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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Philip Caravella's memoir, Americans: The Beautiful, details his family's experiences from World War II to their life in Cleveland. His father, Robert Caravella, served in Europe with the 125th Anti-Aircraft Mobile Artillery Gun Battalion, earning three Bronze Stars, while his brother, Louis Caravella, worked as an aide to General George C. Marshall. The Caravellas, immigrants who faced challenges in separation and adaptation, balanced maintaining Italian traditions with assimilating into American life. The memoir also touches on Cleveland’s sports history, personal family stories, and the experiences of both the Caravella and Franzolino families. Caravella’s account includes his family's life in temporary WWII veterans' housing, their financial practices, and his own academic and professional journey, reflecting on their pursuit of the American Dream.
Philip Caravella does well in situating personal experiences within the larger context of Italian immigrant traditions in Americans: The Beautiful, offering the cultural significance of things like wine-making and the resilience of these traditions. Caravella's inclusion of humor gives the work a lighter tone, allowing readers a glimpse into the everyday life and personalities of himself and his family. I enjoyed Caravella's perspective on broader themes such as education, societal expectations, and the American experience, and how it is impacted by heritage and both individual and collective journeys. The writing is simple and conversational and does have an unpolished feel that lends to its authenticity. Readers who enjoy memoirs on straightforward generational living will enjoy this, but, as a legacy memoir, I think it will be members of Caravella's family who will benefit from it the most and are certain to treasure this compilation of their history for generations to come.
