Elizabeth Street - Laurie Fabiano [157]
At AmazonEncore, it was an absolute pleasure to work with Terry Goodman, Sarah Tomashek, and Jeff Belle. Literally, you would not be reading this version of the book without them. Their belief in Elizabeth Street made it possible to bring the story to a wider public, and I will always be grateful. My appreciation also to Melcher Media, my publicist Camille McDuffie, Suzanne Bronski, and Kate Linker.
Thank you to my friend Steve Winter, a National Geographic photographer, who took my photo. (I figured if he could capture a charging rhino, he could make a sedentary writer look good.)
While my family was what motivated me to write this book—both to chronicle our family history and to let it go—they were also the source of my inspiration. My mother’s love of literature and the arts influenced me from day one and continues to do so today. (She also became the book’s biggest fan and never missed an opportunity to talk about it.) My father was, above all, my role model and the person who taught me the meaning of family. I miss him every day. And, as I wrote this book, I was inspired by seeing my sister, Annie, fight her own epic battle for her four-year-old daughter’s life and by witnessing my niece Adriana’s perseverance.
My grandmother was so proud that my daughter, Siena, had her name. And I am just so proud of my daughter. She’s a remarkable young woman, wise beyond her years. (Her suggestions for edits, even though she was a child, were the most insightful.) When I decided to include the ransom notes, Siena ended up having a hand in the book. My grandfather burned the actual Black Hand notes sent to my family many years after the crime. However, in studying other such notes and letters, I was struck by how childlike they were, so I asked Siena, then eleven, to create them. Despite the fact that she thought writing ransom notes for her great-grandmother would necessitate therapy one day, and that she objected to misspelling words, she did a great job.
When you write a book in stolen moments, there is always a victim. In this case it was my husband, Joseph Della Fave. I unequivocally could not have written this book without him. He made it possible for me to devote long hours to research and writing. And while his practical help was key, his emotional support was far greater. He always, always believed this was something I should do, even when I did not. He was with me in Italy, and was equally enthusiastic about tracking down clues and finding family. He praised each and every chapter, cried at the right moments, and didn’t make fun of my bad grammar and spelling. It’s his book, too.
Lastly, although my time with my great-grandmother was brief, Giovanna remains my hero. And I am clearly indebted to my grandmother, Angelina Siena Arena, whose experiences and memories fueled this book. Her recollection of events was extraordinary. And while she always maintained “some things you shouldn’t tell,” I truly believe she would have been proud to see her story in print and agree with Maya Angelou who said, “It is agony to keep a story buried inside you.” Angelina Siena Arena died on March 31, 2001, at 96 years old. I was with her on the day she died. I fed her while she once again chastised me about how I wore my hair. Later that night she died in her son’s arms. Her last words were, “I want to go home.” Nanny, you’re home and we love you.
SHAMELESS PROMOTION PAGE
Giovanna’s courage and fortitude enabled subsequent generations to flourish—and me to brag about them.
My older children, Dominick Della Fave and Jaime Della Fave, are immensely talented songwriters and performers. Their band, The Fave, is addictive. You can buy their music on iTunes, and check out their pages on MySpace and Facebook.
My brother, Anthony, and sister-in-law, Carole, are talented vocalists who gave birth to a “phenom.” My nephew