| Description of Presentation |
The Sacrifices of Our Mothers:
(From a recent presentation at the Italian- American Museum)
Upcoming Events; AARP Presentation: December 6, Book signing: December 8, La Bella Market
About the presentation:
Marianna will take her audience on a multimedia presentation from the post-Risorgimento days of Sicily to 20th century New York City. Her poignant story is the reflection of the lives of Italian and other immigrant groups, the legacy of discrimination and stereotyping that weighed heavily on all new Americans, and the triumphs and successes accomplished through perseverance, hard work, and sacrifices.
About the book:
Two books in one!
In this complete, expanded and illustrated edition of Given Away: A Sicilian Upbringing, Marianna Randazzo reintroduces readers to Tina, a four-year-old child in Sicily, 1935 and her sister Lena. Tina reluctantly walks away from her loving family, with a great-aunt for a vacation and spends the next eight years of her life absent from their lives. It was neither abduction nor an adoption. Tina lives in a one-room house in one of the poorest regions of Sicily. She sleeps between a loving aunt and a deranged uncle. She shares her breakfast with goats and chickens while living in the shadows of cruelty. Both sisters quickly learn that in wartime Europe, childhood does not exist.
The book follows Tina and Lena from a scarred youth into their mature lives. Their relationship evolves through powerful decisions made about love, their professional successes and failures and the different circumstances of their lives.
Given Away, The Rest of the Story is the sort of prequel/sequel that takes the reader back to the unforgettable landscape of Sicily and explores the amazing,
About Marianna Randazzo
Marianna is a retired NYC school teacher and Literacy Staff Developer. Since her retirement she has published five books, she is the former director of education and the current media specialist at The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Staten Island.
She sits on the boards of Order Sons of Italy Fr. Capodanno Lodge#2`2 and The Enrico Caruso Museum of America. Marianna is a freelance writer for various magazines and the Staten Island Chamber and teaches writing courses. She enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and three grandchildren.
Book trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF7k9rszcRA&t=10s |