Bøger af Joseph Romano

Having learned English by 1956, Sicilian Knight in New York City is an immigrant boy's coming of age memoir about his first five years in America--trying to fit in and adjust to life as a pre-teen and teen in New York during the late 1950s and early '60s. Different chapter, different story, different year. The book doesn't have to be read all at once. Each chapter can be read separately and stand alone as a short story. Each vignette is connected by humor, friendship and joy--with the music of the '50s and '60s as a backdrop. A couple of the stories also deal with kindness, loneliness and lost innocence. The last chapter, taking place in 1989, revisits 1958, two twelve-year old friends and their happy memories--which remind them of regrets, words left unsaid and their unhealed emotional wounds. Joseph Romano became a proud American citizen on December 29, 1960. Enlisting in the United States Army eleven days after graduating from the City College of New York, he was permanently retired in 1976 due to service-connected disabilities. He enjoys reading, gardening, oil painting and writing. His second book, Sicilian Knight in New York City, is a continuation of Sicilian Knight-memories of his first six years in America. Mr. Romano has a Masters in History from NYU and enjoys traveling and playing blackjack in Las Vegas. He's been married since 1976 to Erlinda, and they have one daughter-Caterina-who lives in Manhattan. He loves New York City-it has his heart and will always be his home-but the great weather in San Diego has been holding him captive since 1983.

The blind old man tapped the boy’s shoulders with a long loaf of bread: “Angelino, you’re now a Sicilian knight. When you get on that ship and go to America, you have to stand up to bullies, show them you’re not afraid, never cry and defend all girls.” When Giuseppe Angelo stepped off the Queen Frederika and on American soil for the first time, on that day after Labor Day in 1955, the old man’s words were still echoing in his ears. He spent the first two weeks at P.S.112 getting beat up by bullies and trying to save girls from hair pullings and foot trips by the “bad” boys. But he didn’t show fear and he never cried. The old man would’ve been proud.Through an exciting personal autobiography, Sicilian Knight tells the story of a Sicilian immigrant boy struggling to adapt to life in the United States. On his road to assimilation. the 9 year old overcomes homesickness, making new friends, and fighting bullies. Giuseppe used 1950s TV cultural icons (Superman, Hopalong Cassidy, Davy Crockett, the Cisco Kid), fads, hobbies (baseball cards and comic books) and the Boys Club (sports, games) to learn English as quickly as possible. Knowing that he would be put in first grade with his 6 year old sister if he didn’t learn his new language was also a huge incentive.Sicilian Knight is a slice of time, a sweet little vignette, that takes place in 1955. The timeless school age struggles engage grandparents, grandkids and everyone in between who appreciate success stories about focusing on a goal, showing courage, and never giving up until that goal is achieved. But most of all, Sicilian Knight is a happy, coming-of-age tale that inspires readers to find strength to face new adventures without forgetting the importance of where they came from.