Kirjahaku

A historical novel based on a true story about an amazing early twentieth-century woman. She stood out in a crowd of friends and relatives from Casteltermini, a small town in central Sicily. Her story sheds light on a little-known segment of a twentieth-century diaspora, a mass-exodus from Europe by some "huddled masses yearning to be free." This oppressed group fled the dire poverty of Sicily and southern Italy to endure a subsistence lifestyle bestowed by the owners of the coal mining industry and early American factories. She was surrounded by a clan of families. They were determined to achieve a better lifestyle through sheer hard work, struggling to overcome hardships and failures on the journey to success. They came with barely the clothes on their back. Eager for work, they spoke no English and were willing to do what the average, better-educated American refused to do.This amazing woman, Maria, was married to a lackluster, strong-tempered, tough, fearless, uneducated man who never worked a steady job his entire life. She endured a series of traumas---miscarriages and still births, each time berated by her husband for not delivering a healthy child.Starting at age twelve and until she died, her immediate family was her life. Maria passed her work ethic, her entrepreneurial skills, and her determination to get ahead to her children. Her legacy lives on in the succeeding generation of the clan who were better educated and became doctors, dentists, pharmacists, accountants, attorneys, and professors. Some became entrepreneurs like Maria, owning small and large businesses. There was one common denominator: they inherited the hard work ethic and generosity from their parents. The story begins in 1915.

A historical novel based on a true story about an amazing early twentieth-century woman. She stood out in a crowd of friends and relatives from Casteltermini, a small town in central Sicily. Her story sheds light on a little-known segment of a twentieth-century diaspora, a mass-exodus from Europe by some "huddled masses yearning to be free." This oppressed group fled the dire poverty of Sicily and southern Italy to endure a subsistence lifestyle bestowed by the owners of the coal mining industry and early American factories. She was surrounded by a clan of families. They were determined to achieve a better lifestyle through sheer hard work, struggling to overcome hardships and failures on the journey to success. They came with barely the clothes on their back. Eager for work, they spoke no English and were willing to do what the average, better-educated American refused to do.This amazing woman, Maria, was married to a lackluster, strong-tempered, tough, fearless, uneducated man who never worked a steady job his entire life. She endured a series of traumas---miscarriages and still births, each time berated by her husband for not delivering a healthy child.Starting at age twelve and until she died, her immediate family was her life. Maria passed her work ethic, her entrepreneurial skills, and her determination to get ahead to her children. Her legacy lives on in the succeeding generation of the clan who were better educated and became doctors, dentists, pharmacists, accountants, attorneys, and professors. Some became entrepreneurs like Maria, owning small and large businesses. There was one common denominator: they inherited the hard work ethic and generosity from their parents. The story begins in 1915.

The roaring '20s was the wildest decade of the 20th century It was a heady time, dominated by two significant events, Prohibition, and the soaring stock market. More alcohol was consumed during Prohibition than before the law was enacted. And loose money, only ten percent down, bought anything from stocks to autos, homes, and appliances. With the stock market open to everyone, fortunes were made and lost in days.Enter this era with Giancarlo Giambrone, a Sicilian emigre of a wealthy, centuries-old olive oil business, vowing to earn his own fortune. Join him as he becomes a stockbroker, foresees the 1929 market crash, and traverses the depression, becoming even wealthier. Enjoy his successes, romances, travels, and contributions to society, while surviving tragedy and standing up to FDR.Joe Reina BioMeet Joe Reina, entrepreneurial businessman turned author. Joe came up through the ranks in the apparel industry from salesman to manager, to store owner, business mogul, and real estate developer. An avid reader of history, he took the lessons from the past to navigate the economic ups and downs of the mid-twentieth century. His businesses entailed international travel and enabled him to explore a good part of the world. That exposure helped satisfy his lifelong desire to experience the pleasure of meeting people all over the world and then share his travels with his family and friends.Throughout his successes, Joe never forgot his roots of growing up on the "hill" of St. Louis and the fortitude of his spirited mother, an emigre from Sicily. He wrote the book, The Goat Sleeps in the Kitchen, to tell her remarkable story of becoming a successful businesswoman in the early twentieth century. His fascination with that era resulted in the birth of his fictional alter ego, Giancarlo Giambrone, one of the world's great entrepreneurs. Joe lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.