And so it begins, or perhaps continues.....

At the start of this new century my beloved father wrote a book. It was something I had wanted to do since I was12 and my sixth grade teacher said I had a flair for writing. It was also the reason I went to college for journalism.

However, he did what I never had the motivation, time, skills, or multiple other excuses to even start. Until now.

His words are the basis, reference and starting point for the novel I've been talking about writing for many years about my grandmother and her Sicilian heritage and story of coming to the states.

With that in mind, I'd like to share the prologue to his book. Written in 2001 when he was 72 years old. He made copies for all the family members he wanted to share it with that sit still today in a box in my attic. Very few have taken the time, or even been offered the opportunity, to read his words until now.

I feel his kind, loving presence encouraging me every day to share these stories. Although perhaps I don't see100% eye to eye with some of his words, I do feel the importance of family (in whatever form) is still important. As well as the passing along of stories and heritage from generation to generation. A tradition that is slowing getting lost as we move from a family unit that told stories around a fire, to one that retreats to their own spaces on computers, devices or activities.

So, here they are. Word for word. My father's prologue to his book The Expatriate Italian:

The idea of writing my autobiography has been floating around in my head for the past several years. Before senility sets in I decided to do something about it. In doing so, I have had to search the deep recesses of my mind in an attempt to remember long forgotten details. During this process one thought kept resurfacing time and again. Family and heritage played a large role in the shaping of my life. Between the two, my life was predestined and in a large part controlled my future as well. For this reason I have decided to make this story not only an autobiography, but also a history of my family and our heritage.

Dealing with the phenomenon we call our heritage was at times difficult for a first generation American. On one hand was the old world of our parents with their way of life, customs and traditions. On the other was the new world in which I was born with a much different lifestyle and value system. By the time I reached my teenage years I began to struggle mightily with some of these differences. I felt like a traitor to my Sicilian roots if I did not adhere to all of their principles. At the same time growing up in America I acquired values that in some cases were diametrically opposed to those of my heritage. In the end I accepted from both cultures the ideologies that most suited my own budding sense of values. Because I did not adhere to all of their principles, in the strictest sense of the word, it is difficult to consider myself a true Sicilian. In that sense I must consider myself an Expatriate Sicilian. With all that said I am still proud of my heritage, expatriate or not, and would not trade it for any other.

The writing of this journal is not necessarily an attempt at feeding my ego, but rather it is done with the reverent hope of leaving to my children, their children and those that come after a legacy of their heritage and myself. If in doing so I can provide my heirs with some lasting sense of the importance of family unit, no matter how small, then my efforts will not be in vain. My concern is not so much for my own children, for I know that their sense of heritage and family values are quite strong, but rather for those that follow.

This is a fast paced society we find ourselves living in today and it seems the major casualty of our lifestyle is the family unit. The divorce rate is going up at an alarming rate, single parent families are a common occurrence, couples are living together without the benefit of marriage and teenage pregnancies have skyrocketed. Some children are doing poorly in school. This is in part because parents are looking to the school system to provide the help and guidance they should be providing at home. It is any wonder that the family unit has eroded to where in some cases it barely exists?

Even though with the passing of each generation we are building a new heritage as Americans, the sense of my own heritage and the need to pass it along to those that follow is very strong. With the deterioration of the family unit being so prevalent in our society, I feel it doubly important to leave my heirs with some knowledge of their roots. To properly understand our heritage it is important to first understand the Sicilian culture that was such an important part of my early life. To this end I begin this book with a short history of Sicily. Although the early history of the island is based on research I have done on the subject, the history from the latter part of the nineteenth century to the present is based mostly on listening to family, relatives and friends relate their experiences in Sicily before they emigrated to America. It is important to understand that for the most part this immigration ended during after1930's, although there were another small surge of immigrations in the late1940's after World War II. Even to the present day the Sicilian philosophy of life in this country has changed little from that of our ancestors. However the lifestyle in Sicily today has changed to the point to where it may have little resemblance to those that immigrated so many years ago.

After thinking further about the writing of this book I must confess to one selfish reason for the endeavor. As the years have passed and I become older and I hope wiser, I find myself reviewing in my minds eye the events that have shaped my life. I am not uncomfortable with the way it has turned out nor do I feel regret, remorse or anger over the events that shaped it. Nonetheless I have discovered that the writing of this journal has been a very cleansing experience.

During the writing of this book I have found it impossible to write about the events that have influenced my life without interjecting my feelings and reactions to them. Not to do so would make for dull reading and be grossly unfair to its integrity. I probably could not have written this journal ten years ago. It has only been in recent years that I have gained enough self esteem to be able to comfortably and openly talk about my inner most thoughts and feelings. However, in doing so I run the risk of stepping on some toes and hurting the feelings of some of the people I hold near and dear to my heart. Believe me that certainly is not my intent, for I feel nothing but the utmost admiration and love for all my family members and friends. The feelings I write about in this journal have mainly to do with me and is not a reflection on the other parties involved. As we pass though this life, the way we react to the events that shape them may be be considered by some as right or wrong, good or bad or anything in between, but they are our feelings and the best we can hope for is to learn from them. After all isn't that what life is all about?

Sam Evola - 2001

Prologue to The Expatriate Sicilian

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