Books in the Via Folios series

Fiction. In this modern-day Robin Hood tale, a teenager is chosen to be a part of the annual Christmas tradition of thievery and charity by the young mafioso of the local neighborhood. Thus begins the sorting out of friendships, the pursuit of American dreams, and the deep understanding of a father's sorrow and love.

Fiction. "With deadpan humor, THE POPE STORIES takes on Catholicism, family dynamics, personal paranoia, and the best and worst of our troubled times--a book filled with subtle insights and clever turns of phrase."--Brad Barkley, author of Money, Love and Alison's Automotive Repair Manual

Poetry. Italian American Studies. Maria Mazziotti Gillan's Ancestors' Song takes the reader on a journey, one in which she recognizes deep within herself "the voices of the women who came before," their words blending together, forming, as she tells the reader, "the beat I move to." This beat is very much a part of the narrative she weaves in her characteristically honest, intimate, and humorous voice. This beat is true, hard working, strong; a beat that began in the villages on the mountaintops in San Mauro, Italy, and continues to the present day, illuminating the path for those that will follow. These poems will move you to laughter, to tears, and a mixture of both, and are proof that Gillan is at the peak of her career. She is truly one of America's most beloved poets.

Literary Nonfiction. Italian American Studies. Women's Studies. "Since the 1960s Daniela Gioseffi has been an irrepressible and unforgettable voice in many of the key debates in American culture. Her...advocacy has given a special validity to her work in the fields of civil rights and of anti-war activism no less than in the struggles against mafia stereotypes and for an Italian American literary tradition. This book displays the depth and range of her commitment and contribution."--Robert Viscusi, Author: Astoria and Ellis Island, Founding President: The Italian American Writers Association

Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. On these pages, fans of Michael Parenti's insightful political and historical writings are given a revealing picture of his early years as a youth in New York's East Harlem, along with some of the influences that helped shape his lifelong commitment to activism and social justice. Written with style and dash, WAITING FOR YESTERDAY is devilishly enjoyable and sometimes very touching. It provides delightful vignettes about growing up in a three-generation, working-class, Italian family, along with the amusing predicaments of a street kid's life. The book offers a cast of diverse and colorful characters, brought to life on the gritty streets where Parenti played as a boy, set against a backdrop of impoverished tenements, stoops, punitive classrooms, and a neighborhood church with its ornate celestial offerings. This book is graced with both vivid imagery and sharp political observation. Parenti challenges many of the stereotypes faced by Italian Americans and other ethnic groups. Here is a story that is both personal and broad-ranging, often sweet and occasionally bitter, the human comedy at its best.

In a passionate and polemical manner, Aprile examines the effect that the unification of Italy has had on Southern Italy and analyzes what some of the ramifications are today. A bestseller in Italy, the book sold more than 200,000 copies in its first year of print.

Fiction. A collection of newspaper columns written over a four-year span, MOUSTACHE PETE IS DEAD is an insightfully keen look into the world of the Italian immigrant. Through Pete's words, we come to understand the difficulties many immigrants and their progeny have often had in order to negotiate the dominant culture's misunderstanding of the immigrant's culture of origin. MOUSTACHE PETE IS DEAD calls for the birth of a smooth partnership between these two different cultures.