Growing Up with a Crazy Italian Mother

About the Book

This book is about an immigrant woman and her youngest son. Christina, from Calabria, Italy, came to America in an arranged marriage, experiencing the immigrant life in a strange land, and coping with the shame and degradation of mental illness. Through her strong will and determination, she rose from the despair of poverty to become a woman who owned and rented many properties. Christina's son, Tony, struggled to understand her inconsistent love and paranoid delusions. Influenced by her strengths and weaknesses, he developed from a frightened boy to a juvenile delinquent, to a serious student, and to a well-known scholar in social work research. Yet, to this day, he has yet to reach maturity in his interpersonal relationships.

About the Author

Tony Tripodi is Dean and Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University. He currently is the Zellerbach Visiting Professor of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, and for the 2006?2007 academic year will be the Visiting Moses Professor of Social Work, Hunter College, New York.