Customer Reviews

Dances with Luigi: A Grandson's Determined Quest to Comprehend Italy and the Italians

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Dances with Luigi" is a super read. It sings. It transported me to Rome--into the coffee bar in a side street, to a jazz club after hours, along the ancient stones of the Appian Way. It took me up into the Abruzzii mountains whose medieval villages hid ageless secrets. And most of all, it told me a heart warming story of an American's discovery of his family's past.

If you are a second, third, or even fourth generation Southern Italian get your hands on this book. Mr. Paolcelli has done what I have wanted to do for the better part of my life, find out what made someone the way is and why he feels about family the way he does. For me Dances with Luigi grabbed my heart and soul and pulled tears from my eyes. Admittedly I have only read the first 100 pages but pages 78-86 were worth the price of a three hour course in Italian history. Again I only got the book 24 hours ago. If you enjoyed Talese's, Unto the Sons then you will for sure get a big time buzz from this work. I wish I could get in touch with the author and extend my heart felt thanks for writing this book. apierull@accd.edu

I've been doing the same type of work to trace my mother's family, and was encouraged and delighted by Mr. Paolicelli's story--it's amazing how many similarities there are in our experiences.

But I was disappointed in the end of the adventure, and the drama of the narrative: the book draws you into the relationship the author has with Luigi (it's all in the title!), and he's forgotten in the end. What was it like to leave Italy? Is he still in touch with Luigi, Sebash, etc.?

Also, I was surprised at several editorial inconsistencies and incidents of sloppiness in the book. For example, at one point the narrator translates roman numerals for us, but the numerals do not add up to "1801" as way he reveals. Several sentences were unclear and confusing, and a better editor wouldn't have let this happen.

Even for someone who usually does not like non-fiction, this book is a treasure. Mr. Paolicelli combines the flavor of both Rome and Southern Italy with the elements of a mystery, finding one's roots. For anyone who has shared the experience of growing up Italian-American or anyone who is in the process of growing up as an Italian-American now, this book will provide a wonderful link to your background. For those of any nationality it is a charming, warm look at the quest for links to one's heritage. I plan on giving a copy of this book to both my sons and my sister so they can share with me the knowledge this book gave me and the pride it reawakened

The themes and emotions of this book are instantly recognizable to the many Italian Americans involved in exactly this kind of search. It is wonderful to read first-hand about a man who follows his heart and spends 3 years in Italy looking for his family's stories and records. The secrets he uncovers, the cousins he meets, the frustrations of missing information, and long search for his grandfather's birth certificate are stories that resonate. And the fact that it takes 3 years but he finally finds the missing birth certificate is encouraging to those of us who are still searching. The big BUT is in the writing and editing. How many times can a writer use the word "obviously?" If it's so obvious, spare us the tired adverb. How many times can he wonder, with tears in his eyes? A simpler telling with fewer gushing epiphanies would be more effective. And did Paolicelli truly find the birth record on his last weekend in Italy? Guided by divine or extrasensory intervention? The ending does seem contrived. Yet the book is indeed a pleasure, one to send to friends and relatives, in spite of its flaws.

This is a great read! Mr. Paolicelli is a true "journalist" in every sense of the word: this is a very personal journal of the author's search for his family roots and the surprises it reveals, interwoven with incredibly sensitive observations of everyday life in modern Italy. A "Joy Luck Club" from the Italian-American perspective, reading this book makes you realize what all of our families have gone through in coming to America.

I am an Italophile with southern italian roots. This book grabbed me by the throat. I couldn't put it down. He trudged through the northern Italian stereotypes of southerners, but then colorfully decribed wonderful, vital people, as he finds friends, countrymen, and then, finally family in the Southern Italian towns that his ancestors left so many years before. His story describes a combination of hard work, diligence and good fortune. A great read for anyone trying to find their roots, or who is interested in things Italian.

Paul Paolicelli heads for Italy to find his roots, but along the way leads us on a great tour that sweeps in such disparate themes as Roman history, American jazz, the Catholic faith, and flavors of great food.

He tells it all in wonderfully detailed antecdotes and conversations, often involving his Italian foil, Luigi. (And he manages to smoothly translate every Italian word, so he never leaves language-impaired Americans behind.)

Ultimately, what makes "Dances" so musical is Paolicelli's obvious passion for life that gathers us up and carries us from start to finish.

If you long to know your Italian roots especially if your family is from "the mezzogiorno" or if you are not even Italian-American, this book is wonderful. It celebrates the human need to know were we came from. It's a loving journey that I made myself and it brought back the joy of finding my ancestry. Mr.Paolicelli writes as if we were in the car with him as he went from town to town. I could taste the pasta, well almost. Read it, you will love it and then go call an aunt or uncle you have been meaning too.

"Dances" took me on a rich and colorful journey through Italy revealing the author's intimate, personal emotions about his family and heritage. The author's vivid descriptions of the landscape and his relatives made me feel as if I had accompanied him on this soul-searching trip. For anyone who's ever been curious about their background, ethnicity and cultural heritage, this is a must-read and will inspire you to learn more about your own family lineage.