3rd Edition · Available in English & Italian
Strong Roots, Good Fruit
A Family Story and the Gift of La Leonessa
Radici Forti, Frutti Buoni — Una Storia di Famiglia e il Dono de La Leonessa
More than a memoir, my historically-inspired story honors the courage of Monteleone's women, the anguish of emigration, and the village's rebirth as a beacon of peace and radical hospitality—told through the legend of "La Leonessa", the village's guardian lioness. Each chapter also features poems that enhance the story, and URLs that reimagine the poems in music & song to bring the story to life. The gift of the marble sculpture of La Leonessa is my tribute to the enduring spirit of the Monteleonese people and dedicated to my grandmother, Maria Assunta Capobianco (born there in 1900), whose spirit quietly lives within it.