Quest for Yesterday by Carlo Mignano Provides Not Only Autobiographical Story But Self-Help Conceptual Thoughts...

When asked why he refuses to slap a girl, a young. Italian boy explains

http://www.womendailymagazine.com/happens-ask-little-boy-hit-girl/

I found this picture of a little Italian boy, who, with just one sentence, told me he was much like the little boy we find in today's book, don't you think?

~~~

In 1954, when I was nine, my grandfather's health got worse. In the winter, he was sick for weeks at a time, short of breath and unable to get up. Sometimes he looked like he was going to die at any moment...
My grandfather smelled the aroma and took a sip. My mother brough him a jar filled with sugar-glazed cookies that she had made. My grandfather broke two into the cup, turning them into a rich, smooth soup. As he ate, he looked quietly around the room, as if seeing it for the first time...He said to my mother, "Put the boy on my lap." Then, he took a cookie and gave it to me.
By the time my grandfather finished his coffee he was tired and said he was going to lie down.
I stepped onto the balcony where I went often because each time I looked into the distance, I discovered a villa, a castle and other things, which I had never noticed before...I returned from the balcony, went to my grandfather, and stood by his side, contemplating the once strong, now bony features of his face. Grandpa was pale, but he looked peaceful, not bothered by the pains of his arthritis and free from the struggle with his breath.
I said, "I love you, grandpa. I want you to live forever."
Aunt Angela called from the kitchen, "Francesco, Francesco, where are you sweetheart?"
"I'm here with grandpa."
"How is grandpa?"
"He's sleeping."
"Good, good!"
Moments later she came to see her father for herself. She leaned

toward him, and called, "Papa, Papa!...
That morning my grandfather had given his daughter his last kiss; he had given me his last cookie; and to his world he had given his last goodbye...
The house was filled with people all day, and at night many stayed to hold the wake. The next morning, the coffin arrived. Two men placed my grandfather's body in it, and lifted the coffin onto a horse-drawn hearse, which lead the procession to the church for the funeral.
When the coffin was placed in front of the altar, the priest, a short-bald, little old man with trembling hands, spoke softly and solemnly of things I could not understand: of the temporality of the body, of God's infinite mercy, of eternal life awaiting Cesare Salviano... The organist

played...Dies Irae. I didn't know what it meant, but the song sounded intriguing, strangely beautiful and wrathful--which is what I later learned ira means--Another example of beautifully ugly...

~~~

There came a time in my life when I had to choose to live or die. Not literally, but it might as well have been. The choice I made was more than a simple resolution or an act of will. It was the beginning of a process that only a close look into my past could slowly and painfully uncover. I decided to take that journey...

~~~

Quest For Yesterday

By Carlo Mignano

We all have an inner life that we keep, mostly, to ourselves. Some of us have found it is not safe to share all that we think about, wonder about, things that bother and concern us... I think reading Mignano's book, what you might call a literary creative nonfiction story based upon the author's life, touched me in a way much like a self-help book might do when an individual shares in order to possibly improve the life of his readers. The introspection shared openly and honestly is both heartwarming and instructional and beyond any that I've read in the past. Can we discover what will respond to all of our inner fears and concerns? Is it through studying our past? Our main character Francesco, by considering his own life, helps his readers to look inward to what kind of life we've had thus far and where we might want to go...Perhaps, toward Tomorrow?

The life of a child is hard. There are so many strange and unknown things that confront us, without anybody taking the time to provide an explanation. Most of the time it is because parents or others are too busy struggling with the requirements of their own lives. For Francesco, it began when a second child arrived in the family and his mother no longer had the amount of time that Francesco expected from her. 

Where was the joy he'd experienced in his early childhood?

I have to admit that this book taught me more about men than any other I've read...at least those who care enough to follow the direction of, most say Socrates, who said, "Know Thyself." With women, it perhaps is more easy. The turmoil of this young boy certainly was not...I became more sympathetic toward men, perhaps, even at this late age??? Certainly I was impressed enough with the book to highly recommend it to both men and women..and even teens... It certainly can also be considered a "coming of age" story that is unique and extremely well done, in my opinion.

One of the most poignant things for me was learning about, first, his new interest in girls, and his first kiss...and then entering the priesthood. His mother had decided that was the only way he could gain an education, so they lied... But Francesco felt so guilty about lying that, it came to him that the only way he could get through this is to accept that he would become a priest... That ended when his parents took him home, but not before he had met two different types of priests--one extremely strict, especially about sexual desires. The other proved to be someone he could talk to and encourage him as much as possible...  Later, he became in involved with non-Catholic Christianity. But his confusion and frustration with religion continued until he finally accepted a friend's invitation to become part of what I can only assume was a cult.. Francisco had defined his condition as depression and visited mental health professionals...Still... he kept looking...

Can we plan what our lives should be and constantly looked inward to why we aren't where we are supposed to be?  Carlo Mignano presents an outstanding story that will capture your attention and hold it until the very end...Best of all, it doesn't have a really dramatic ending...just an acceptance...and a beginning to look toward the future... You'll know if this book is one you should read...I found it well worth my time and attention...It's provocative, comprehensive, and introspective enough to provide everybody a certain "something" that can be taken away for their personal use...


GABixlerReviews

When a Courageous Young Boy Meets a Mafioso-type Enemy...Carlo Mignano Shares A Sicilian Drama

While the rest of the children waited for the door of the school building t5o be opened, Antonio spotted Sebastiano trying to slip into the building from the backyard. He knew he was up to causing some trouble and tried to stop him. He got closer to him, made eye contact, and warningly whispered, "Bastia!" calling him by his nickname.
Sebastiano abandoned his plan and joined the other pupils still waiting outside. But as soon as he saw Antonio distracted by other things, he quickly disappeared. He climbed up the window in the back of his classroom, slid through it, took the bottle of ink from one of the desks, and poured the entire content on the teacher's chair. Then he left the same way he went in, he nonchalantly joined the other pupils who now were beginning to walk into the building, and went to his classroom as if nothing had happened.
When Signorina Lafina, a small-framed young lady from Palermo, walked into her fifty-grade classroom, she pulled out her chair from under her desk and without looking, sat down.
Immediately she felt a cool wetness. She stood up and was shocked to see dark fluid spreading over her white skirt and running down her legs. Tears began to run down her cheeks. The pupils snickered at her embarrassing predicament.
It took her a few moments to attain a minimum of composure. Then, with the realization of the extent of her himiliation, she demanded to know who did this dreadful thing to her. "Someone better talk!" she warned.
According to Sicilian tradition, all those children had been admonished by their parents to never admit to knowing anything. So, even if any of them had seen or suspected the perpetrator, they kept their lips sealed...
Signorina Lafina threatened to beat each and every one of them with a wooden stick, unless the culprit came clean. Still no one spoke. She asked everyone to hold out their hands and, with ink still dripping from her skirt, she went around the room striking each pupil.

When she got to Sebastiano, he pulled back his hand and screamed, "No, no, Siognorina!" and pointing at Antonio, he said, "It was him...I saw him...It was him...

~~~

A Sicilian Story

By Carlo Mignano

It had been as far back as 1922, when Antonio was in school that a rivalry of some sort had developed between he and Sebastiano... Antonio was one of those boys who always tried to do what was right and what was expected of him...Perhaps that bothered Bastia, or maybe he was just a Sicilian bully...

Nevertheless even during their school years, Sebastiano seemed to delight in getting Antonio into trouble. Fortunately, his family knew their son...When accused of placing ink on his teacher's chair one day, his father, Cesare Salviano went to talk to the principal. He simply pulled Antonio close to him and place the palms of his hands on his face..."Is this the face of a scoundrel?

While his mother was a devout woman, Antonio had his first problems with the church when the priest started asking him questions about girls and touching himself...When the priest accused him of lying when he denied such thought, Antonio left and struggled with his beliefs for the rest of his life, especially given what was happening to him...

For Antonio had grown to be a strong, moral and handsome boy that caught the eye of the girl considered to be the most beautiful woman in their town. They had fallen in love and were just in the midst of beginning the preparations for a formal engagement and marriage...

When Sebastiano and his friends kidnapped Rosalia...

In Sicily this was a major problem since the woman could not be touched or alone with any man before marriage, especially someone who was a complete stranger. There was nothing that could be done. Rosalia was now considered damaged. And even though Antonio was willing to go forward with the marriage, they didn't know where she was...and he thought never to see Rosalia again...

Antonio's life fell apart, because violence followed the kidnapping and Antonio first fled into the forest and lived and then spent time in jail... When he was out, his entire family knew that he would need to leave home if he was ever going to escape all that had happened...

So, his family paid for him to secretly get out of the country and to America...

While Antonio was able to find those to help him and he was soon hard at work using his trade skills, he quickly found that the mafioso that had tortured life in Sicily was also there in America... When it started there, Antonio wondered if he could escape the dark clouds that seemed to hang over his life...

This is a short novelette that you can easily read in one day, but, by centering on the life of just one Sicilian boy, who had no desire to follow the life of crime, readers are on the edge of their seat wondering if he even has a chance against those who extort others to become rich. I thoroughly enjoyed the story which was fresh and original, even though many of us think of The Godfather when we hear of mafioso involvement...

And, even though my thoughts had led me to expect the ending, it was still superbly done and surprising...a climax that makes it highly recommended to those who enjoy a solid family drama, with a bit of the Sicilian life as the backdrop...

GABixlerReviews