A new non-fiction book has just been published about a young boy working at his Father’s coal mines in the USA, and about the immigration of the boy’s ancestors from Italy 50 years earlier.

Louis Ronald Scatena is the author of "ANTHRACITE BOOT CAMP", and it's a true story about his childhood working under the direction of his hard-working Father, Peter (born ‘Piereno’) Scatena at Peter’s coal mines in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. from 1951 to 1959, when Louis was between the ages of 9 and 17.

The small, underground mines were not far below the surface and miners referred to them as dangerous ‘Dog-Holes’. However, the first few chapters summarize the immigration of Louis’s grandparents from Italy around 1910, their pre-arranged marriages, their struggles in the Pennsylvania coal fields, and their battles for survival during The Great Depression. Luigi Scatena emigrated from Spoleto, Ersilia Corsaletti from Gualdo Tadino, Maria Trombetta from Serracapriola, and Nicolo Vigilante from Naples.

With maps and figures included, the book recalls events that are historical, amusing, and/or danger-filled, such as:

• A collection of frightening episodes, as when Louis witnesses a dragline operated by his father about to topple into a strip-mine as shown on the book’s cover, or when Louis must crawl under the screaming dragline to manipulate its’ brakes as it strains to crawl up a steep hill, or when he observes a dog-hole’s sudden roof collapse at his feet.

• A collection of humorous episodes as when miners frighten the 9 year-old into believing he is pursued by a hungry bear, or tease him with crude “mature adult” questions that the naive boy still doesn’t understand at age 13, but tries to comprehend later by repeating the miner’s question to his horrified mother, or when a teenager, Louis adopts the miners’ usual practice of occasional, but often dangerous, pranks on co-workers and friends.

• An adventure as when Louis travels underground at age eleven to assist miners in dog-holes where they barely fit, or when at age thirteen he enters an abandoned mine with his father to help drill and blast a drain hole beneath a water-filled mine pit, or when as a young teenager, Louis enthusiastically operates large bulldozers, steam-shovels, and dump-trucks, but sometimes with alarming results.

• Amusing references to the cultural standards of the boy’s Italian ancestors, including angry linguistic(un-translated) outbursts when mining equipment failed to function, or their joyful linguistic outbursts in exciting games of bocce and morra at the miners’ Italian American Citizen’s Club, or their fearful reactions when initially introduced to their future spouse prior to a pre-arranged marriage imposed on them by others in their family.

• Introductory chapters with historical reminders of hardships of early Italian immigrants, and review of their typical battle for survival prior to and during The Great Depression, to help readers understand the roots of the odd behavior of miners in the story who were direct descendants of those immigrants of the pre-depression era.

“ANTHRACITE BOOT CAMP” is an educational and entertaining story for readers of all ages with many references to famous hit songs, including Italian classics that help the reader interpret and appreciate the level of passion within highly emotional events. The classic Italian music that is referenced includes the beautiful music of Mario Lanza, Al Martino, Ennio Morricone, and others. As 1 example, Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" is referenced in the book, as the dramatic danger depicted on the book's front cover unfolds. In another example, Mario Lanza's “Be My Love” is referenced to help readers interpret Luigi Scatena’s level of passion as he is initially introduced to Ersilia Corsaletti prior to their marriage that was pre-arranged by others. More information about the book is available at https://store.bookbaby.com/Anthracite-Boot-Camp