Twisted Head
An Italian American Memoir
by Carl Capotorto
Mem. Ed. $6.99
Pub. Ed. $23.95
You pay $1.00
Twisted Head
What’s in a name? Plenty, if you had the fortune of being born into the Capotorto family in the Italian-American neighborhoods of the Bronx in the ’60s and ’70s. In Italiano, that mouthful of a surname means “Twisted Head”—and that’s exactly what being part of this crazy clan gave young Carl Capotorto.
Nowadays he’s best known as “Little Paulie” on The Sopranos, or as an acclaimed playwright, but back then Carl was just the confused kid of domineering father Vito Capotorto, tyrannical proprietor of Cappi’s Pizza and Sangweech Shoppe. (Their motto, “We Don't Spel Good, Just Cook Nice.”) Even as he learned the true legacy of the Italian-American experience—not crime, but hard work and love of family—from his sprawling clan and hardscrabble upbringing, he struggled with the knowledge that to become who he truly was, he’d have to leave the world he knew behind.
Somewhere between Martin Scorsese and David Sedaris you’ll find Twisted Head, Carl Capotorto’s bittersweet memoir of growing up—and coming out—Italian. Keenly observant, frequently moving and almost always hilarious, it’s an unforgettable saga of fathers and sons, community and identity, served up fresh!
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books/Div. of Random House ( October 10, 2008 )
Item #: 27-1396
ISBN: 9780767928618
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.0 inches
Product Weight: 15.0 ounces
italian delight!
February 08, 2010
ordered this book not knowing it was a story of an actor from the soprano's. the book is a great read for anyone who's of or knows someone of italian heritage! i can smell the sauce, and taste the pasta as the stories relate! growing up in new jersey, i can relate to a lot of carl's growing up. its a great read a must for italian born, raised,related, in laws, or friends of italian heritage. from stories of growing up as an impressionable kid, through family collared adolescence, and on to more serious
adulthood, its a journey worth reading about. i enjoyed the book a lot, and think you will too!
Reviewer: bill b
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