Blood of My Blood (Picas Series No.7) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "During the first sixteen years of my life I lived in Red Hook, Brooklyn..." (more)
Key Phrases: chauvinistic ethnocentrism, buona femmina, ordine della famiglia, New York, United States, Southern Italy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Its data is presented with scholarly precision; yet the author's style, which he peppers with autobiographical tidbits, makes it immensely readable" -- The New York Times

"This is a disciplined, poignant, superb book. Gambino does for Italian Americans what Luigi Barzini has done for the Italians." -- Michael Novak

Product Description

Since its first publication in 1974, Blood of my blood has become the most highly esteemed book on Italian Americans. It is also rare that it is both a bestseller and a college text.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Guernica Editions Inc.; 2 edition (April 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550711016
• ISBN-13: 978-1550711011
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #582,622 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gambino's book rings true, even after 25 years, June 25, 2000

By	"janicep443" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I first read Richard Gambino's "Blood of My Blood" in the late 1970's. Reading this book became a voyage of discovery. The book retains its strength and mission over twenty-five years later. Being Italian-American in 21st century America is still perplexing. Gambino gives many clues and insight into the Italian-American experience.

As part of one of the largest ethnic minorities in the USA it is unsettling to have so little information about who we are. Gambino's blending of historical facts with personal stories paints a vivid picture of the Italian-American experience.

Mainstream America revels in the ethnocentricity of many ethnic groups, while Italians are still discouraged for being Italian-like. The Italian-American experience, even today, is only a footnote clouded with the mass media's laughable or fearsome images.

Though originally publishes in 1974 this books still is a beacon for those struggling to understand what it is to be Italian-American.

This is a must read for anyone interested in he Italian American experience.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone of Italian descent, compelling..., November 24, 1998

By	[e-mail] "rannina" (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood of My Blood (Hardcover)

Dr. Gambino has presented a sociological analysis woven into a personal autobiographical interpretation of what it is like growing up and being Italian-American. One must accept the hyphen if he or she who is Italian-American wants to accept themselves. The evidence and research is as compelling for me as it was 15 years ago when I first read this book. It is on the the most influencial books on ethnicity in America. Unfortunately, most readers will find books about organized crime as true facts of the 27 million plus Italian-Americans in the USA. This, of course, is the reality of the mass media. Nonetheless, if one wants to understand his or her identity as an American of Italian desent or if you want to become closer to this ethnic mosaic we call the USA, please read this book. It will not only educate but entertain you and make you more understanding of Italian-Americans.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An accurate look into the Italian-American experience., September 20, 2000

By A Customer

Both my parents are from a small town in Calabria. I distinctively remember growing up with the feeling that I was not 100% American or Italian. In the home, I had a traditional southern Italian upbringing that did not exist in the homes of my friends, most of whom had Italian backgrounds. Richard Gambino's mention of this condition was the first time I have ever read about it it any text. Needless to say, I identified with the many accounts of the Italian-American experience explained by Mr. Gambino.

I would recommend this book to people of any background, Italian or not. The struggles of the southern Italians, both in their own country and in their new one, is a story that many will find intriguing and inspiring.