Veterans Day was the perfect backdrop for a discussion of loyalty, patriotism, and identity in a nation that branded over 1 million Italian, German, and Japanese immigrants as "enemy aliens," following Japan's Pearl Harbor attack.
Italians were the largest group affected when President Franklin D. Roosevelt invoked the Alien Enemies Act, days before the United States was officially at war with Italy or Germany. In all, 600,000 Italians, 315,000 Germans, and 92,000 Japanese individuals were deemed "potentially dangerous," even as family members served on behalf of the nation in the U.S. Armed Forces. Italian Americans alone comprised up to 1.5 million of these individuals; more than 39,000 Italian Americans in the U.S. Army were born in Italy, including the nearly 9,000 non-citizen soldiers.
I shared these stats with Lake Forest Book Store's engaged audience before reading a passage from Beneath the Sicilian Stars, detailing what would have otherwise been an ordinary Sunday in the East Bay town of Pittsburg, California. But they soon realized that this was the date that would "live in infamy" in more ways than one for a Sicilian American family and a Navy sailor son.
There were so many great questions asked, and it was wonderful to chat about readers' favorite characters and storylines.
We finished the evening fortified with seeds for further conversation and exploration, paired with a glass of vino and cookies.
It was an honor to share with these wonderful people. I signed a stack of books, which you can find for sale in the store. You can also order both The Last Letter from Sicily and Beneath the Sicilian Stars online, supporting this lovely and inviting store.
Catch me at an upcoming event! Find my list of appearances on my Events page.
