I have always been an admirer of everything Italian. Though, admirer does not sound like strong enough a word. Truth is: I believe my soul is Italian, and, in this life, I have been condemned to living away from my culture. For that reason, to satisfy my soul’s hunger, I have been a student of Italian language and culture, and eventually became a teacher of the Italian language and literature. I believe that being immersed in literature and language will bring me closer to my roots (or imagined roots).

Mike Fiorito has been on a similar adventure: Call me Guido tells a story of an American born to a south Italian family in Queens, New York who is trying to make sense of his Italian heritage or to accept the lack of it. A poignant, heartfelt, and confessional short story collection that centers on two tender father-son relationships.