{"product_id":"it-takes-a-lifetime-to-learn-how-to-live-an-italian-american-story-of-coming-home-9781599542393","title":"It Takes a Lifetime to Learn How to Live: An Italian American story of coming home","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt Takes a Lifetime to Learn How to Live\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is an intimate, multigenerational Italian American memoir immersed in the legacies of secrets, silence, and sacrifice of Southern Italy. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1915, Carmela leaves the remote village of Rotondella. Her daughter, Laura, grows up determined to sever the past in an effort to be fully American. But decades later, when her life collapses, Laura's daughter-the memoir's narrator-sets off alone to Italy in search of truth and belonging. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer journey leads her back to her ancestral village, where she finds the open arms of family-and also uncovers the lingering shadows of the malocchio, omertà, rigid Catholicism, and a past of abject poverty, arranged marriage, patriarchal control, the Mafia, and a suspicion of sexual abuse. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe begins to understand how these forces shaped not only her grandmother's life, but also her mother's-and her own. By honoring the courage of the women who came before her, to risk and endure, she finds the grace to forgive, to heal, to make peace with her mother, and ultimately, to come home to herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCataldi, Libby:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Libby Cataldi is an author and former educator who has written about her family's journey through addiction and the legacy of her Italian heritage. She holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Pittsburgh, co-directed the Maryland Writing Project at Towson University, and was Head of the Calverton School for seventeen years. The author of Stay Close (St. Martin's Press), which was published by Rizzoli as Stammi Vicino, she has shared her story widely in the U.S. and Italy, including appearances on NPR, FOX, ABC, RAI Uno, and at the United Nations.Libby divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland, and Florence, Italy. In Florence, she rowed with the Florence Dragon Boat team for breast cancer survivors, served on the board of the International School of Florence, and is a member of AILO, an organization that supports charitable causes through volunteerism and fundraising. She is also a founding member of the Florence Literary Society.She is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants and the mother of two sons, whose lives inspired her writing. Learn more at libbycataldi.com.","brand":"Bordighera Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51690681205010,"sku":"9781599542393","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_598c0553-92b7-41d9-9748-4b30c6b6758a.jpg?v=1761743333","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/it-takes-a-lifetime-to-learn-how-to-live-an-italian-american-story-of-coming-home-9781599542393","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}