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Innocent War: Nino Series
HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL 2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Number 16 On the Cyrus Webb's Conversations Book Club Top 50 Non-Fiction Titles for 2009
Based on the taped memoirs Susan Violante received from Nino, her father, Innocent War is a boy's adventure showing a child's point of view through the war's hardships, dangers, and tragedies, combined with his own humor, innocence, and awakening as he grows up. Join Susan as she gets to know her father, and finds herself within the family she thought she knew.
Number 16 On the Cyrus Webb's Conversations Book Club Top 50 Non-Fiction Titles for 2009
Based on the taped memoirs Susan Violante received from Nino, her father, Innocent War is a boy's adventure showing a child's point of view through the war's hardships, dangers, and tragedies, combined with his own humor, innocence, and awakening as he grows up. Join Susan as she gets to know her father, and finds herself within the family she thought she knew.
184 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2009
4 people want to read
About the author
Susan Violante
8 books6 followers Official Biography
Born and raised in Venezuela from Italian immigrants, Susan completed a BA degree in Political and Administrative Cs. before moving to the US.
Although she has built a career as a Business Analyst / Accountant, she also has kept herself active as a Freelance writer in the US.
Susan nows writes full time from her Texas home while working part-time in the publishing Industry as an Editorial Assistant; helping other writers accomplish their goals.
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Growing up under WWII Italian survivors was not easy. For Susan, the hardest part was the feeling of alienation as she desperate tried to relate to her parents to no avail. Through the years Susan was able to relate with her mother, but her father remained an enigma until one day he gave her five tapes containing his memoirs.
Based on Ninos first tape, Innocent War is a boys adventure, showing a childs point of view through the wars hardships, dangers, and tragedies, combined with his own humor, innocence and awakening as he grows up. Join Susan as she gets to know her father, and finds herself within the family she thought she knew.
"
Born and raised in Venezuela from Italian immigrants, Susan completed a BA degree in Political and Administrative Cs. before moving to the US.
Although she has built a career as a Business Analyst / Accountant, she also has kept herself active as a Freelance writer in the US.
Susan nows writes full time from her Texas home while working part-time in the publishing Industry as an Editorial Assistant; helping other writers accomplish their goals.
******************************
Growing up under WWII Italian survivors was not easy. For Susan, the hardest part was the feeling of alienation as she desperate tried to relate to her parents to no avail. Through the years Susan was able to relate with her mother, but her father remained an enigma until one day he gave her five tapes containing his memoirs.
Based on Ninos first tape, Innocent War is a boys adventure, showing a childs point of view through the wars hardships, dangers, and tragedies, combined with his own humor, innocence and awakening as he grows up. Join Susan as she gets to know her father, and finds herself within the family she thought she knew.
"
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 7, 2009
This review originally published at Bookpleasures.com
Innocent War is not so much about war as it is about family, hope, love, and boyhood. If I have to read about war, I’ll pass up historical texts in favor of something more personal, like a civilian memoir. Even better, a memoir through the eyes of a child—let’s say a boy—whose experience of war is something that brings the quality of adventure to his life. Such a book is Innocent War, which tells Nino’s story as an Italian boy during WWII in occupied Libya.
Nino’s remarkable story starts in Tripoli, on the day that Italy declared war on Great Britain and France. Immediately bombs are falling precariously close to Nino’s family. His father gets called into service; food is rationed and dwindling; Nazis are expelling Jewish families. The pace and momentum of the narrative is fast and exciting. With good organization and focus the story chronicles Nino’s family on the move, trying to stay away from the bombs. At each new home, there is peace for a while; then the bombs start again. They have more than their share of close calls. At one especially exciting part they are evacuated by plane to Sicily and have to endure an attack in the air.
The action of the story is balanced well with the heart and spirit of Nino as he discovers and experiences new things. Ordinary occurrences take on significance through his eyes: he fishes for crabs, he bonds with a pet chicken, he laments the lack of girls, and he even strikes a deal with soldiers to shine their shoes in exchange for crackers. A youthful perspective and the urgency of war make even small events appear larger-than-life—like when the neighbor’s camel gets shot by a soldier’s bullet, and each family scrambles for a piece, rejoicing to be able to eat meat that day. As Nino grows up, his perspective changes and he experiences some disillusion with his country at the end of the war. The story ends here, when he is fifteen.
Besides a rushed last chapter that should have been slowed down and brought to an easy stop, the only other weakness is the dialogue, which is apparently a direct translation into English from Italian, so some of it seems stiff. I tried to read it with a melodious Italian accent in my ear, and it helped.
As a grandfather living in Florida, Nino dictated his memories onto cassette for his daughter, Susan Violante. Violante wanted to put his stories in writing as legacy to his grandchildren. Calling this a fictional series based on a true life experience, I gather she took some artistic liberties in order to bring this story to life and she does an excellent job. This is just the first in Nino’s trilogy.
Innocent War is not so much about war as it is about family, hope, love, and boyhood. If I have to read about war, I’ll pass up historical texts in favor of something more personal, like a civilian memoir. Even better, a memoir through the eyes of a child—let’s say a boy—whose experience of war is something that brings the quality of adventure to his life. Such a book is Innocent War, which tells Nino’s story as an Italian boy during WWII in occupied Libya.
Nino’s remarkable story starts in Tripoli, on the day that Italy declared war on Great Britain and France. Immediately bombs are falling precariously close to Nino’s family. His father gets called into service; food is rationed and dwindling; Nazis are expelling Jewish families. The pace and momentum of the narrative is fast and exciting. With good organization and focus the story chronicles Nino’s family on the move, trying to stay away from the bombs. At each new home, there is peace for a while; then the bombs start again. They have more than their share of close calls. At one especially exciting part they are evacuated by plane to Sicily and have to endure an attack in the air.
The action of the story is balanced well with the heart and spirit of Nino as he discovers and experiences new things. Ordinary occurrences take on significance through his eyes: he fishes for crabs, he bonds with a pet chicken, he laments the lack of girls, and he even strikes a deal with soldiers to shine their shoes in exchange for crackers. A youthful perspective and the urgency of war make even small events appear larger-than-life—like when the neighbor’s camel gets shot by a soldier’s bullet, and each family scrambles for a piece, rejoicing to be able to eat meat that day. As Nino grows up, his perspective changes and he experiences some disillusion with his country at the end of the war. The story ends here, when he is fifteen.
Besides a rushed last chapter that should have been slowed down and brought to an easy stop, the only other weakness is the dialogue, which is apparently a direct translation into English from Italian, so some of it seems stiff. I tried to read it with a melodious Italian accent in my ear, and it helped.
As a grandfather living in Florida, Nino dictated his memories onto cassette for his daughter, Susan Violante. Violante wanted to put his stories in writing as legacy to his grandchildren. Calling this a fictional series based on a true life experience, I gather she took some artistic liberties in order to bring this story to life and she does an excellent job. This is just the first in Nino’s trilogy.
January 11, 2010
Reason for Reading: The plot and point of view intrigued me.
Summary: The author received five cassette tapes from her father recording his life story and she has started to turn them into a fictionalized biography of her father's life with this first volume covering young Nino's life from age 10 to 15, years 1940 to 1945. Nino is born in Italy but soon moves with his family to Tripoli in the Italian Colony of Libya. His father is a construction worker and the Italians in the Colony are indoctrinated by Mussolini via the radio and propaganda, children must attend weekly youth meetings. But these people are far removed from Europe, they have no proper understanding of the war, nor how it affects them until the day the radio announces that Italy is at war with France and Britain and simultaneously the town of Tripoli is attacked by French bombers, leaving dead, injured and rubble behind them. This then is the story of an Italian family living in Libya trying to survive in the war torn country told through the eyes of a child.
Comments: Before commenting on the story I must quickly say this first. The book is self-published (not necessarily a bad thing) but really needs editing. There are some typos, many awkward sentences and quite a number of grammatical errors, such as the one that annoyed me the most: the use of the word "on" instead of "in" throughout the book and quite often the reverse as well. 'Nuff said.
The story itself was delightful. Nino and his mother Maria are wonderful, full characters with many layers. This is a very unusual point of view for a World War II story and I really appreciated experiencing it, especially knowing that it is based on fact. The Italians in Libya have no idea why they are suddenly being bombed, then the Italian and Nazi soldiers arrive. The Nazi's immediately intimidate the people and Nino and his family watch in horror as Sarah, their Jewish babysitter's, family is taken away in the night. Having made a prior promise to the mother, Sarah has become their cousin, Rita, from Naples as they keep her in their house. Told through a child's eyes we see the horror, the hardships, the death of war but as a child we also see the adventures a boy can have, the escapades and ideas he comes up with that sometimes benefit the family and sometimes get him in trouble. He is an innocent child living the life he has been given and yet this is also a coming of age story as the boy becomes a man and can discern the truth behind what he sees. As a little boy he sees the Italian soldiers as heroes but when he sees up close and personal on a train how a soldier abuses a man, Nino knows he never wants to be a soldier.
A delightful read which can be harrowing and humourous, heart-wrenching and heart-warming.
Summary: The author received five cassette tapes from her father recording his life story and she has started to turn them into a fictionalized biography of her father's life with this first volume covering young Nino's life from age 10 to 15, years 1940 to 1945. Nino is born in Italy but soon moves with his family to Tripoli in the Italian Colony of Libya. His father is a construction worker and the Italians in the Colony are indoctrinated by Mussolini via the radio and propaganda, children must attend weekly youth meetings. But these people are far removed from Europe, they have no proper understanding of the war, nor how it affects them until the day the radio announces that Italy is at war with France and Britain and simultaneously the town of Tripoli is attacked by French bombers, leaving dead, injured and rubble behind them. This then is the story of an Italian family living in Libya trying to survive in the war torn country told through the eyes of a child.
Comments: Before commenting on the story I must quickly say this first. The book is self-published (not necessarily a bad thing) but really needs editing. There are some typos, many awkward sentences and quite a number of grammatical errors, such as the one that annoyed me the most: the use of the word "on" instead of "in" throughout the book and quite often the reverse as well. 'Nuff said.
The story itself was delightful. Nino and his mother Maria are wonderful, full characters with many layers. This is a very unusual point of view for a World War II story and I really appreciated experiencing it, especially knowing that it is based on fact. The Italians in Libya have no idea why they are suddenly being bombed, then the Italian and Nazi soldiers arrive. The Nazi's immediately intimidate the people and Nino and his family watch in horror as Sarah, their Jewish babysitter's, family is taken away in the night. Having made a prior promise to the mother, Sarah has become their cousin, Rita, from Naples as they keep her in their house. Told through a child's eyes we see the horror, the hardships, the death of war but as a child we also see the adventures a boy can have, the escapades and ideas he comes up with that sometimes benefit the family and sometimes get him in trouble. He is an innocent child living the life he has been given and yet this is also a coming of age story as the boy becomes a man and can discern the truth behind what he sees. As a little boy he sees the Italian soldiers as heroes but when he sees up close and personal on a train how a soldier abuses a man, Nino knows he never wants to be a soldier.
A delightful read which can be harrowing and humourous, heart-wrenching and heart-warming.
July 30, 2009
About the book:
It is 1940. The dawn of Italy’s WWII for the Italian colonies of Libya has arrived. Young Nino woke up to his regular routine; but by the end of the day, his life would have changed into a nightmare – but through Nino’s eyes, it was an adventure. Follow a boy’s exploits, through a child’s innocent view of the war’s hardships, dangers, and tragedies. Accompany him as he shares his growing up years, spiced up with Nino’s humor, innocence, and awakening. And more experiences are about to be unraveled as he continues his story…
Personal histories have always been compelling to me. There is no need to fictionalize anything: the drama of real life experiences is enough. Nino Assenza's story is told as his daughter listens to his life history, as he has recorded it on audio tapes. His story begins as Italy enters World War 2 and Nino is a young boy living in the Italian colonies in Libya.
Nino tells how the excitement of war turns to the fear for survival: seeing his father called to the front lines, daily bombings, losing his childhood friends to death, seeing the Jewish families taken away and scavenging for food. Through it all, his mother's faith and determination to persevere keeps her family safe and together. Like all curious young boys, Nino finds adventures, even as the world is changing around him.
Fascinating and compelling. I read it in a couple of hours. The opening prologue is a bit awkward to read because of its mixture of tenses, but the story really moves once we begin reading Nino's first person narrative. I learned a great deal about the history of the time, from a perspective most Americans don't ever hear. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can easily recommend it.
From my understanding, this is the first in a fictionalized series written by Nino's daughter Susan and is based on his historical experiences. I look forward to learning the rest of Nino's story.
It is 1940. The dawn of Italy’s WWII for the Italian colonies of Libya has arrived. Young Nino woke up to his regular routine; but by the end of the day, his life would have changed into a nightmare – but through Nino’s eyes, it was an adventure. Follow a boy’s exploits, through a child’s innocent view of the war’s hardships, dangers, and tragedies. Accompany him as he shares his growing up years, spiced up with Nino’s humor, innocence, and awakening. And more experiences are about to be unraveled as he continues his story…
Personal histories have always been compelling to me. There is no need to fictionalize anything: the drama of real life experiences is enough. Nino Assenza's story is told as his daughter listens to his life history, as he has recorded it on audio tapes. His story begins as Italy enters World War 2 and Nino is a young boy living in the Italian colonies in Libya.
Nino tells how the excitement of war turns to the fear for survival: seeing his father called to the front lines, daily bombings, losing his childhood friends to death, seeing the Jewish families taken away and scavenging for food. Through it all, his mother's faith and determination to persevere keeps her family safe and together. Like all curious young boys, Nino finds adventures, even as the world is changing around him.
Fascinating and compelling. I read it in a couple of hours. The opening prologue is a bit awkward to read because of its mixture of tenses, but the story really moves once we begin reading Nino's first person narrative. I learned a great deal about the history of the time, from a perspective most Americans don't ever hear. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can easily recommend it.
From my understanding, this is the first in a fictionalized series written by Nino's daughter Susan and is based on his historical experiences. I look forward to learning the rest of Nino's story.
March 26, 2014
Innocent War is a biographical coming of age of an Italian boy living in war torn Tripoli durning the second world war. Based on tapes given to the author by her father, it recounts day to day life for a family caught in a cataclysmic event. Nino, his parents, and his baby sister live as expats in a tiny colony in Tripoli. The war's impact begins when Nino's father is drafted to build a trench to protect them from the allies. Life continues, but changes interrupt the sleepy existence. The Jewish population is forced to wear identifying patches, bombing begin to disrupt the night. Slowly, the war ravages their home, carpet bombings destroy and kill their neighbors. Italian Jews are taken from their homes. Nino can't understand what makes them different,he has been taught that religion doesn't define nationality. His mother risks their lives by hiding a young Jewish friend. Soon enough, his mother is fed up with their precarious existence and courageously leaves town to find her husband on the front lines. This is a story about survival. Strong, smart, and brave, Nino's mother is not afraid to protect her family, finding ways to move them to safety, and insure that they would not starve. Nino and his family are not connected to the politics that fed the war, and learn that they too have become the pawns as well of the victims of twisted ideologies. Nino grows from boy to young man, learning to question not only God, but the intention of the political machine, finally understanding that all the propaganda was as wasteful as the lives lost in the chasm called World War 2.
March 12, 2012
Imagine been close to your father and mother and not really knowing what life they had endured. Then one day your father gives you some tapes that have recorded his life, what an eye opener and this is what happened to the author.
The story begins in Tripoli in 1940 and war has just been declared, being Italian nationals it is not long before 'Papa' is called up to serve his country. This leads to 'Mama', Nino AND Gino left behind to fend for themselves. As the bombings arrive in Tripoli 'Mama' makes the decision to move and try and find 'Papa' taking the family on an adventure........Once reunited with 'Papa' the family are settled until the German's arrive and force them to be moved to Sicily where they stayed until the end of the war.
The facts and events which are described and related by the young Nino are fantastic. Having to step up to be the man of the house when his dad is called up, the antics and capers he has to endure in order to help his mother and sister survive are remarkable. Even though the whole world is at war, he is oblivious to this and sees his life as an adventure.
This is a really enjoyable book to read, the atmosphere and places described come alive and every scene can be envisaged in your mind. I am really looking forward to the following books in the series to find out what happens to Nino and what further adventures he had. The author has even produced products relating to the book.
The story begins in Tripoli in 1940 and war has just been declared, being Italian nationals it is not long before 'Papa' is called up to serve his country. This leads to 'Mama', Nino AND Gino left behind to fend for themselves. As the bombings arrive in Tripoli 'Mama' makes the decision to move and try and find 'Papa' taking the family on an adventure........Once reunited with 'Papa' the family are settled until the German's arrive and force them to be moved to Sicily where they stayed until the end of the war.
The facts and events which are described and related by the young Nino are fantastic. Having to step up to be the man of the house when his dad is called up, the antics and capers he has to endure in order to help his mother and sister survive are remarkable. Even though the whole world is at war, he is oblivious to this and sees his life as an adventure.
This is a really enjoyable book to read, the atmosphere and places described come alive and every scene can be envisaged in your mind. I am really looking forward to the following books in the series to find out what happens to Nino and what further adventures he had. The author has even produced products relating to the book.
March 15, 2012
What an interesting and engrossing story! I am an avid reader but this story interested me so much that I read it in one evening. The author, Susan Violante, has done what a lot of children wish they had – she was able to get her father to make recordings about his life so she could transcribe them and learn more about his past. A parents’ life can sometimes go untold primarily due to a lack of conversation, so these recordings are such a gift. As Susan begins to listen to the tapes, she realizes that it is a story that should be told.
What makes this book so interesting is that it chronicles a families struggle through WWII, and it is told from the standpoint of her father Nino when he was a small child. I really loved that the story is told by an older man, yet through the eyes of a young boy. The description of Ninos home and the sounds of war were so vivid you almost feel like you were there. This is what makes for a great read as far as I’m concerned!
I really love anything that has to do with history, and especially WWII, so I was surprised that I learned so much more about it from this book. Not only is this book enjoyable to read, but it is also educational.
I can’t even imagine what Nino must have gone through or witnessed during that time in his life, but this book really brings to life the struggles he must have endured. I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series!
What makes this book so interesting is that it chronicles a families struggle through WWII, and it is told from the standpoint of her father Nino when he was a small child. I really loved that the story is told by an older man, yet through the eyes of a young boy. The description of Ninos home and the sounds of war were so vivid you almost feel like you were there. This is what makes for a great read as far as I’m concerned!
I really love anything that has to do with history, and especially WWII, so I was surprised that I learned so much more about it from this book. Not only is this book enjoyable to read, but it is also educational.
I can’t even imagine what Nino must have gone through or witnessed during that time in his life, but this book really brings to life the struggles he must have endured. I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series!
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July 29, 2016What an incredible story Nino, Susan's father had during WWII and the struggles the family sought thereafter. She was able to depict his emotions so great and really made you feel what he was feeling at the time. This story touched me even more because I feel I have a similiar relationship with both my parents who also came from a foreign country and struggled to get to where they are. It wasn't until I was much older that I could fully understand the hardships they endured which is what seems to have happened to Susan
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews