When my great-grandmother died in 1978, I was heartbroken. Even at the age of 92, the woman I called Nanny had remained formidable, sharp as the proverbial tack—a character, people always said. I missed her and I had to face…
I was born in the United States, second generation Italian-American on my mother’s side and third generation on my father’s side. I didn’t realize until much later, though, that I was not only an American citizen, but a citizen of…
I grew up in NYC and went to college there, entering in 1969 at age 17 in the midst of what was then nearly unprecedented social and political turmoil. I enrolled in a sociology class because I needed some social…
I’m not particularly superstitious, except perhaps when it comes to New Year’s Eve. I’ve always half believed that whatever you’re doing at the stroke of midnight sets the tone for the coming year. That’s a fairly big burden to place…