From the first paragraph describing the deep descent of a winding driveway in present-day Joppolo on the east coast of Calabria, across the toe to the western slope of the Aspromonte, and the hillside village of Canolo at the turn of the 20th century, this historical fiction provides a realistic look into a family of Italian heritage and their journey in becoming Italian American.

With an informative approach, John C. Alessio starts “With Tears and Laughter” in modern times, making note of the post office clerk “whose fear of customers who don’t speak fluent Italian is at least as great as the fear those customers have of trying to speak to him.”