This book was amazing. I expected it to read much like a history book, but it is so much more personal than that. I am not sure that it was more special because it was a Goodreads giveaway, but I do not think so. From the beginning the story grabbed me. The author states that this introspective of his family was a way for him to learn what America was, and who Americans were and are. He defines what it means to be American in a way that many people, I think, have forgotten--or maybe never really understood at all. I felt a deep connection to his mother's family, because I remember that I grew up in much the same way, though under different circumstances. I grew up as a child of the '70s, but still on a farm where we picked our own crops and shared the rest; where my grandmother's house would always be filled with the various scents of canning spices and holiday goodness; where my grandfather could be heard coming in from the field--the thump of his boots on the porch, the squeaky screen door, and the squeal of my grandmother when he goosed her lightly and kissed her cheek. This story made me remember sitting on the front porch and watching the old cars slowly go down the road, listening to the crickets and frogs at night, and listening to my grandfather's stories of how HIS grandfather came to America and how much of a blessing it was to live in a place where we could all be ourselves and be what and who we wanted to be.

This book is a reminder that while we may disagree politically, culturally, and religiously, there is always a place for the American dream in America, and we should never forget that we do live in a great country. ( )

This was a bold, bravely honest depiction of how immigrant families of Polish and Italian origin blended to form a first generation American family. I enjoyed every moment of the read. ( )

This book is a gutsy exposé of a Polish immigrant family, its trials, struggles, disagreements and connections. It runs a gamut of issues from mental illness, homosexuality, individualism, marriage, poverty, Catholic religion and success into an interesting chronology of the Godzisz family over the 20th century. Although listed as an independent author, John Paul Godges is an experienced editor and a fine writer. There are many philosophical musings embedded in the text and the pride of the Godges family shines through the clouds of discord.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I won this book thru Library Thing and I am so grateful that I was able to get an autographed copy. I started this book and finished it in one day; I literally could not put it down. The author is one of six very different siblings and the book covers his family ancestry and his childhood. It reminded me of Forrest Gump in a way, showing the family dynamic in relation to the events that were going on in the world at that time. I felt almost as if I was there with the author and really liked his style of writing. This book is so much more than an autobiography, not just your typical blah blah blah, but showing the progression of him and his siblings. My heart went out to him when he was writing about his mentally ill sister, Geri. I can relate to this very much, I have a sister who is mentally ill and I thought the author did a great job in painting the portrait of mental illness. I highly recommend this book and it will make a wonderful addition to my library. ( )

I liked reading this book because I could relate to it. My husbands family came from Poland and Italy and they are Catholics. I would recommend the book but it did take me quite a while to read it. It dealt with topics that happen in real life but people don't want to talk about which was mental illness as well as being gay. It is definitely a book that I would pass on to a friend. ( )