This book is little more than a doctoral thesis on the topic stated by its title. There is little in the way of narrative. The book is thin to begin with (70 pages or so) and much of it is filled with doctoral thesis jargon, examples of the questionaires used to poll a sampling of Louisianan Sicilian-Americans, and seemingly endless babbling about statistics which "prove" the authors point that people feel good about their Sicilian heritage when they hear or use Sicilian colloquial phrases. Ah, dah? Surprisingly, there a large number of charming photos of Sicilian-Americans from the Shrevesport & Bossier City Louisiana communities relating to various cultural facets of their lives. I'm sure there must be a really interesting story to tell about this topic, but you won't find it in this book. In fact you won't find even one Sicilian colloquial phrase in the book! I'd shelve the book for future reference, or for its pretty cover with the interest-provoking title. But I'm sending it back for a refund.

My apologies to the author for these harsh comments. There are probably some over-zealous marketing types at the bottom of this hoax who are responsible for publishing a Doctoral Thesis as a "good read".

If you are interested in the Sicilian-American experience in Louisiana, I'd recommend "Italian Immigrants in Louisiana's Sugar Parishes" by Jean Ann Scarpaci, Arno Press, 1980 or "Militants and Migrants: Rural Sicilians Become American Workers" by Donna GabacciaRutgers University Press 1988. Both are stiffly academic treatises of the subject, but at least have a story to tell. Both are currently in print, though a bit hard to find. END

By reading and examining Ms. Barattini's account of the impact of Italian culture on family, I have gained deeper understanding and broader admiration of our early immigrants. A great read and very informative.