Skip to content

Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America Hardcover - 2000

by Maria Laurino


From the publisher

"Were you always an Italian?" was the question with which then-Governor Mario Cuomo greeted journalist Maria Laurino. The question struck home. Laurino was exploring the governor's ethnic roots, yet only a few years earlier she had contemplated chopping the vowels off the end of her name.

Mixing memoir, social and cultural history, and reporting, Laurino sifts through the stereotypes bedeviling Italian-Americans. With a sympathetic but clear eye, she writes about guidos, bimbettes, and mammoni (mama's boys in Italy). She examines the clashing aesthetics of Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace, and unravels the etymology of southern Italian dialect words like gavone or bubidabetz. And, careful to avoid the perils of nostalgia, she explores the pungent influence on her life of ancestral Italian attitudes towards family, work, and faith.

Warmly personal and cleverly objective, Laurino's work is surprising on every page. It is both a celebration of a group often overlooked in literature and a long-overdue critique of romanticized ideas of "ethnicity" -- a book that should appeal to the children and grandchildren of every immigrant to America.

Details

  • Title Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America
  • Author Maria Laurino
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition 1st/1st
  • Pages 219
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Warner Books (NY), New York
  • Date 2000-07
  • ISBN 9780393049305 / 0393049302
  • Weight 0.95 lbs (0.43 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.6 x 5.79 x 0.96 in (21.84 x 14.71 x 2.44 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Italian Americans, Italian American women
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 00026028
  • Dewey Decimal Code B
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America

by Laurino, Maria

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Annandale, New Jersey, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.99
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. Fast shipping and order satisfaction guaranteed. A portion of your purchase benefits charities, First Aid and Fire Stations!
Item Price
$2.99
$3.99 shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America

by Laurino, Maria

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Kingwood, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
W W Norton & Co Inc, 2000-07-01. hardcover. Good. 5x0x8.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America

by Maria Laurino

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.79
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
W W Norton & Co Inc, 2000-07. Hardcover. Used: Good.
Item Price
$6.79
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

by Laurino, Maria

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

by Laurino, Maria

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

by Laurino, Maria

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

by Laurino, Maria

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$6.88
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

by Maria Laurino

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Like New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.97
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W., 2000. Hardcover. Like New. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.97
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

by Maria Laurino

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.97
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W., 2000. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.97
FREE shipping to USA
Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

Were You Always an Italian? : Ancestors and Other Icons of Life in Italian America

by Maria Laurino

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780393049305 / 0393049302
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.97
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W., 2000. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.97
FREE shipping to USA