When the World Was Young

by Tony Romano

It's the summer of 1957. In the heart of Chicago, first-generation Italian immigrants Angela Rosa and Agostino Peccatori are caught between worlds. Far from home and with five children born in the United States, the Peccatori family is left clinging to old country ways in an era of upending change. While Agostino spends his days running the neighborhood trattoria, Mio Fratello, Angela Rosa must face the building tension at home as her children struggle to define themselves within a family rooted in tradition. When Agostino's wandering eye can no longer be ignored, and lingering questions of fidelity and responsibility invade the Peccatoris' intimate world, the pressure to keep the family together mounts.

Just as it seems the Peccatoris' stoic foundation and resilient spirit are enough to withstand the family friction, the events of a single tragic evening bring all their lives to a sudden and irreversible standstill. Haunted by overwhelming loss, and drowning in years of secrets and deception, the family begins to unravel under the burden of guilt. As the Peccatori children move into adulthood, alienated from one another by grief and the complexity of their adolescence, their ties of kinship are put to the ultimate test.

Bound together by blood yet indelibly marked by loss, the Peccatori family becomes a testament to the power of sacrifice, loyalty, and unconditional love. Told through alternating voices and beautifully crafted prose, When the World Was Young is a stunning, poignant tale of one family's will to survive.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Alyse Liebovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had Tony Romano as a teacher in high school (@Fremd in Palatine, IL). He is amazing. So is his writing. Captures family, nostalgia, Chicago and Italians perfectly.
Also, check out the author photo credit ;-)

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra star goes to When the World Was Young, authored by Tony Romano, who was a teacher in the English department at my high school (if you went to Fremd chances are one of your teachers was mentioned in the acknowledgements, which gave me a warm fuzzy feeling). This book is set in 1957, about an italian family in a neighborhood in Chicago. I gave this book to my father in law as a christmas gift (as he grew up in an italian family, in a chicago neighborhood during this era). He enjoyed it enough to give it back to me, and I found that it truly resonated with the stories my husband's family tells and the sense that while things changed around them, as their families and its forthcoming generations grew to be more American than Italian, there are many aspects of the cultural collectiveness that remained.

[Laura La Rocca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this slice of Italian American life .
Love the family and how they all loved each other yet suffered such a devastating loss which changed them all forever . Brought back some sweet memories for me of my Dad and aunts and uncles. The emotions in the book really kinda snuck up on me and I found myself crying big genuine tears at the end. Thank you, Stephanie!!

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up years ago because it was by a local author but never read it. When I picked it up recently, I was surprised to find an unexpected gem — a story of an Italian immigrant family living in Chicago in the 1950s dealing with self-inflicted turmoil as the father of 5 strays, a child dies, and the family deals with the aftermath. Full of warmth and heart that rings true to the times, especially if you have Italian relatives.

[Patty C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book taught me a lot about growing up in the late 1950’s. I know so little about Italians in Chicago during the 1950’s but I know several Italian families that were instrumental in our communities. It was nice to learn a bit about Italy and the struggles these individuals faced as they began their new life here in America.

[Kris Ziegelhofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as some of the other Italian immigrant books I’ve read but still a solid read. PS: I’m second generation Italian American so I enjoy this type of book.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

How I Came To Read This Book: Harper Collins sent me a free advance reader's edition.

The Plot: Agostino and Angela are trapped in a loveless marriage - the former is a cheater, while the latter is a mom before a wife. The book surrounds a series of unfortunate events between these two parents and their two oldest children - the just and gentlemanly Santos and the wild child Victoria. Deaths, lies, romance, and heartbreak are what both bind these family members together, yet tear them apart emotionally. Throughout the book flashforwards provided by the other 3 children (brothers) that give major insight into what's happening in the 1950s portion that takes up most of the book.

The Good & The Bad: I liked this book. The prose was light and more or less easy to get through and the story was satisfying as it was unwound. In retrospect, it reminds me of a more extreme/timely version of Departures in the way it intersects the lives of multiple family members. It's not a fast read - but a nice, slow, enjoyable one that takes a bit of getting into.

The Bottom Line: A rewarding read.

Anything Memorable?: Nope

50-Book Challenge?: Book #14 in 2007

[Stasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book thinking it was young adult, since I got it back when I was teaching 7th grade from Tony Romano himself at a National Council for Teachers of English conference. But now having read it, there sure is a lot of sex and swearing--or really, more than that, just sort of adult situations. So I'm glad I didn't have it in my classroom library for very long and that no one read it anyway. heh.

This book was okay. It seemed a little over-dramatic to me, and the perspective switched around kind of a lot in a way that though not entirely confusing, was a little distracting. But that might have been because I wasn't paying enough attention, having already decided that I didn't like it that much. Who knows. I'm not entirely sad that I read it, but I wouldn't recommend it, either. I wish I could give it a solid 2.5 stars, right in the middle.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family saga going back to late 1950s Chicago, When the World Was Young follows Italian immigrants Agostino and Angela Rose Peccatori and their five American-born children. The family is changed forever when Agostino has an affair that produces a son, and his oldest son, Santo, develops a relationship with the young mother. Agostino is an arrogant patriarch, and Angela is a quiet, submissive wife who knows more than she lets on. Angela somehow handles the tragedy of losing a child to illness and the tragedy of a daughter's lost innocence. The family is torn apart by lies and betrayals and rebuilt again on lies and betrayals. Not since Mailey Meloy's brilliant Liars and Saints and the sequel, A Family Daughter, have I enjoyed a family saga so much.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is our February 2015 book club selection. We decided we'd choose something that was written by a local author. Tony Romano wrote this book and he was an English teacher at Fremd High School in Palatine for many, many years. The story revolves around a first/second generation Italian family during the 1950's in Chicago. An interesting look at the family dynamics during this time and what was often the most important dynamic -- the things that were never talked about. The story takes awhile to get into and is a bit melancholy.

[Papalodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

People are who they are, take them or leave them. But, does it hurt that much to try to understand them and perhaps see life from their situation?
The characters in this story make individual choices that have lasting effects on the entire family. You can only wonder how you would deal with each situation if you were in their place. No matter if you make good or bad choices the consequences remain to be lived with. The question then must be 'How will you live with your choice'.

[Elysabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the surface, this seems like it would be a really great/interesting read, but I found it sort of slow-going until the very end. I did like some of the characters, esp. Vicki, Vince and Fr. Ernie. I understand that it was good writing, and psychologically, probably very interesting, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone -- it was just sort of a snoozer.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family of Italian immigrants living in Chicago try to raise their children in the old country ways, while the father philanders with the women in the neighborhood and their children gradually become aware of it. Uneven - probably would have been better if it was 50 pages shorter.

[Emerald Lavere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slice of life about a big Italian, Catholic family in 1950s Chicago. Engaging characters and some all too familiar themes of growing up in a time and circumstances where the most important things in life were "things you just don't talk about".

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good portrait of an Italian American family in the late 1950s and late 1970s. Bitter sweet. Very moving in parts. Brought tears to my eyes a few times. I enjoyed the Italian that is sprinkled throughout the book.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Romano was my creative writing teacher in high school! He's an awesome human being. You should read his books.

[Gina Enk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. You should be reading this now.

[Susan Arra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a first generation Italian American, I could relate to this book.