Book Presentations and Panel Discussion by Vincent LaBarbera, Richard Rinaldo, John Anselmo and Thomas DiGrazia. The Italian American Museum and Four Guys from the Neighborhood cordially invite you to a stimulating discussion on growing up in the Neighborhood on Friday, June 5th at 6:30PM.

Featuring three books about Little Italy and a panel discussion moderated by Vincent LaBarbera, a key participant in development of the book, Meatballs & Stickball: Growing up in "The Neighborhood Little Italy". The focus of the panel will be the post-immigrant stories and experiences that have defined the authors' lives as adults and in their service to others.

About the Books:

Meatballs & Stickball by Richard J. Rinaldo

Summary: From the Foreword by Monsignor Donald Sakano, Pastor, The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, some 40 contributors give us essays, vignettes, and memories about the past. They share more than 300 photographs, on the cover and inside.... Theirs is the human journey of struggle, hope, kinship, and friendship.

Author's Bio: Recently inducted into the Fordham and New York City ROTC Hall of Fame, Richard J. Rinaldo is a graduate of St. Patrick's School, Cardinal Hayes H.S., Fordham College, and Hofstra University. He is married to Hermi. Their family includes four children, nine grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. His grandparents came from Molise and Calabria, Italy and Strasbourg, France.

The Newsstand by J.J. Anselmo

Summary: J.J. Anselmo sets the tone of his novel, The Newsstand, in the first lines of the preface: "Little Italy, New York: a place in my mind; a place in my heart. The Little Italy of which I have written is the Little Italy of the late '50s and early '60s – a true neighborhood, in contrast to its present day form. The Little Italy of today is merely a façade..." In this coming-of-age novel, Anselmo recaptures the essence, fabric and culture of the neighborhood as it existed about a half-century ago, doing so mostly through the eyes of teenagers who hang-out at a newsstand that is run by a blind man who lives vicariously through their deeds and misdeeds. The world that the author describes is rich in colorful characters, places and events, and although the story is set in Little Italy, most people from other Italian-American enclaves can identify with it, having had parallel life experiences.

Author's Bio: The author is a graduate of P.S. 130 (on Hester Street), Stuyvesant High School and Columbia University. He is a practicing civil engineer, specializing in the design and construction of waterfront and coastal structures. He has been married for more than 47 years, having met his wife, Mary, at San Gennaro's Feast. They have two children.

Peacemaker: A Sicilian American Memoir by Thomas DiGrazia

Summary and Author's Bio: This memoir traces Tom's life from the bowels of New York City's Little Italy to Notre Dame Law School to the Native American civil rights movement in South Dakota; to the "hippie" communal living influenced years of the late 1960's, 1970's, and early 1980's in Indiana, California, and Washington, D.C.; to his work on behalf of (and peacemaking training with) the Yupiit in Alaska; to his evolution as a professional peacemaker, Yoga practitioner and teacher; and presently as a professional peacemaker, where he has created a ground breaking mediation divorce program called Educated Divorce, and Mediation and Conflict Resolution adjunct professor at Hawaii Pacific University, in Hawaii.

Friday, June 5th, 6:30PM

Italian American Museum - 155 Mulberry Street - (Corner of Grand and Mulberry Streets) - New York, NY 10013

Suggested donation of $10 per person - RSVP Code: 4Guys0605

For reservations, please call the Italian American Museum at 212.965.9000

or Email: [email protected]

*** Please Include RSVP Code When Making Your Reservation ***