Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Snapshot in Time, June 9, 2009
Having been born, raised and having lived my entire adult life in the Youngstown, Ohio vicinity, I was extremely curious about this book, Abramo's Gift. After reading it, however, I found that the author's depiction of the human spirit and its triumphs over adversity, could have been cast in any city in the United States. No matter what the locale, the characters would have shown just as brightly despite the trying times that existed in a city like Youngstown at the turn of the 20th century.
I was sincerely touched by the lives of Abramo,the main character,his enemies and those he loved as if I had known them personally. The author's depiction of what appeared to be their very real human condition left me feeling immersed in their story. The descriptions of the places and the people sprang from the page into my imagination with vivid imagery so much so that their detailed experiences continue to linger in my thoughts long after I put the book down. I heartily recommend this book as an easy and enjoyable read that will entertain the booklover as well as enlighten them on the tribulations of life for immigrants in America. My hat is off to the author. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel or another of his works.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The Past Should Be Learned From, Not Run From, December 27, 2008
If there is one thing that history has shone us it is that trying to run away from your past never works. No matter where we try to go or what we do, there will always be some remnant or memory that lingers from the time that we think we want to forget.
I was reminded of this when I recently finished the book Abramo's Gift by author Donald Greco. His book, though set in the early 1900s, rings of so many lessons that we can and should learn from today. Abramo Cardone is a man who has experienced the loss of his beloved wife and child and has set off on a journey from his homeland of Italy to the Americas, namely Ohio, to begin anew. Still struggling with grief and unsure of where his life is headed, Abramo is faced with new challenges in the land of promise that will again cause him to love and risk loss at the sake of what he knows to be the right course of action.
You see, Abramo comes face to face with the reality that no matter where you are, there will be individuals who are hurting, will experience hurt or are intent on causing hurt. Case in point is Molly, a young woman full of life and promise who is violated and left with the knowledge that because of no fault of her own she might not be able to have children. While discussing this fate with her father, Greco gives us a look at the painful reality for so many who have been abused and have to face the aftermath. "You are not damaged goods, Moll," her father says to her. "It won't matter, Daddy," Molly responds. "It'll matter to the good ones," her father assures." And some may want you only for children, but the very best will want you only because of you ... Only you. And that will be the beginning of God's restitution to you."
What a beautiful passage, and it is made even more real to Molly as she remembers that the man who was there for her after the assault, Abramo, just wanted to help with no thought of himself. Through the life of this woman and a series of events that would cause his own life to be in danger as well, an important lesson is learned by our main character: You don't want to forget the past, just learn to use it as you move forward to help others and heal yourself. Abramo also realizes that if you are so blinded by what you have lost, you might not see what is available in front of you.
Abramo's Gift is really the author's gift to the world when it comes to a guide that we can use when we feel as though no one has gone through what we have. It helps us to face the very things that might be holding us back and gives us the strength to use our own experiences to be a blessing to someone around us.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Book about Youngstown Immigrants, December 18, 2008
Abramo's Gift is a special book in many ways. It tells a touching story of recent Italian and Irish immigrants in the United States to Youngstown, Ohio, around the year 1918, and particularly the story of Abramo Cardone, who leaves behind not only his Italian homeland, but the horrors of losing his lovely wife and first born daughter to a bloody civil war. He joins his uncle in Youngstown and starts over working in a local steel mill. From there he really only begins his story...
Abramo's Gift is written in a very fluid and easy to read style. Although I found how the characters took to one another as a bit predictable (too many loves at first sight) the plot nevertheless was kept in tact. And there is a message from this book and it is a message of love and family: No matter where you come from or who you are you will receive love when you give love. Family is not always your blood kin but those you chose as well.
Don Greco I believe has written a book that should have a wide readership and should cut across the book reader demographics. I could just as easily imagined reading this at age sixteen as I have read it this year, as I am almost forty-two years old. Because of its message and the quality of its story and writing I would recommend this as a good gift for those people close to you, those who you love. Recommended!
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