In a memoir set in the last half century of transformative cultural change, a memory-keeper shares personal voyages of discovery beyond traditional boundaries of gender and culture—an engaging and wide-ranging coverage of how the times affected the author and the country that offers guidance today.

Moments in Flight: A Memoir: Brings the immigrant story full circle; recovers lost history; shares hard-earned practical wisdom by Jo-Ann Vega—Published by Outskirts Press. Click http://www.anyflip.com/nzlo/kpde for a free flipbook excerpt of the cover, contents, introduction, and first chapter.

The restrictions imposed worldwide by the covid pandemic have exacerbated social isolation and speeded up societal changes. There is a greater need now than ever for authenticity, for bridges to self, others and history. Moments in Flight: A Memoir is Jo-Ann Vega’s contribution to the quest for reconnection. This stunning memoir has been published by Outskirts Press—the fastest-growing, full-service self-publishing and book marketing company.

Step into the Italian American experience, culture, and history with a proud Italian American whose roots in America began in 1903. Vega’s grandparents were among millions, part of the largest documented voluntary migration in history, who sought passage to America in the first decades of the 20th century to escape oppression, poverty, and violence. While not welcomed in America, the Italians endured, as they had learned to in Italy. Most of the more than 17 million Americans who claim Italian ancestry, the 7th largest ancestry group in the US, are descendants of the immigrants who passed inspections at Ellis Island. Many grew up around and with these immigrants, absorbed their culture and traditions.

Who are the Italians? How did geography and history influence Italian culture? What is the Italian diaspora? Why are Italians such expressive communicators? What does it mean to be an American with Italian heritage? How did la via vecchia, the old ways, help and slow the Italian entry into the American mainstream?

Why does it matter? Their story is our story, part of the large tapestry that is America. Authentic people and stories are nutrients for healing, understanding, and connection; give us hope, especially during times of disruption; tell us this too will pass; and help us cope and endure. Vega says, “I wrote Moments in Flight to deepen my understanding of myself, my heritage, my famiglia, and the country. I want people to enjoy the stories, the journey, evoke memories, and open the door to dialogue with others.”

Moments in Flight begins with an extended eulogy to the Italian immigrants of the south Bronx and the children who played on the streets without parental supervision—with horse-drawn vegetable and fruit wagons, malocchio, bocce, macaroni in numbered boxes, Uncle Dan the bookie, and Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra at Yankee Stadium. Vega details the impact of her famiglia’s relocation to suburbia, and her own coming of age during the relentless cultural upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. She then seamlessly forms a bridge to today and life after work and parents.

What differentiates Moments-in-Flight from similar books that are available? Crafted and with excerpts from 40 years’ worth of writing and journaling, Moments in Flight also features useful websites, historical timelines and a Book Club Discussion Guide.

Keywords: Memoir, self-help, family and relationships, life stages, immigration, Ellis Island, ancestry, US history, heritage, oeuvre, memory-keeper, legacy building, self-knowledge, identity, gender, sexuality, civil rights movements, Italian diaspora, growing up Italian, cultural inheritances, Cuban missile crisis, Civil Rights Act, Vietnam antiwar protests, assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, Kent State, Woodstock, Watergate, and gas rationing.

At 233 pages, Moments in Flight is available at https://www.outskirtspress.com/momentsinflight. It is also sold through Amazon and Barnes and Noble for a maximum trade discount in quantities of 10 or more. ISBN: 978-1-9772-3324-0 Format : 6 x 9 paperback. Retail: $21.95 eBook: $9.99

Reviews

“This book is a memoir by Jo-Ann Vega whose grandparents immigrated from Sicily to the USA. What makes Vega’s memoir stand out is that she intersperses her personal experiences with observations about the momentous national and international events that occurred while she was growing up such as the assassinations of President Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the Vietnam War…sexual revolution…race riots…recreational drugs… Vega’s diary entries from that time and her poems add to the picture she paints of the country coming of age when she did.” —Dr. Mary Starke, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Ramapo College, NJ

“I really enjoyed the book…You gave me information regarding your culture which I never knew or thought about. In fact, I never thought about ‘those’ living between 148th -155th as being Italian. They were just ‘White’ and lived in the neighborhood…back then, it wasn’t a Black and White thing for us. It was, do you live in the neighborhood?” —Earl Bryant, retired college administrator

“To say that Jo-Ann Vega has a way with words is clearly an understatement. Moments in Flight is the type of book that holds you hostage until the story ends. And then you want more. It engages the reader by combining an intriguing personal journey which intersects with the historical events of a very tremulous time in our country…beautifully chronicles the different and painful stages we all experienced…while coming of age and finding ‘our’ voice. Vega has, through her prose, captured our imaginations and our hearts!” —Dr. Maria M. Vallejo, Retired Provost & Vice President, Palm Beach State College, FL

About the Author: Jo-Ann Vega is a published author and dynamic speaker with 30 years of experience presenting to academic, business, and community groups. Jo-Ann lives with her life partner and canine companion. Contact the author at mezzo148st@gmail.com

About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press offers full-service, custom self-publishing and book marketing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at https://outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press, Inc. represents the future of book publishing, today.