... from back in 2005.
As the screenplay makes its way to the marketplace, we are gathering response to the original novel published in 2004. Here is what the Coccia Institute of Montclair State expressed after Joe Cervasio presented his epic family novel to them in April of 2005.
Bad News
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“Growing Up Italian in New Jersey ”Remarks by Gina Miele |
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© 2004 by Joseph Rocco Cervasio)
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On April 23, 2005, The Joseph & Elda Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America was proud to launch the First Annual New Jersey State-Wide Student Symposium, “Le Radici e Le Ali: Roots and Wings,” at Montclair State University. High school and college students and educators united to be educated and entertained by prominent Italian American authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, politicians, and academics. Sponsored in part by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), the symposium provided participants with the two fundamental elements of roots (which offer connection to others) and wings (which allow for new possibilities). Roots provide anchorage, connect us to our past, and ground us in our present. Exploring these roots gives us wings so that we can make contributions to our larger communities, follow new opportunities, and ultimately transform our dreams into achievable goals. Perhaps the most inspiring presentation of the day, “Growing Up Italian in New Jersey : Evoking Italy Through the Written Word,” was presented by Mr. Joseph Cervasio, Italian American author of the captivating novel Bad News on the Doorstep. Students and teachers alike were mesmerized by Mr. Cervasio’s thought-provoking stories about the Italian American table as the epicenter for spiritual and emotional nourishment, the values that bolstered Italian immigrants and their families for decades, and the life lessons that an Italian kid from New Jersey cherished well through adulthood. With the publication of Bad News on the Doorstep, Mr. Cervasio’s lessons now claim their rightful place as an integral part of our collective storybook, the Italian American tome of tales, which will nourish the next generation of Italians in America . Italian American culture continually changes, encompassing over time the life experiences of diverse individuals. Through the chorus of voices, we begin to discover what it means to be Italian-American. And it is different for each of us. While it may be counter-productive to speak in universal terms about being Italian-American, we all carry within us the voices of many. Powerful voices which often resonate with our personal experience, they speak to us in various ways. Reading Bad News on the Doorstep certainly will allow New Jersey ’s young Italian Americans to decode the voices, understanding on an ever deeper level their rich cultural heritage. On April 23, 2005 , Joseph Cervasio left us with a clear understanding of why we too must relay our own familial stories: they are part of the narrative quilt woven through the ages by Italians and Italian Americans. Voices, words, stories … they are the vehicles of our sopravvivenza, for when we acknowledge our past through tales, we simultaneously script the narrative of our own lives. Gina M. Miele, Ph.D. Executive Director Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America Montclair State University
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