Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Fiction. Severe poverty and unenforced labor laws led countless Sicilian families to put their children (some as young as six years old) to work in the sulfur mines, where they experienced horrific working conditions. These children were known as the carusi.
THE HUNGER SAINT is the tale of one such young Sicilian, who was forced to labor in Sicily's sulfur mines to support his family.
Synopsis
Fiction. THE HUNGER SAINT is a story of hope and survival set in post-WWII Italy. Hailed by Kirkus as a well- crafted and affecting literary tale, this historical novella follows the journey of Ntoni, a twelve-year-old boy forced to labor in Sicily's sulfur mines to support his family after his father's untimely death. Faced with life-threatening working conditions, Ntoni must choose between escaping the mines and abandoning his family. As a series of unforeseen events soon complicate his plans, Ntoni realizes that all is not what it seems and to trust anyone might prove to be as fatal as being trapped inside of a cave-in. The Hunger Saint draws from years of historical research and was informed by the oral histories of former miners still living in Sicily today.