The Amazing Story of the Tonelli Family in America: Twelve Thousand Miles in a Buick in Search of Identity, Ethnicity, Geography, Kinship and Home [Hardcover]

Bill Tonelli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

The arrival of an odd piece of junk mail sparks the author's cross-country trek in search of other people named Tonelli. What he finds makes for a funny, deeply felt book that explores ethnicity, geography, kinship, and home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by a mail-order directory of all U.S. residents with the surname Tonelli--could anyone doubt the solicitation letter's hook that the $27.95 book was "the only one of its kind in the entire world?"--the author, a senior editor at Esquire , set out on a cross-country trip to visit his possible kinfolk to discover the qualities of what he calls the "Tonelli Nation." That nation, we learn here, stretches far beyond the Little Italy of the author's native Philadelphia to locales like the Nebraska ranchlands and the Alaskan wilds. Its "thousand or so" citizens comprise a diversity of personalities: a rock musician, a nun, a psychic, a custodian at Disney World, a radio deejay, a convict. The narrative is filled with snippets of the mostly congenial conversations from the author's meetings, including one with the president of the directory firm that started him on his trek. He also reports on his mailed survey, which served as his introduction to the hundreds of households he visited. So what's a Tonelli? Simply an American, as the author shows in his delightful report of his offbeat social experiment. Photos. First serial to Esquire and the Los Angeles Times Magazine.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Tonelli, a senior editor for Esquire, has written a charming and witty volume about his search for the American diaspora. The author describes his 60-day trip around the United States in search of "identity, ethnicity, geography, kinship, and home." For Tonelli, this search was a cathartic exploration of who he really is; it also gave him a new understanding of the meaning of family values. Tonelli vividly describes the various people with the Tonelli name that he chose to visit during his "on-the-road" odyssey, highlighting their similar and divergent interests. These visits are both personal and touching. The Tonellis he meets have assimilated into the American society by interpreting their culture in different ways. An entertaining quest; recommended for general collections.
Vicki L. Toy Smith, Univ. of Nevada, Reno
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201624559
• ISBN-13: 978-0201624557
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,164,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just plain brilliant, April 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Amazing Story of the Tonelli Family in America: Twelve Thousand Miles in a Buick in Search of Identity, Ethnicity, Geography, Kinship and Home (Hardcover)

I discovered this only because my youngest cousin, who goes to Harvard, read it in a course and came home insisting that I read it too. I take a strong interest in my ancestry (I'm Italian American, the grandson of immigrants) and this book hit me right between the eyes. It is one man's search for the meaning of his ethnicity and all the goodness that comes with it, before it all slips away. Tonelli writes in a funny, quirky, totally absorbing style that's never dry or ponderous. But he's writing about some of the most deeply meaningful, even sometimes sad aspects of being part of a genuine community in a time when community in American seems (to me) to be on the wane. This is the kind of book that could (and should) have become a minor classic of literary nonfiction, and also a book that every ethnic American would want to read, but I gather it did not back in '94 when it came out. But if you can find a copy today, grab it fast and get ready for a thrill.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr.Bill TONELLI from Nereto?, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Amazing Story of the Tonelli Family in America: Twelve Thousand Miles in a Buick in Search of Identity, Ethnicity, Geography, Kinship and Home (Hardcover)

Spett.le Redazione, Questo Ente desidera entrare in contatto con lo scrittore Statunitense di origini italiane Bill TONELLI. Mr. Bill TONELLI h radattore di Esquire ed autore de "La sorprendente storia della Famiglia TONELLI in America ". Il volume citato dovrebbe essere stato pubblicato dalla Casa editrice americana"PERSEUS BOOKS ". La ricerca del contatto con lo scrittore h tesa ad uno scambio culturale da realizzare prossimamente. Lo scrittore Bill TONELLI ha antenati provenienti dall'Italia, piu' particolarmente dal nostro paese, Nereto. Qualsiasi informazione sullo scrittore Bill TONELLI h gradita alla e - mail: [e-mail] oppure al numero di telefono 0861 / 855779 ove h sempre disponibile il Dott. Lucio ADDARII che sta curando la pratica riguardante lo scrittore italoamericano. Con l'occasione, distinti saluti. Lucio ADDARII