Amazon Category:  Literary Fiction Publisher: iUniverse ISBN-10:  1450242200 Type: Fiction Pages: 156 Copyright: July 20, 2010 ISBN-13: 9781450242202 Tony Giordano and his father Sammy have had a strained relationship ever since Tony's childhood. Tony recalls his father being truly happy only when he was strumming his cittern, an instrument whose origins are unknown to the family. After moving to America to marry a woman he does not love, resentment and bitterness overtake Sammy, affecting all his relationships. The last six months of Sammy's life lead to a confrontation resulting in a discovery that will impact the entire family. Eighty years of family history are explored in this novel called a "mini tour-de-force" by Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers.

Debut Novel Comes Alive With Sharp Realism
John Cammalleri shows he has a gift for writing dialogue devoid of wasted words. His first novel, “Protecting the Cittern” (iUniverse, $12.95), is loaded with paragraph after paragraph of tight descriptions, earthy dialogue and solid storytelling.

The novel concerns Savino “Sammy” Giordano, who emigrated from Italy to New Jersey around 1947 with the promise of having his own barber shop — his cherished ambition — if he marries the unappealing daughter of an influential friend’s brother.

Locked in a marriage he really does not want, he fathers two beautiful children, yet becomes an angry and inconsiderate head of the household.

What happens to him and the family, as told through the voice of his son, Tony, is the subject of this mini tour de force of the life of an Italian immigrant covering almost 80 years.

A rare old musical instrument, a cittern, holds a surprise ending in this intense family tale.