Historic Fiction – The saga of four generations of an Italian Family and their Journey to America to find the American dream.
Written in the tradition of Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923. Great literature about the Ellis Island immigration experience.
Contact Us-Click Link Below
Contact Us-Click Link Below
The book is finally here.
This site dedicated to a newly published novel. Action, humor, culture, travel, and love. The book has a little something for everyone. Click the following link to our facebook blog. https://www.facebook.com/groups/266968288995818
What's it About?
1876-A pregnant Sicilian widow fears her unborn baby will starve to death under the conditions of poverty she lives in. On the night of its birth, she sneaks her way in the dark of night and abandons the newborn at the village convent to be raised by the nuns. That child name Carlo Bonafede becomes the patriarch of a family that journeys to America to find a better life.
A Brooklyn Tale – A Story as Rich as the American Dream Itself
From Southern Italy to the Streets of Brooklyn... One Family’s Journey Through Hardship, Heart, and Hope
Spanning continents and generations, A Brooklyn Tale is a sweeping novel that captures the gritty spirit of immigrant life and the warmth of family love. Based on true events, this heartfelt story follows the Ladolcetta family from their Italian roots to the bustling neighborhoods of post-war Brooklyn—through poverty, prejudice, childhood pranks, first loves, and faith that never wavers.
🍝 Laugh at rooftop mischief and youthful adventures
❤️ Feel the pulse of a wartime romance
🗽 Witness the rise of a family who turned nothing into everything
Perfect for fans of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, and The Godfather—but told with more heart and homemade lasagna.
👉 Available now in hardback, paperback, and eBook. Published by Point Verde Press.
📚 Order your copy today and take a walk through history—one story, one generation at a time.
introducing the author, Don Ladolcetta
Table of Contents
A Brooklyn Tale
Chapter 1 The Foundling
A newborn Sicilian child is abandoned at a convent in 1876. He is named Bonafede.
Chapter 2 The Young Apprentice
Seven years later the orphanage turns that child, Carlo Bonafede, over to a businessman to be an apprentice at a barrel factory.
Chapter 3 The Sailor
In the year 1900, A sailor and family man from Calabria, named Matteo Ladolcetta, decides to move his family to America to find a better life.
Chapter 4 The First Immigrant
That same year, Matteo arrives alone in New York and begins the long hard process of raising enough money to acquire passage so he can bring the rest of the family to America.
Chapter 5 Ellis Island
It is 1907, and seven years have passed before Matteo Ladolcetta could raise enough money and send for his family. The Ladolcetta family finally arrives at Ellis Island to begin their assimilation to America.
Chapter 6 Antonio in America
Antonio Ladolcetta, the fourteen year old son of the Matteo, experiences life in the Italian tenements of Brooklyn in 1909.
Chapter 7 The Sicilian Earthquake
Carlo Bonafede, the barrel maker apprentice is now 33 years old with a family. In 1909, Sicily experiences a horrendous earthquake that changes the Bonafede family lives forever.
Chapter 8 An Atlantic Voyage in Steerage
The Bonafede family takes a difficult voyage in 1912 across the Atlantic Ocean to join other family in America.
Chapter 9 Life in the Tenements – Brooklyn 1915
The Bonafede family struggle with poverty and the challenges of Life in their American homeland. The Bonafede and Ladolcetta families become friends,
Chapter 10 Finding Their Way
In 1916 the Bonafede family continue the difficult effort of embracing life in their American surroundings.
Chapter 11 The Depression
Anthony Ladolcetta is now grown up and married to Barnaba Bonafede. Together the two of them face the challenges of poverty and hunger during the great depression that began in 1929.
Chapter 12 The Candy Store or Speakeasy 1932-1932
The young Ladolcetta family fights back hard against the depression by opening a candy store and dealing with the criminal underworld.
A collection of family photos.
The center of the book has a collection of photos, with captions, of the family members that are mentioned in the novel.
Chapter 13 Coney Island 1932
Anthony Ladolcetta brings his whole family for a Sunday visit packed with fun to Coney Island. Anthony’s son Matty begins to develop a mischievous personality and his position within the novel begins to develop.
Chapter 14 Bocce in The Park
Young Matty Ladolcetta spends time in the park watching his loving Grandfather Matteo Ladolcetta play bocce in the park in 1932.
Chapter 15 A Death in The Family
Tragedy strikes the Ladolcetta family that same year.
Chapter 16 The Funeral
An Italian wake and funeral is a unique experience.
Chapter 17 Trouble In School
Young Matty continues to develop his personality and we get to experience his hijinks in 1936.
Chapter 18 Prank on the Roof
Matty and his pal cause havoc on the Brooklyn brownstone rooftops that same year.
Chapter 19 A New Enterprise
Matty and his pals discover a goldmine and go to work making money in 1936.
Chapter 20 Senior Summer
Its 1941 and Matty and the gang experience summer fun swimming in the East River.
Chapter 21 Chicken Armageddon
On the same day as the summer swimming, Matty faces the end times for a chicken.
Chapter 22 Matty Goes To War
In 1944 Matty is called to serve his country in the great war against Nazi Germany. Matty proudly steps up and serves with distinction.
Chapter 23 The Meet Cute
1951 comes quickly and Matty Ladolcetta finds the love of his life.
Chapter 24 The American Family Saga
It took 3 generations but the Ladolcettas are no longer Italian Americans. They are now 100% American and are living the American dream.
Epilogue
This chapter tells the reader where the family is today.
Public Domain Photos
This section contains photos in the public domain depicting scenes from the book
True Tales vs Tall Tales-Appendix
This section comprises the author’s confession box where he explains what parts of the novel are totally true vs. what parts of the novel were figments of the imagination. The figments were created under artistic and theatrical license in order to make the book a more readable piece of literature.
Timeline of Historical and Family Events-Appendix
I created a timeline of actual world events as they collided with family events so the reader can better understand the context of the character development and behavior.
The History of Why Italians Came to America-Appendix
This is a documentary style manuscript delving into the history of world events and how they shaped Italian American lives.
Family Tree-Appendix
This is a who’s who of the characters in the novel.