Description: A thorough exploration of the influence of a traditional skill of the Italian diaspora
Brief description: Edvige Giunta is professor of English at New Jersey City University. She is the author of Writing with an Accent: Contemporary Italian American Women Authors and coeditor of Teaching Italian American Literature, Film, and Popular Culture, Italian American Writers on New Jersey: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose, and The Milk of Almonds: Italian American Women Writers on Food and Culture.
Review Quotes: Embroidered Stories is a glorious collection of stories by great Italian American writers with a firsthand interest, passion, and knowledge of the art created by our foremothers with a needle and thread. These artisans, the women in our families, created magnificent art on fabric, whether it was a sampler of the alphabet, delicate lace, colorful cutwork, shimmering beadwork, or the detail work on sumptuous gowns and costumes. To this day, somewhere buried deep in an attic trunk or a drawer in a spare bedroom, you will find examples of their artistry. You may find a simple nightgown with an inlaid lace placket, or a wedding gown with delicate seed pearls set in gold leaves sewn by hand--and when you do, you will know the story behind the craft. This collection is a treasure of all that is sacred and dear, the unsung women in our lives who made the world more beautiful with their talents.--Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker's Wife