Released today, by Harper Perennial. Available here. Take a look inside here.

With the paperback version of My Cousin the Saint printed and being shipped to stores, I’m happy to provide this link on Amazon to where you can order your very own copy! Orders will ship in mid June. I would love to hear your thoughts on the new cover design and subtitle (posted below). Tell your friends!

The Times reports: New York Italian-Americans move to aid quakes victims: “There are few forces that so swiftly and surely reaffirm such immigrant ties as a natural disaster, and Monday’s 6.3 magnitude earthquake, which killed as many as 150 and left tens of thousands homeless, was no different.

MORE: ABC News offers a sad timeline of Italy’s earthquakes, the worst of which struck Reggio Calabria and Messina, Sicily on Dec. 28, 1908. The video here, at this Euronews site, is sad and shocking.

An interesting story about an interesting new book — The Bookmaker by Michael J. Agovino. “The Bookmaker opens a window into the experiences of second and third generation Italian Americans who steadily became part of the fabric of New York City life.” The whole story is here.

Last night, at Head House Books on Second Street in a historic neighborhood in Philadelphia, easy walking distance from the South Philly neighborhood where my grandparents settled as new immigrants, I had the great pleasure to tell a bit of their story, and mine. It was a fun and memorable evening, made all the better by friends, old and new, who came out to listen, as well as Catanoso and Foti relatives from Philly and New Jersey. Thank you to Debbie Rech at the bookstore for the invitation, promotions and gracious hosting.

Those of you familiar with the National Italian American Foundaton (NIAF) certainly know the name Ken Ciongoli. I came to know it directly. He called me at work one afternoon in the summer of 2004. He had read a magazine article I had written about connecting with long-lost Calabrian relatives and the saint we shared in common. He believed the story represented the ideals of NIAF — to promote the talents and true character of Italian-Americans — and wanted to get me involved. Later that year, he arranged for me to speak at the Gay Talese Writers Seminar at St. John’s University in New York. It was a great honor to participate. Mostly, it was great to learn about NIAF and its relentless crusade, embodied by Ken Ciongoli, to overcome the stereotypes and misconceptions too often attached to Italian-Americans.

Thus, I was saddened to learn yesterday that Dr. Ciongoli, who had been battling cancer, died yesterday at his home in Burlington, Vermont.

In commemoration of his life and spirit, NIAF has set up The Dr. A. Kenneth Ciongoli Colloquium Endowment. For more information, contact Elissa Ruffino, 202/939-3106, elissa@niaf.org.

The obituary in his hometown paper in Burlington, Vermont is here.