The Anarchist Bastard: Growing Up Italian in America (SUNY Series in Italian/American Culture)
"The Anarchist Bastardis eye-opening¯vibrant, original, and deep in what it has to say about ancient tradition and its life in America. It did what the best writing does¯it made me see the world differently. A beautiful book." --Joan Silber, author ofIdeas of Heaven: A Ring of Stories"The Anarchist Bastardis a book for anyone interested in family, words, Italy, or the weight of the past in its present incarnations. This is a rich stew, full of delicious chunks of Italian American life, with spices of the Old Country in the rich broth of modern American life. Joanna Clapps Herman digs into her ethnic past, putting flesh and bones on any number of remarkable ghosts. A beautiful and entertaining memoir that deserves a wide audience. Her writing is pungent, fluid, and appealing--a fabulous book." --Jay Parini, author ofThe Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Final Year"InThe Anarchist Bastard, Joanna Clapps Herman stares fervently and lovingly into her Italian American heritage, surveying the effects of the brutal poverty of southern Italy brought to America. A clever alchemist and gifted storyteller, she mixes humor and sadness, anger and tenderness, extracting wisdom from every ounce of pain. Along the way, the reader inhales the rich aroma of simmering espresso, savors the sweetpasticceria, follows the needle that threads their lives--and discovers a piece of herself in the Clapps family journey." --Maria Laurino, author ofOld World Daughter, New World Mother: An Education in Love and Freedom"In this domestic epic by Joanna Clapps Herman, unforgettable figures encounter one another on the familial battlefield of love and rage. In the fantastically depicted Waterbury, Connecticut, ancient rituals survive and thrive, exquisite and excruciating. Ferociously devoted to the world and characters of her origin, Herman depicts them with ruthless though always empathetic precision. Her voice, tender and haunting, draws us into a narrative dimension between Italy and America, between myth and history, and we cannot help but marvel at its beauty, lyricism, abundance, and relentlessness. A precious chest of stories,The Anarchist Bastardwill be counted among the most important Italian American memoirs." --Edvige Giunta, author ofWriting with an Accent: Contemporary Italian American Women Authors"In this deeply personal and elegant collection of essays, Joanna Clapps Herman brings to life her memorable Italian American family without shying away from the often painful truths that come with honest examination. At the same time she deftly illuminates the universal challenge of the modern American woman who yearns to understand yet transcend her immigrant family heritage, thus brilliantly filling a gap in the canon of contemporary immigrant literature."  --Amanda Lydon, Manager and Curator, Tenement Talks