Overview

At the age of seven, Francesco Scannella's world is turned upside down when he is uprooted from his English suburban home and sent to the heartland of the Cosa Nostra. He quickly forgets that he ever spoke English, surviving by the sharpness of his wit and the strength of his fists while adopting the machismo ways of his elders. Every day is a fight for survival; gang violence is the norm, and the Mafia rules. In this compelling memoir, Francesco Scannella opens a window on the true nature of Sicilians, explaining how and why they turn to the Mafia and depicting the desperate circumstances of life at the time. We are introduced to a strong new narrative voice that recounts tragic young love with wry humour and brutal honesty—narrating how a school friend became an assassin, along with explorations of politics, philosophy, cookery, and cryptozoology. Frank Sinatra makes an appearance, as does the father of the modern Mafia, Don Calo Vizzini. Sicilian Shadows, Francesco Scannella's first book, is a compelling story of loss of innocence, a homage to a homeland, and a history lesson about one of the most misunderstood societies in the world—light years away from the cosmopolitan Palermo and the paparazzi glitz of 1960s Italy.

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9781909339279

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Born in Surrey, Francesco (Frank) Scannella has engaged in a variety of pursuits, most of which he is proud of. He has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator, helped create the Beanie Baby craze, funded Sportsbag—one of the first-ever weekly ""lads' mags""—and won a national advertising award. He holds an honours degree from Newport, Wales, has a passion for American comics, and has played football at a high level. Frank is not a man who lets life pass him by. Most importantly, he takes pride in his quarter-of-a-century marriage and his three children—perhaps even more so than in his full head of hair. He still lives a little more than a mile from where he was born, and every morning, he visits his mother and sits down to drink his bowl of latte e caffè, just as he has done since his first visit to Sicily all those years ago.

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