My Father's Daughter, From Rome to Sicily

In this nonfiction memoir, My Father's Daughter From Rome to Sicily, we are captivated by a trilogy travel adventure, with ancient sites of Rome, contrasting the landscape of a picturesque countryside, the seaside villages of Sicily, and olive trees in the valley of Mount Etna. This Novello Literary Award Book Finalist exudes passion, eloquence and heartfelt language. Reader discussion questions are included for book clubs, reading groups and libraries.

Praise For My Father’s Daughter:
“My Father’s Daughter is a meditative travel memoir that speaks to all Baby Boomers in clear voice with new understandings about the past. Syverson takes you on a trip to Italy that renews her sense of self and family–one that creates a longing for more. There are no easy lessons here and through it all she finds a new self through watching her parents. In the process, she revives a passion for life by making the old country new, and finding a place for herself in it all.” ~ Fred Gardaphé, Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies, Queens College/CUNY.

“My Father’s Daughter is a mosaic of travel memoir, identity writing and family stories. Syverson’s stories will resonate with millions of Italian American Baby Boomers who grew up influenced by Italy in their most intimate family relationships.” ~ Kirsten Keppel, Ambassador Magazine, NIAF (National Italian American Federation)

“My Father’s Daughter is a memorable and insightful journey that bridges the past, the present and the future. Going back to the old country with one’s parents - now that’s something many of us dream about or dread . . . or both. Beyond the descriptions of tourist spots, and reconnecting with relatives in hometowns, Gilda Morina Syverson passionately illustrates the beauty and challenges of family.” ~ Licia Canton, editor-in-chief of Accenti Magazine, Montreal, Canada

“Gilda Morina Syverson reaches for bottom and is richly rewarded with renewed love for her family and Sicily, the island of her ancestry. Her multi-layered memoir, part family history and part travelogue is a compelling read. Syverson’s writes from her heart and her honesty and integrity touched mine.” ~ Venera Fazio, past president, Association of Italian Canadian Writers and co-editor of Sweet Lemons 2: International Writings with a Sicilian Accent

“Long after I finished reading this delicious memoir, I could still taste the flavors brought to mind by a story ripe with lush details, bracing wit, and bold pleasures. Embarking on Syverson’s journey is like traveling the world with a treasured friend..” ~ Amy Rogers, author of Hungry for Home: Stories of Food from Across the Carolinas; publisher, Novello Festival Press

“…My Father's Daughter is a pleasure not to be missed, recommended for readers who want both personal observations and experiences and fun cultural interactions under one cover.” ~ Diane Donovan, California Bookwatch

“To read this book is to know that the places we’ve lived, the places we’ve known, the places and people we come from stick with us in ways we don’t always understand. Her work is the stuff of houses and homes and the fixtures they contain, a mapping of experience and how we share it, a way of, as the Syverson herself has put it in her poetry, “seeking our own kind” from wherever we happen to be.” ~ Bryce Emley, Raleigh Review

“My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily, is so rife with Italianate passion and sentiment that I was often spirited away – not just to Rome and Sicily, but to my parents’ kitchen, and the precincts of my past I most cherish.” ~ Joseph Bathanti, North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2012-2014

“Travel south from Rome with Gilda Morina Syverson. Let her show you her ancestral land through the eyes of her closest ancestors, her parents, who travel with her and her husband. It’s a trip well worth taking.” ~ William Martin, New York Times Bestselling Author of Cape Cod and The Lincoln Letter