How To Be an Italian

by Lou D'Angelo, Ardis Wade (Photographer)

Book by Lou D'Angelo

Genres: Humor

87 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1968

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow - do not think the humor in this book is PC anymore - but it is a great example of the type of humor everyone accepted just a little while ago. Will not comment on the characterizations of Italian (will leave that to Lou D'Angelo) but a friend of mine who is Italian said he saw a lot of things his grandfather use to do in this book.

[Aleta J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very funny book, and yes - it is a little outdated. That's one reason why it's funny. These other reviewers who want to be so dour apparently are worried about political corectness more than having a good time. I'm Italian, and I grew up in NY, so I can say it's funny - and I'm NOT offended. So buy this, give it to an Italian friend with a sense of humor when you're done with it, and have a good laugh. And make some pasta for dinner!

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dunno where this book came from. I assume my mom gave it to me when I was a lad to help assuage my great desire to be Arthur Fonzarelli, but who knows? I may have found it myself at a bookstore or gotten it from an uncle at Christmas, and while I knew it was mostly nonsense, the guy on the cover looked a little like my father, and it was funny as hell, so it resonated with me far more than it should have.

Roots had just been on television, and lots of folks were getting in touch with their inner whatever. I had a pretty strange name to be growing up in Iowa and was a lot darker than most everyone around me, so being Italian was both the mark of Cain and a passport to immediate cool. I embraced it like a motherfucker and read that little book to death.

[Mohammed الصوفي · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it's deeper or talks more about cultural habits etc but it's not. In general its a funny book good to have it near the cafe table, but if you have not been to Italy it might gives you a distorted image of Italians and Italy

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, goofy book. My cousin had a copy when we were kids and we used to laugh at the pictures in the book. We especially loved the picture of the bambino. Great memories attached to this little book. :)

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of funny, kind of dumb. My mother is Italian, my father liked it more than her, because he likes making fun.

[Jonathon Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky little humor book from 1968 that doesn’t take itself seriously. Some parts are genuinely funny, like the over-the-top advice to shout “Mangia! Mangia!” at every meal or demand your barber “cut it like last time” even if it’s your first visit. But a lot of the jokes feel outdated now, and there’s some rude language that doesn’t land well today. Overall, it’s charming and I laughed a fair bit throughout the entire book.

Che vuoi di più dalla vita?

[Magnus Skallagrimsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with this book. My Dad received it as a gift - twice - when he went to work in Vancouver’s Little Italy. One was from former, non-Italian co-workers, the other was from his then new Italian co-workers. My rating is based more on the affection I have for those later co-workers who were a large part of my co-workers.

[Jason Bernardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Some people achieve greatness. Others have it thrust upon them. Then there are those… who are born Italian!” I put together an 8 minute monologue with passages from this book and performed it at high school speech tournaments winning several first place trophies. That was a long time ago, but I still remember this as a very funny book!

[Nora]

funny with many relatable recollections

[Kaarel Aadli · Rating 4 out of 5]

mõned viited popkultuurile olid vananenud aga muidu puhas kuld. lugesin raamatupoes ühe pauguga läbi. bänger.

[Anthony Milano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously, reading alongside my Italian grandparents remains a treasured memory. The stereotypes play on those prevalent in the 1950s.

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

How To Be an Italian
D'Angelo, Lou
funny look at italian culture and image