By Sandra Tornberg

Alicia J. Winget has written the life story of Mr. Lino Borraccio, the successful and popular owner of Lino's Italian Restaurant in Rochester Hills. A longtime friend of Lino and his wife Elvira, Ms. Winget was inspired to have Lino write his story after seeing a feature honoring Lino that aired on WDIV TV during Memorial Day weekend in 2012.

I also have a vivid recollection of seeing the broadcast at the time. After my initial reaction of "Hey, that's Lino on TV!" I was moved by the emotion Lino displayed in conveying he story of his gratitude to the US Fifth Army that had liberated Italy, prompting him to enlist in the same unit in 1961 after he had immigrated to the United States.

The book is short – only 123 pages - but manages to eloquently tell Lino's story beginning with his birth in San Vittore del Lazio on December 27, 1941, twenty days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. The description of village life is similar to the stories of my father's and grandparents' villages in Abruzzo, and I'm sure will resonate with readers from other villages and towns.

The book details the struggles of Lino's family and fellow villagers to survive during World War II. San Vittore was located on the Gustav Line, "a strong line of defense from the Tyrrhenian Sea, along the Garigliano and Sangro Rivers, across the Liri Valley to the town of Cassino, and up into the Abruzzi mountains" (page 16) and thus was embroiled in the battles between the Germans and Americans for Monte Cassino, enduring bombings by both.

"In this chaos, Rosa, Antonio, and Maria worked tirelessly to keep themselves and little Lino alive. During the bombings and shellings, they would run down the stairs and around the corner with Lino to place him inside a cistern in the olive processing plant." (page 26)

Lino's story continues, describing the misery his family and the Italian people experienced after the war, enduring famine, disease, and corruption. Lino's father Antonio had contracted tuberculosis while serving in the Army and died on November 21, 1945. The same year, little Lino, who was almost blind and severely malnourished, was given a twenty percent chance of survival by the doctors at the American hospital.

Lino's mother Rosa remarried Pasquale Venditelli and had two more sons, Romualdo (Ron) and Tony. Pasquale immigrated to Detroit in July 1956, to go to work at the Ford Motor Company, to be followed by his wife and sons the following year. This wonderful book chronicles the family's immersion into American life in Detroit, reminiscent of the stories told to us by our parents and grandparents.

A compelling aspect of Lino's story is how many talents he has developed during his life, the diversity of jobs he has performed including marble polisher, door-to-door salesman, repossesor of unpaid merchandise, barber, and drummer, and the strength it took to reinvent himself into the successful man and restaurateur that he is today. Along the way he married his lovely wife Elvira (Vettraino), who was born in Sant'Elia Fiumerapido, a town close to San Vittore. The book points out "that had they not emigrated to America, they very likely would never have met." Lino and Elvira had three children, son Tony and twin daughters Lori and Rita.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a good biography or is interested in World War II. But most of all I recommend the book to the thousands of families who shared similar experiences. This book is a must-read for the younger generations of Italian-Americans to enlighten them about the sacrifices made by their own parents and grandparents to give them a better life. Thank you to Lino and Elvira for sharing their beautiful story.

Out of the Rubble is available at www.amazon.com, and www.barnesandnoble.com. Or better yet, stop in at Lino's Italian Restaurant located at 50 W Tienken Rd, Rochester Hills to say hello and purchase your copy. Please call (248) 652-9002 if you have any questions or would like to make a reservation.