My Three Sicilies

The three Sicilies of Joseph Amato's unusual and finely crafted book can be counted, according to its table of contents, as those of fiction, poetry, and social and family history. But they can also be enumerated in another way-the homeland of his ancestors, especially his paternal grandmother, a strong but tragic figure whose story frames and focuses the entire volume; the locale of his own travels and experiences, vividly captured in the poems at the center of the work; and the historical and spiritual fountainhead of so much of his own personality and world view. Those who share Amato's roots will find much here to connect with, and all other readers will connect with the passion and the sheer humanity that illuminate the work. -Michael Palma