Customer Reviews

The Italian 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential, Cultural, Scientific, and Political Figures,Past and Present

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This book is an interesting attempt to do something worthwhile, but the writing is very poor and there are too many factual errors. For example, just about every Italian word or phrase used is misspelled or somehow botched. The "ordering" of the Italian greats doesn't work at all--he just puts all the scientists first, then moves into other areas. A straight chronological approach would have been better. There are some real howlers--as when a portrait of the 19th-century opera composer Vincenzo Bellini is used to illustrate an essay on the Bellini family of Renaissance painters. The inclusion of people like Madonna also doesn't add to this book's appeal.

I was very interested to read Mr. Spignesi book THE ITALIAN 100, however after completing it, I was left wondering why he found it justified to include Madonna and others (with questionable qualifications) and not people like Il Commandatore Enzo Ferrari. Can one talk about sports cars without naming a Ferrari? Exactly. Others notable names excluded were Barreta (handguns), Gucci (200 year old Fashion House) and others more worthy than some of those listed. This leaves me puzzled as to what criteria was used to qualify as an Italian 100. Other than this it is a very interesting book showing the many contributions of Italians in the fields of Science,Inventions, Medicine,Exporers,Arts,Sports, Philosophy etc... in the world.

Mr. Spignesi has added a useful and highly readable addition to works about Italians throughout history. Whether one is of Italian heritage or not most of the biographires included in " The Italian 100" will make anyone more apprecaitive of the singular contributions Itlalians have made over the last 1000 years. Mr. Spignesi's book offers an implied challenge to any other ethnic group to prove they have made a greater contribution to our society, to the world we live in at the start of the 21st century.