A New York writer explores the disconnect that many Italian Americans, rootedin the rocky soil of Southern Italy, feel between images from Bensonhurst andMafia movies, on one hand, and Northern Italian style and verve on the other.224 pp.
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.