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In the year 1958, a boy of 4 years of age, following the death of his father, migrated from Italy to Australia with the remaining members of the family. Thus began a series of important events and circumstances that heralded a tumultuous life with Vincenzo having to learn English for schooling and work, facing the fear of God’s punishment inflicted on him by the Roman Catholic Church, dealing with depression and substance abuse, confronted with and enduring draining work environments, watching loved one’s being taking by cancer and coping with a range of conflicting emotions that resulted from interacting with a variety of individuals from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds.
Come and immerse yourself in a reflective and “masterly written” story, covering some 6 decades, through my good and bad experiences and the thoughtful lessons that were picked up along the way in “Keeping in Touch with Cheryl: A Memoir”. Vincenzo Russo
Reviewed by Foluso Falaye for Readers' Favorite
In the year 1958, young Vincenzo Russo migrated from Italy to Australia with his family. Thus began a series of important events and circumstances that constitute Vincenzo Russo's life: having to learn English for schooling and work, facing the fear of God's punishment inflicted on him by nuns, dealing with depression and substance abuse, enduring draining capitalistic work environments, losing loved ones to cancer, taking a trip back to Italy, and embarking on memorable camping trips with his future wife. Through a descriptive, relatable, and deeply immersive narrative, Vincenzo Russo shares profound insights about different societal issues that were prominent in Australia some decades ago, including the deplorable treatment of native Australians, child sexual abuse, and Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. Follow Vincenzo Russo's reflective story through his good and bad life experiences and the thoughtful lessons he picked up along the way in Scarred for Life.
The depth of insights about society in Vincenzo Russo's book is simply mind-blowing, and the unpopular, logical truths in the book could only spring from a greatly introspective and analytical mind. I felt comforted by the fact that someone in a different part of the world sees the shortcomings that are common to most civilizations in our current computerized, profit-driven age. A major part of the time I spent reading the book was dedicated to bookmarking sentences as I found the quotes, observations, and historical information worth returning to. Scarred for Life is the type of book you can't read without recommending it to others. Some deep, life-changing thoughts have been sparked in my mind by the ideas in the book, and I plan to explore them further.
