Accolades

An American Family Sampler:

"Don Mazzella's great curiosity as an historian and great skill as a writer and story teller yields up an intriguing three-book series of three generations of New Jersey families, ranging from the era of contraband smuggling and of slavery in 1814 to the modern complexities of 20th Century Life.  

"There is great insight into family here as well as passion in business and intimate human emotions.  These are compelling volumes with a storyline that spans generations and tells us much about the human spirit at its best and occasionally at its worst too. It is fascinating to see the tale grow from a few small plots in a cemetery to encompass generations of families and more than a century of history."
Robert R. Frump, former Editor in Chief, Merrill Lynch.

Frankie If You Get Hurt I'll Kill You!

"One of the chief lessons in Frankie If You Get Hurt I'll Kill You! is remembering that who we are is both who we were and who our parents and families helped us become.  The stories in this book are funny, poignant, and in many ways timeless because though the world may have changed, the core of the events discussed in this book shape every generation.  Families are complex things, and so are we.  This is a rich history of an immigrant group told from the perspective of one of its members and their life experiences--some typical, some atypical, but there is a story in this book that will resonate with everyone in some way, shape or form."  Joseph A. Valenzano, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Dayton.

Weaving in humor and earthy longing, Frankie if you get hurt I'll Kill You! is a tribute to family, place and the faded traditions that enhanced his boyhood; it’s also a fitting farewell to members of American’s Greatest Generation whose sacrifice and hard work created boundless opportunities for their sons and daughters of all origins.  --Amy Barone, poet and board member of the Italian American Writers Association