Besides Pasta Two, My Middle Years

Besides Pasta Two, My Middle Years covers high school, college, medical school, internship, residency, military service, practice as a family doctor, and the beginning of my academic career. Family life throughout that period is an integral part of the narrative. The memoir is not a homogenous blend of joyous events, although there were many, but one where the loss of loved ones at a young age, the support and sacrifices of family, outstanding teachers, and the support of a loving wife, imbued me with the energy and determination to pursue my dreams.

In Besides Pasta / My Early Years, I recounted my life experiences through a child’s eyes and voice to portray events as I saw them, in my innocence and limited understanding. My mother is thirty-four. She has been separated from my father for four years. The nation is in the midst of the Great Depression. She supports her seven children from a part-time sewing job and a meager Relief check.