Brooklyn Birth: Sicilian Soul consists of the poet's award winning and published poetry. It follows his life from a child in Brooklyn to teaching days, marriage, fatherhood, and grand parenting. The poetry presents a verbal canvas of his days spent on commercial boats, to late night stickball games on steamy streets, savory spaghetti Sundays surrounded by foods and family. The book details the discovery of his one romantic love, breathtaking exciting births of children and grandchildren, tells of lessons learned, countless students taught, and honors Vietnam heroes. It captures the wondrous journey of a humble writer. Keywords: Poetry, Italian, Brooklyn, Memoir, Family, Travelogue, Vietnam, Teacher, Sicilian, Florida

Made in Sicily is a touching story about life growing up in a Sicilian-American family in Brooklyn during the 40s and 50's. It describes Nicoles parents before her birth, her extraordinarily happy childhood, and follows the rhythm of her life as she comes of age, meets and marries the man of her dreams, the grief when he becomes ill, the anguish and sorrow after his unfortunate death, and the pain of transition and strength of mind after his passing.

In recent years horror and gothic themes have penetrated mainstream popular culture in a manner unseen since the horror boom of the 1970s. Primetime television viewers who before might not have shown interest in such late-night fare now happily settle down after dinner to watch zombie or serial killer shows. This collection of 54 biographical essays examines many overlooked and underrated figures who have played a role in the ever expanding world of horror and gothic entertainment. The contributors push the boundaries of how we define these terms, bringing into the discussion such diverse figures as singer-songwriter Tom Waits, occultist Dion Fortune, author Charles Beaumont, historian and bishop Gregory of Tours and video game designer Shinji Mikami.

The first book to explore the idea and effect of moral injury on veterans, their families, and their communities Although veterans make up only 7 percent of the U.S. population, they account for an alarming 20 percent of all suicides. And though treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder has undoubtedly alleviated suffering and allowed many service members returning from combat to transition to civilian life, the suicide rate for veterans under thirty has been increasing. Research by Veterans Administration health professionals and veterans’ own experiences now suggest an ancient but unaddressed wound of war may be a factor: moral injury. This deep-seated sense of transgression includes feelings of shame, grief, meaninglessness, and remorse from having violated core moral beliefs. Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini, who both grew up in families deeply affected by war, have been working closely with vets on what moral injury looks like, how vets cope with it, and what can be done to heal the damage inflicted on soldiers’ consciences. In Soul Repair, the authors tell the stories of four veterans of wars from Vietnam to our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan—Camillo “Mac” Bica, Herman Keizer Jr., Pamela Lightsey, and Camilo Mejía—who reveal their experiences of moral injury from war and how they have learned to live with it. Brock and Lettini also explore its effect on families and communities, and the community processes that have gradually helped soldiers with their moral injuries. Soul Repair will help veterans, their families, members of their communities, and clergy understand the impact of war on the consciences of healthy people, support the recovery of moral conscience in society, and restore veterans to civilian life. When a society sends people off to war, it must accept responsibility for returning them home to peace.

Galaxis is a work of hard science fiction in dramatic form. This work is overflowing with science, technology, cosmic adventures, Christian-Catholic spirituality, life, love, and the mercy of God.

You're no idiot, of course. You know there's more to Italy's rich tapestry than spaghetti and the Sicilian Mafia, but you also know you have a lot to learn about the country that brought you the paintings of Michelangelo, the poetry of Dante, and the Ferrari of your dreams. Get ready to indulge! 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture' will satisfy your thirst for all things Italian with its in-depth information about Italian art and literature, wine and cooking, and famous Italians and Italian Americans. In this 'Complete Idiot's Guide', you get: -Secrets of Italian cooking sure to whet your appetite! -The Italian-American connection, from pizza to the Mafia to soccer. -A comprehensive look at the centuries-long struggle to unify Italy. -The power and glory of the Renaissance.

When author Francis Chester-Cestari was born, his mothers friend proudly held him up and proclaimed, This day a farmer has been born. But as Chester-Cestari grew older, he realized that Brooklyn, New York, was not conducive to farming; he dreamed of the day he could break out and be free to farm. In this memoir, Chester-Cestari narrates a story of faith, hope, and determination. Bustin Outta Brooklyn traces his familys Italian roots, follows his path through a succession of Catholic schools, and details his entrepreneurial efforts beginning at age ten when he started his own farming business. Bustin Outta Brooklyn provides colorful insight into Chester-Cestaris life as he struggled to do the right thing while growing his business as a shepherd with Cestari farms and wool mill owner and through a fifty-year career as an attorney. This memoir illustrates that through hard work, dedication, and resolve, anyone can indeed achieve lifes dreams.

The riveting true story of the rise and fall of Murder, Inc. and the executioner-turned-informant whose mysterious death became a turning point in Mob history. In the fall of 1941, a momentous trial was underway that threatened to end the careers and lives of New York’s most brutal mob kingpins. The lead witness, Abe Reles, had been a trusted executioner for Murder, Inc., the enforcement arm of a coast-to-coast mob network known as the Commission. But the man responsible for coolly silencing hundreds of informants was about to become the most talkative snitch of all. In exchange for police protection, Reles was prepared to rat out his murderous friends, from Albert Anastasia to Bugsy Siegel—but before he could testify, his shattered body was discovered on a rooftop outside his heavily-guarded hotel room. Was it a botched escape, or punishment for betraying the loyalty of the country’s most powerful mobsters? Michael Cannell's A Brotherhood Betrayed traces the history of Murder, Inc. through Reles’ rise from street punk to murder chieftain to stool pigeon, ending with his fateful death on a Coney Island rooftop. It resurrects a time when crime became organized crime: a world of money and power, depravity and corruption, street corner ambushes and elaborately choreographed hits by wise-cracking foot soldiers with names like Buggsy Goldstein and Tick Tock Tannenbaum. For a brief moment before World War II erupted, America fixated on the delicate balance of trust and betrayal on the Brooklyn streets. This is the story of the one man who tipped the balance.