About Us

by Chester Aaron

Try as we might to deny it, we are in part what our families have made us.

Set under the shadows of the Great Depression and World War II, About Us follows Benny Kahn, youngest of a Jewish family living in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, from his first great disappointment to the moment when he faces the choice of who and what he will become. It is a story of joy and grief, of love and anger, and of a boy who grows to manhood while the world he knows crumbles and falls.

In his first novel, reprinted now after nearly three decades, Chester Aaron’s clear eye leaves hidden neither the triumphs nor the tragedies, the sense nor the madness that are inevitable when human dreams and fears collide.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Chester Aaron was a prolific American author for both children and adults, and wrote novels, stories, and memoirs. Born in 1923 in the coal-mining town of Butler, Pennsylvania, he was educated at Butler Senior High School, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State University. He saw combat in World War II, and was with the troops that liberated Dachau. Following publication of his first novel in 1967, he was an x-ray technician at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, CA. He joined the faculty at Saint Mary’s College, retiring as a full professor in 1997. For twenty-five years he cultivated ninety varieties of exotic garlic on his farm in Sonoma County, becoming a world-renowned expert, and publishing a number of books on the subject. He died in 2019.

Reviews

[Shelfari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book! Initially, it was hard to be part of Giovanna's world and some parts about the criminals were confusing. But gradually, I wanted to know what happened. Perhaps, I wanted more story...I saw the book as divided in two parts. First Giovanna and Nunzio's love. Then, her life with Rocco, 3 step kids and her search for the kidnapped (by Black Hand) Angelina. The family tree disclosed Giovanna would eventually marry again. I liked how Fabiano's story comes from her real life, how it's about Italian acculturation in America, and how it switches to present life and that to four generations ago. Fav Quote: Senora Lucrezia, the doctor and midwife in NY, tells Giovanna, "When people love each other, they always find each other in the end."

[Rich Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1957 book concerns a Jewish family in a rural town near Butler PA. I picked this up after reading a very good excerpt in From These Hills, From These Valleys. It reads as a history or autobiography in tone, no overarching plot from start to finish, episodic, coming of age, losing religious roots, an interesting glimpse into southwestern PA in the 1930s.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not of Italian ancestry but what a great book! I loved Giovanna, such a brave strong woman. Enjoyed this story of Italian imigrants.

[Geri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This moving book is both shocking and lovely; an unvarnished yet stirring look at life in rural Pennsylvania.