My Father's Daughter – From Rome to Sicily

My Father's Daughter
277 pages Pages
ISBN 978-1-941859-10-0

In the multi-generational memoir, My Father's Daughter, From Rome to Sicily, our author travels with her Italian-born father, Italian American mother and very-American husband to the villages of her ancestors. This trilogy tale leads the reader through ancient sites of Rome, landscapes of a picturesque countryside, seaside villages of Sicily, olive trees in the valley of Mount Etna, while contrasting an emotional journey between father and daughter.

"Here's what's in store for you: A delightful journey into the heart of Italy, into the heart of this family, into the heart of what it means to be human. My Father’s Daughter is a beautifully crafted, moving, entertaining memoir that will win you over from page one. If five stars is the highest rating, I give this book six.” ~ Judy Goldman, author of the memoir Losing My Sister

My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily, is so rife with Italianate passion and sentiment that I was often spirited away – not just to Rome and Sicily, but to my parents’ kitchen, and the precincts of my past I most cherish. This is a travel book in every sense. Syverson – a savvy, funny, elegant tour guide – expertly escorts us through the gorgeous time-locked terrain of Italy, but also along the often precarious byways of the heart. This book risks everything: its humanity, its courage, its sheer unbridled candor, the moving sweep of its poetic language and its refusal to turn away from the breathtaking mystery of love and ancestry. Bravissimo!” ~ Joseph Bathanti, North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2012-2014

Gilda Morina Syverson

About Gilda Morina Syverson (Charlotte, North Carolina Author)

Gilda Morina Syverson

Gilda Morina Syverson, author, poet, artist, educator, and speaker, was born and raised in a large, Italian-American family in Syracuse, New York. Her heritage is the impetus for her memoir My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily. Gilda’s story was a Novello Literary Award Finalist, a 2015 Nominee for the Ragan Old North State Award for Nonfiction, a 2016 Nominee for Author of the Year for the Artist Guild Award, a 2016 Honorable Mention for the New England Book Festival, the 2017 Runner-Up for Autobiography in the Great Southeast Book Festival, as well as a 2017 Amazon Best Seller.

Gilda received an MFA in Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education from The State University of New York College at Buffalo. In 2004, Gilda became a Healing Touch Practitioner through the Colorado Center for Healing Touch. She has taught in the Creative Arts for over 38 years including memoir classes and workshops for Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Gilda’s award winning poems and prose have appeared in literary journals, magazines and anthologies in the United States and Canada. Her fine art has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally, including her angel drawings and prints now in a number of collections throughout the United States, Canada and Italy.