Salvatore and Maria: Finding Paradise [Paperback]

Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Young Salvatore Ciccone leaves Pacentro, Italy in 1902 to come to work in the mines of Colorado where he meets and marries Maria Grosso. When things go horribly wrong with the Starkville mines, they move to Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, where he works in the steel mills. Together they raise five children and create community despite hardship, making their own private paradise. It's a family saga and an American story of immigration and assimilation where individuality and character are not lost...

Through fine writing and a remarkable level of research, Paul L. Gentile's book is a compelling read, a powerful reminder of our shared history as American immigrants. SALVATORE AND MARIA: FINDING PARADISE is so dense with small, powerful moments you will be impelled to seek out stories from your own forebears. Gentile has created a work that richly honors those who came before. —Karen Kotrba