Rating: 
Summary: A Testament to Life
Review: A friend from Youngstown, my home town, loaned me this book and I was eager to read it and hear of the 'old town'. What I found was far more than a nostalgia trip; it is a strong testament to the great spirit of the people who settled this country and to the sanctity of life itself and the bonding strength of family ties. Its impact was strong and the reader doesn't have to be from East Youngstown (or Campbell)... or be Catholic ...to feel its power. Reading it filled me with new appreciation for my 'humble', but blessed, beginnings.
Rating:
Summary: A Testament to Life
Review: A friend from Youngstown, my home town, loaned me this book and I was eager to read it and hear of the 'old town'. What I found was far more than a nostalgia trip; it is a strong testament to the great spirit of the people who settled this country and to the sanctity of life itself and the bonding strength of family ties. Its impact was strong and the reader doesn't have to be from East Youngstown (or Campbell)... or be Catholic ...to feel its power. Reading it filled me with new appreciation for my 'humble', but blessed, beginnings.
Rating:
Summary: Make a pot of wedding soup and then read this book!
Review: A warm account of an Italian family history, a la "I Remember Mama" with memorable personalities and moving vignettes. The theme is one of character, devotion, love, community, and ultimately, prevalence, from the early years of the twentieth century through the second world war. A fluid narrative written with style and obvious affection, it's characters will remain with you forever.
Rating:
Summary: A charming story of quiet heroes.
Review: A warm account of an Italian family history, a la "I Remember Mama" with memorable personalities and moving vignettes. The theme is one of character, devotion, love, community, and ultimately, prevalence, from the early years of the twentieth century through the second world war. A fluid narrative written with style and obvious affection, it's characters will remain with you forever.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a gift-from Carmen, from Robert, from an Angel
Review: A wonderful heartfelt account of family, heritage and tradition. Also one of the finest tributes to Youngstown - the then thriving city, we too are proud to have once called our home. Relax in your home, read, close your eyes, and remember.....
Rating:
Summary: This book is a gift-from Carmen, from Robert, from an Angel
Review: A wonderful heartfelt account of family, heritage and tradition. Also one of the finest tributes to Youngstown - the then thriving city, we too are proud to have once called our home. Relax in your home, read, close your eyes, and remember.....
Rating:
Summary: Make a pot of wedding soup and then read this book!
Review: Capturing the true essence of what it means to be of Italian-American descent and from Youngstown, Ohio, the author paints a richly moving accout of family life during the first half of the twentieth century. Through laughter and tears, I read about Jo, the protagonist whose faith and strenghth never fail. This "universal" story played out in many of the homes on Rose Street or on Dearborn Street where my family history began. We learn from Jo and from our grandparents that the struggle to preserve our family and its heritage provides riches a banker can never count. Their experiences so move and inspire us to hold dear all that is truly important: love, loyalty and a true committment to family.
Rating:
Summary: Reflections of "Rose Street"
Review: Carmen Leone examined a topic close to his heart, and storytelling gifts made it a story that is now close to mine.My own grandparents came to Ohio around 1900. "Rose Street" brought to narrative life all the stories my father, uncles and aunts have told me over the years. I wonder if Carmen Leone realized that by telling his story, he was telling mine, too, as well as the stories of countless others. They might Italian, but they don't have to be. In fact, the soundtrack that came to my head while reading "RoseStreet" was the song "Tradition," from "Fiddler On The Roof." How can the story of an Italian immigrant couple and their American-born children have anything to do with Jewish shtetl life? Read the book. Ever look in the mirror and just examine your own eyes. Ever see the faces of your relatives in your own? "Rose Street" is, too, such a mirror.
Rating:
Summary: Reflections of "Rose Street"
Review: Carmen Leone examined a topic close to his heart, and storytelling gifts made it a story that is now close to mine. My own grandparents came to Ohio around 1900. "Rose Street" brought to narrative life all the stories my father, uncles and aunts have told me over the years. I wonder if Carmen Leone realized that by telling his story, he was telling mine, too, as well as the stories of countless others. They might Italian, but they don't have to be. In fact, the soundtrack that came to my head while reading "RoseStreet" was the song "Tradition," from "Fiddler On The Roof." How can the story of an Italian immigrant couple and their American-born children have anything to do with Jewish shtetl life? Read the book. Ever look in the mirror and just examine your own eyes. Ever see the faces of your relatives in your own? "Rose Street" is, too, such a mirror.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Memoir
Review: Carmen Leone works magic in Rose Street. He captures the specifics of his Italian-American family's experience in Youngstown, Ohio with remarkable clarity while simultaneously tapping into themes which remain universal to the family dynamic: responsibility, authority, self-sacrifice, love. The story of his immigrant mother's daily struggles and triumphs offers us insight into the core of our humanness. Originally written as a gift for Leone's own family, Rose Street inspires us to treat ours with a little more tenderness.
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