Maria Laurino sifts through the stereotypes bedeviling Italian Americans to deliver a penetrating and hilarious examination of third-generation ethnic identity. With intelligence and honesty (Arizona Republic), she writes about guidos, bimbettes, and mammoni (mama's boys in Italy); examines the clashing aesthetics of Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace; and unravels the etymology of southern Italian dialect words like gavone and bubidabetz. According to Frances Mayes, she navigates the conflicting forces of ethnicity with humor and wisdom. Finally, someone has had the intelligence and the honesty to go beyond the stereotypes ....completely original and informative.-David Chase, creator/executive producer, The Sopranos A] delightfully companionable book ....a fine contribution to the literature of American ethnicity.-Phillip Lopate, author of Portrait of My Body Maria Laurino is a lovely writer, full of wit and grace, and often sharply funny.-Jay Parini, author of Benjamin's Crossing Adroitly, without defensiveness, Laurino takes us on a journey of exploration of the Italian-American experience, with intelligence and love.-Helen Barolini, author of Chiaroscuro: Essays of Identity

A New York writer explores the disconnect that many Italian Americans, rootedin the rocky soil of Southern Italy, feel between images from Bensonhurst andMafia movies, on one hand, and Northern Italian style and verve on the other.224 pp.