Your book is amazing! I am in awe of your writing skills and your ability to tell a story. As I read, there were so many things I wanted to talk to you about that I was forced to take notes! I suspect, however, that it is not only I who relate to your story because you have a skillful way of making the personal universal. I also learned a lot about the Jewish history of Italy – and I thought I knew it.
Lee Shapiro is the author of I Didn’t Tell Them Anything:The Wartime Secrets of an American Girl
In this well-written and moving memoir about her Italian Jewish family, Eleanor Foa combines archival research with a personal quest and creates a memorable portrait of a distinguished clan coping with 20th Century history, especially Fascism. It touches on the divisions between those able to flee the Holocaust for the U.S., and those who lived through it. It’s a fascinating glimpse of one family’s history that inspired me to ask more detailed questions about my family’s history and their lives.
Meryl Gordon is an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of three biographies: the most recent is Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend.
I took today to curl up and to finish your memoir. What a glorious experience to read and ponder this book of yours. The magnitude of taking this whole effort on, organizing the book so as to have it be clear, writing it so beautifully…and of course, all the layers of substance. from history, religion, relationships, family, geography…and concepts and your pursuits…so so much to ponder.
Randye Farmer is a senior consultant with extensive experience in strategy implementation, organizational change, governance, management process, and executive coaching.
I just finished your memoir and enjoyed it immensely. I enjoyed that the book was about your personal journey, your father’s journey and the Foa family journey And that, truly, they are all one in the same.
Cantor
Mark Kushner
I just finished reading your book, and I loved it! I knew it would be beautifully written because you are such a fine writer, and it certainly lived up to all my expectations. I especially loved the epilogue: what a perfect ending.
Janice Murray
We’ve’ve adopted Foa’s Mixed Messages for my Modern Jewish Italian Literature course.
Kora von Wittelsbach,
Department of Romance Studies, Program in Jewish Studies
I have just finished reading your work and am struck by the strength and empathy of your voice throughout, and your observations and your honest appraisal of people, places and events. Weaving so many interconnected and yet disparate stories is a challenge and you managed it with grace and honor. I will order some copies of Mixed Messages. My copy is all dog eared and a bit bedraggled from being read in the bathtub in the evening.
Elissa Stancil, Decorative Artist and Board Member of ICAA NOCAL
I just wanted to let you know that I ordered your book and finished reading it this week. I enjoyed it so much. The history of your family, your complex relationship with your parents, your sister and your history were all told so well and written with compassion and detachment and was very moving to me. I knew so little about the Jews of Italy and it was enriching for me to have you as a “tour guide.” I’m very glad I that I read Mixed Messages. (Also, by the way, I love the way book looked.)
Yehuda Hyman is an American playwright, dancer, choreographer, actor, and poet.
Foa’s Mixed Messages is a moving tribute to the richness of her Italian Jewish ancestry. At the same time, it shares the fascinating history of a part of our larger Jewish community that many have forgotten. The author’s engaging writing style makes her book a wonderful way to explore how building a stronger connection to our family can also be a meaningful search for ourselves