Spirit, Wind and Water: The Untold Story of the Jacuzzi Family [Hardcover]

Remo Jacuzzi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2007

Remo Jacuzzi has spent fifteen years interviewing family members, friends and employees of the Jacuzzi Brothers in order to compile this definitive history. Although this immigrant family name has become a brand name, the Jacuzzis were prolific innovators in several industries; and their descendents operate wineries, olive groves, restaurants and even a successor company in the field of hydrotherapy - Jason International.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Welcome Rain Publishers (June 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566491452
• ISBN-13: 978-1566491457
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Amazing Jacuzzis, July 12, 2007

By 

Charles L. DeFanti Jr. "Professor Emeritus of... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spirit, Wind and Water: The Untold Story of the Jacuzzi Family (Hardcover)

Originating in Friuli, in the far Northeast of Italy (where the dialect contains a "J" -- hence the name), the huge Jacuzzi clan began immigrating to the United States shortly before World War I. One brother, a brilliant inventor named "Rachele," devised the "Toothpick," a super-efficient propeller, which revolutionized the airplane industry. He and his kin then went on launch a series of inventions -- including water pumps, crop-defrosters, and eventually the hydrotherapy devices which bear their name. The whirlpool bath, however, is only one of the countless innovations which changed the way Americans lead their lives. Remo Jacuzzi interviewed almost all of his relatives (including many now departed) and researched every aspect of his family history to compile this inspiring story, almost completely unknown until now, aided by over 175 photographs. The immense contributions of America's immigrants are again underscored in this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Tribute, October 20, 2008

By 

Norma Logan (Lafayette, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirit, Wind and Water: The Untold Story of the Jacuzzi Family (Hardcover)

The Italo-American story has been narrated countless times but seldom

as carefully or with as much charm as this one. Remo Jacuzzi writes about his remarkable family with refreshing candor and incredible attention to detail. He gives each one of these vital, resourceful men and women a strong and poignant voice of their own, as he recounts, with heartfelt affection and respect, their triumphs as well as their tragedies. He has woven the events of this industrious family's history into an intricate and colorful tapestry of the immigrant experience. It is a book well worth reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Amazing Jacuzzi Family, May 20, 2008

By 

Carol Booth (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spirit, Wind and Water: The Untold Story of the Jacuzzi Family (Hardcover)

As I read Spirit, Wind & Water, I felt as if I was sitting around the kitchen table with members of the Jacuzzi family, listening to them tell their stories without embellishment and analysis. And what a story! Starting with the grandparents' and parents' life in Italy, to the family's gradual immigration to California, this story covers the inventions and entrepreneurship of the Jacuzzi brothers and their families: the risks, the tragedies, the growth and international successes, the loves, the disappointments, the lifestyles, the family disagreements, and finally, the sale of their namesake company. Remo Jacuzzi concludes with his own family's story and the growth of his own hydrotherapy spa company, Jason (JAcuzziSON) International.

Mr. Jacuzzi has an interesting writing style. His engineering background is apparent by his ability to put over a century's worth of many, many people and events together coherently. By doing this, he achieves the goal of any engineer: he dissects how his family works. Yet he adds quick personal family insights that color in the details, suddenly creating a vivid scene. At one point, Mr. Jacuzzi describes his Ma's garden with a grocery list of flowers that were grown in it. But then he throws in "a statue of the Virgin Mary overlooked Ma's rose garden" and suddenly, I knew exactly what the garden looked like.

Mr. Jacuzzi honors his family in this book; it is obvious it is a family he loves with a history he respects.