Italian Literature Book Group: Memoirs of a Fortunate Jew

The focus of the book group is fiction and non-fiction; books written by Italian authors (in translation); books written by any author, set in Italy, and books about Italy. It’s a large set, but one book generally leads in the direction of the next, so we won’t feel discombobulated. The moderator of the book club is Connie Bertuca, former high school English teacher, lover of books and Italian travel, and perpetual Italian 2 student.

 📚 The March  Book Selection  — Memoirs of a Fortunate Jew by Dan Vittorio Segre

“I was probably less than five years old when my father fired a shot at my head.” From this first line, Dan Vittorio Segre’s memoir moves from one startling turning point to the next. The child of aristocratic parents, Segre fled Fascist Italy and Mussolini’s anti-Semitic laws only to be thrust into the pioneering culture of Palestine, completely unprepared for the dangers of life in Israel during World War II. Beautifully narrated, Memoirs of a Fortunate Jewis an ironic, philosophical meditation on the historical reverberations of the twentieth century.   “Taut and illuminating . . . memorable . . . written with the humility of he who confesses himself and with the honesty of he who bore witness.”—Primo Levi

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*the size of the group is limited to 10 members.  If you are not yet a paid member of Dante, sign-up here.  

Questions about Book Club? You can message Connie at bertuca@cruzio.com