9 Reflections ...............................10-12 Per I Bambini .................................13 The Chef’s Perspective ............. 14,16 Pagina Italiana...............................15 Vini D’Italia ....................................16 Language ......................................18 Local .............................................19
stores, the Amish country of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Acme supermarkets. The prose largely steers clear of flowery, and each of the 31 chapters propels the plot forward.
Just as the saga chronicles two generations of Italian immigrant families, “Angelina”
was fittingly written by two generations: Wilmington’s father-and-son authors John Resini and Ben Resini.
The Resinis wrote “Angelina” over the course of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic raced across the globe. The collaboration was an eye-opening and enriching experience for both father and son.
“We started writing prior to COVID-19 but given we were on lockdown for months, it did help fuel the writing and help us finish,” Ben Resini said.
The result of their labors is a sweeping and easy-to-read saga that deftly chronicles the determination of Italian immigrants, a story that should stir the soul of any of today’s Italian Americans, teenage readers included.
John Resini was born in Wilmington, the grandson of Italian immigrants. He served as a lance corporal in the Marines, and is retired after 35 years as a union meat cutter.
His son Ben, also from Wilmington, is a professional photographer and writer who enjoys traveling to Italy.
The Resinis have two more books scheduled for an autumn release: John Resini’s second book, “Little Italian Prince,” and Ben Resini’s first novella, “The Lemon Wars of an Italian Seaside Town.” IAH
“Angelina” is available from angelinabook.com
Biblioteca library coming to Philadelphia
Italian-American Herald
The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia this fall will announce plans to open its Biblioteca lending library, offering more than 2,000 volumes of classical and contemporary fiction and nonfiction as well as books on Italian arts, music, culture, travel, politics and cooking.
The library in the AIS offices at 230
S. Broad St., Suite 1105, will be the first collection of its kind in Philadelphia. Biblioteca will feature volumes in both English and Italian, including children’s books.
For supporters who donate $1,000 or more, the library will dedicate a bookcase with a commemorative marker.
To donate or learn more, visit www.aisphila.org/biblioteca