You Are Lucky, Luciano

The Story of Luciano J. Iorizzo

By: Luciano J. Iorizzo

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Luciano Iorizzo's autobiography has, at its core, a message of hope and optimism. It is a story that begins at a time, the early 1930's, and in a place, Brooklyn, where everyday life in the rough and tumble Italian ghetto cancelled the aspirations of many a talented and intelligent youth. As his life takes shape, page after page, Luciano takes you from the hardscrabble streets of Park Slope during the Depression to army life overseas, to the stateside world of providing for his young family while pursuing a college degree, and finally, to the quiet roads of a sleepy college town in upper New York State. What begins in the ethnic confines of his Italian heritage grows through experiences very alien to that culture. He balances his identity as an Italian-American with his desire to pursue his talents in dancing, music, teaching, research, and writing. He perseveres.In this powerful narrative, he documents difficulties which could have driven him to bitterness or despair, but effected the opposite. The journey is long, often unpredictable, always memorable, but never boring. The book calls us to question our own world view as we ask ourselves, "How would I have reacted?" In a world that is bereft of hope, seeking the message that bad can be turned to good, this book chronicles the life of a man filled with the love of God and family, with humor, with dedication to scholarship and with the belief in the value of hard work. It sends a resounding affirmation of the resilience of the human spirit. - Maria Libretti Franzetti