What do you think?
Rate this book
An Unforgettable Pastime
It is 1961, a father must continue his daunting task of supporting his family of thirteen. Unable to continue in his current full-time position, the decision is made to acquire a barbeque restaurant, within a neighborhood inside of North St. Louis, Mo. His son, Michael, is the eighth child inside a family of five boys and five girls. Willingly, he decides to spend all the weekends, and summer months at the restaurant, to be near his father. Segregation around the restaurant has come to an end. Integration of the black community is slowly beginning to increase within the neighborhood. Michael suddenly realizes the difficulties and challenges the family encounters in keeping the restaurant open and still profitable.
The story delves into the history of this Italian-American family and some of the noteworthy events that helped to shape this family's incredible bond of faith and love. Along the way, Michael comes upon a cast of characters from the restaurant throughout his tales of adventure. Baseball seems to be the one constant theme which unceasingly weaves its way through his life. Above all of this, is the deeply shared personal relationship with his father.
The author uses his own style of Cathartic writing to capture and reveal some of the emotional depths of happiness, sadness, and even tragic difficulties we all face in life.
Memories. We collect and lock them away. Every so often, we take them out and look them over. If we do it enough times, these memories become unforgettable. This may be no different than the things that we collect; stamps, coins, collector cards, paintings, dolls, or whatever. The collection of these things is considered a hobby. Pastime is defined as an activity done for enjoyment, a hobby. It has been said that baseball is the great American Pastime. If so, then is it possible to consider memories, "An Unforgettable Pastime?" In honor of our Great American Pastime, and metaphorically speaking, this book was encapsulated inside of a single baseball game.
Near the end of this journey, you are welcome to decide for yourself on the author's proposal to his readers about memories.
The story delves into the history of this Italian-American family and some of the noteworthy events that helped to shape this family's incredible bond of faith and love. Along the way, Michael comes upon a cast of characters from the restaurant throughout his tales of adventure. Baseball seems to be the one constant theme which unceasingly weaves its way through his life. Above all of this, is the deeply shared personal relationship with his father.
The author uses his own style of Cathartic writing to capture and reveal some of the emotional depths of happiness, sadness, and even tragic difficulties we all face in life.
Memories. We collect and lock them away. Every so often, we take them out and look them over. If we do it enough times, these memories become unforgettable. This may be no different than the things that we collect; stamps, coins, collector cards, paintings, dolls, or whatever. The collection of these things is considered a hobby. Pastime is defined as an activity done for enjoyment, a hobby. It has been said that baseball is the great American Pastime. If so, then is it possible to consider memories, "An Unforgettable Pastime?" In honor of our Great American Pastime, and metaphorically speaking, this book was encapsulated inside of a single baseball game.
Near the end of this journey, you are welcome to decide for yourself on the author's proposal to his readers about memories.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2023
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 21, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed An Unforgettable Pastime. It brought me back to my own Italian roots in Brooklyn,NY in the same era. The book takes place in St. Louis and details a large Italian family's adventures running a restaurant in the 1960s but mostly about family's deep love for one another. In these times of broken families it's heartwarming to read of a family with such a deep commitment to each other but yet not a sappy portrayal. Very entertaining.
January 22, 2024
Family matters
I enjoyed reading Mike Vitale's book. He gives a lot of interesting background on St. Louis and the baseball Cardinals and growing up in an Italian family that owns a restaurant in the 60’s. :-)
I enjoyed reading Mike Vitale's book. He gives a lot of interesting background on St. Louis and the baseball Cardinals and growing up in an Italian family that owns a restaurant in the 60’s. :-)
January 1, 2024
Delightful, witty and touching portrayal of a large Italian family whose patriarch struggles to keep the family restaurant profitable amid the changing racial and social economic decline of the surrounding neighborhood. Set in St. Louis in the early 60’s, this nostalgic memoir recalls the final glory days of the old Sportsmen’s Park, the racial tensions erupting in its urban community and how one man and his family would somehow be transformed by it all.
February 8, 2024
This wonderful trip down memory lane is a lovingly crafted testament to family, parental devotion, determination, and strength, and St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
An Unforgettable Pastime by first-time author Michael Anthony Vitale is a loving memoir of his early life growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1960s in a large, close-knit Catholic Italian-American family. Not only is it a step back in time and perfect for readers of the Baby Boomer generation, it is a testament to faith, family, parental devotion, determination, and strength as the Vitales navigate the turbulent waters of the times to keep body and soul together in a quickly declining neighborhood.
The author is the eighth of ten children, five boys and five girls, born to parents Vince and Lena Vitale, and he vividly recounts his memories of growing up surrounded by family and love. I instantly felt his admiration for his parents as he detailed their struggles, sacrifices, and successes as they strived to make the best life they could for their large brood. Through it all, they instilled the high moral principles they held to and a strong work ethic, all the tools they felt their children needed for a successful future. What these parents and children accomplished, the sheer effort they put in daily, is amazing, especially looking back over a more than 60-year time buffer. As I read, I appreciated every restaurant workday, every floor cleaned, every effort to keep the children in Catholic school, and every family wedding.I enjoyed how the author cleverly laid out the years of his story as if they were the innings of a baseball game: each year, one inning. As a contemporary of the author, I could completely relate to baseball's role in our daily lives back then. Every child in the neighborhood, boys and girls, would converge on the large empty lot to play and compare the latest "best" glove or bat, and baseball was enjoyed by radio.
Vitale's writing style is conversational and easy to read, though there was a little repetition of thoughts at times, and, on occasion, events were related out of order, making for a little confusion down the way. I was quickly drawn to his story and the memories of his childhood. The behind-the-scenes look into this family's restaurant business was fascinating and eye-opening as to what all is involved, not to mention the impact the transitioning neighborhood had on their success. Young Michael's devotion to his family, especially his father, was heartwarming, and how he wrote about them caused me to feel like I knew each individual personally. I was delighted the author ended with a summary of where his siblings are today and included family snapshots of himself, his parents and siblings, and his grandparents.AN UNFORGETTABLE PASTIME is a wonderfully satisfying step back in time and a loving tribute to hard-working parents and strong families.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.
March 1, 2024
In “An Unforgettable Pastime,” Michael Anthony Vitale writes about how his family’s enduring love, faith, kinship, and tenacity motivated them to live honorable and prosperous lives.
His father was an exceptional man who would go above and beyond to support his wife, mother-in-law, and their ten children. Conversely, his spouse Lena had been adopted and had grown up unaware of her identity or place of birth. The author, who was also her eighth child, believed that having many children might have been her escape from the chronic loneliness she had experienced since childhood.
To accommodate the expanding demands of the family, Anthony’s parents bought a restaurant. However, as soon as the family’s expectations were raised, the majority of white middle-class customers started to leave the area, to be replaced by people with lower incomes. Because the family could not afford to cut back on the income, the father was compelled to make a difficult choice that the other family members disagreed with. He was unaware, though, of how much more work would be required to alter the current situation.
In order to help readers grasp the ideas of perseverance, selflessness, and unity, this engrossing book vividly depicts the highs, lows and triumphs of the author’s family. Regarding his father’s philosophy of life, the author is brutally honest. He shares in detail with readers the facts of his challenging life, which raises the question of how much pain he could possibly bear before his efforts were rewarded.
The reader is kept in suspense throughout this gripping and inspirational story. It primarily centers on parents who will stop at nothing to give their kids the best and who make a concerted effort to teach them to work hard. The ten children are honored in the epilogue, which also describes how their lives “miraculously” turned around during the previous fifty years and beyond. “An Unforgettable Pastime” by Michael Anthony Vitale is not a feel-good narrative, but a profoundly moving story that will increase your own sense of commitment and love for your family. Readers of all ages can enjoy it, as can lovers of family literature.
His father was an exceptional man who would go above and beyond to support his wife, mother-in-law, and their ten children. Conversely, his spouse Lena had been adopted and had grown up unaware of her identity or place of birth. The author, who was also her eighth child, believed that having many children might have been her escape from the chronic loneliness she had experienced since childhood.
To accommodate the expanding demands of the family, Anthony’s parents bought a restaurant. However, as soon as the family’s expectations were raised, the majority of white middle-class customers started to leave the area, to be replaced by people with lower incomes. Because the family could not afford to cut back on the income, the father was compelled to make a difficult choice that the other family members disagreed with. He was unaware, though, of how much more work would be required to alter the current situation.
In order to help readers grasp the ideas of perseverance, selflessness, and unity, this engrossing book vividly depicts the highs, lows and triumphs of the author’s family. Regarding his father’s philosophy of life, the author is brutally honest. He shares in detail with readers the facts of his challenging life, which raises the question of how much pain he could possibly bear before his efforts were rewarded.
The reader is kept in suspense throughout this gripping and inspirational story. It primarily centers on parents who will stop at nothing to give their kids the best and who make a concerted effort to teach them to work hard. The ten children are honored in the epilogue, which also describes how their lives “miraculously” turned around during the previous fifty years and beyond. “An Unforgettable Pastime” by Michael Anthony Vitale is not a feel-good narrative, but a profoundly moving story that will increase your own sense of commitment and love for your family. Readers of all ages can enjoy it, as can lovers of family literature.
January 31, 2024
I was asked to read this book by a friend of mine, four pages into it, I realized this was not like the books that I usually read. There was not very much dialogue. I really didn’t know how to tackle it. But by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked. This book leads you down a road that speaks of struggles, trials, and a family bond that can’t be broken.
It is the story of an Italian family in a new country with only their wits and love for each other, bonding together to succeed in an ever-changing environment. The ability to bounce back, with a can-do attitude amazed me. It tells of a traditional family that thought nothing of handing part of their paycheck over to their father each week, putting family above the individual self.
It made me yearn for a time when things were simpler, when kids could play outside without fear and families really were a unit. You could feel the respect that the children had for their parents and the parents’ guidance, support, and respect for their children-something that is so hard to find today. They prepared their children for life. Not to mention, it made me wish I could have walked to the ballpark to catch a St Louis Cardinal ballgame. This book will slow you down, get you thinking, and leave you wanting more. Looking forward to seeing more from this author.
It is the story of an Italian family in a new country with only their wits and love for each other, bonding together to succeed in an ever-changing environment. The ability to bounce back, with a can-do attitude amazed me. It tells of a traditional family that thought nothing of handing part of their paycheck over to their father each week, putting family above the individual self.
It made me yearn for a time when things were simpler, when kids could play outside without fear and families really were a unit. You could feel the respect that the children had for their parents and the parents’ guidance, support, and respect for their children-something that is so hard to find today. They prepared their children for life. Not to mention, it made me wish I could have walked to the ballpark to catch a St Louis Cardinal ballgame. This book will slow you down, get you thinking, and leave you wanting more. Looking forward to seeing more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews