Review: The price of being poor
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 26, 2013
I was provided a free copy for an honest review.I want to get the cons out of the way first. I know this is a little unusual, but then, so is this story.The author, Giovanna Pezullu is a native Italian, now residing in the US. Because of her heritage, she is still attempting to master the English language. Those of us who have lived here all our lives seem to have the same problem. So, there is a minor language barrier with tenses and some sentence structure.The ending was a bit too abrupt.The Pro’s and there are many. She covers a topic I’ve never heard of before or seen broached. She does an excellent job of explaining how children in Italy can be sold for their voice. In the case of males, the price is castration. Why? It is hoped the males will retain their soprano voices and fill the conservatories with brilliant students who will perform across the country and bring their schools great praise and honor. And to think, this action is sanctioned by the Catholic Church. I see something very wrong with the trade-off.Since the majority of the students chosen for this role come from the very poor and unfortunate, the church believes this is a good trade-off. For who? The church? The rich? The families who are paid a mere penance for their children’s souls?The story is not for the weak of stomach or mild constitution. This is a gritty work which holds nothing back. It is an excellent description of how the castrati are treated and ridiculed by their peers and instructors. Many will be inflamed with the treatment of the boys who’ve sacrificed all for the cause, only to be trodden down at every turn.I commend Giovanna for tackling such a difficult subject.Four stars.