Ma Speaks Up: And a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back

If you grew up in Nonantum or the Lake, and if your childhood consisted of homemade sauce and the quest for perfect meatballs, you will feel right at home in the real-life world which author and former "Sopranos" actress Marianne Leone shares in her new memoir, "Ma Speaks Up: And a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back."

In this volume of dry humour, mother-daughter angst in the turbulent 60s, wise guys and beheading squid, a deeper story evolves. The double life of an immigrant: the real story, and the hidden truth. As Marianne Leone discovers her family secrets, she gains a new empathy for her eccentric mother, and continues her life adventure with inherited wit and strength, passed down quietly through generations, from Italy and kicking donkeys, to exotic Massachusetts, USA.

I was lucky to attend Leone's launch party Tuesday night at Belmont Books. She brought her own home-made lemon squares. And they were delicious. The environment was that of a block party gathering to welcome back an old neighbour. Leone read sections of her book, and it was like hearing gossip and stories from a friend. I nabbed a signed copy for my mother, no stranger to Nonantum and growing up with an Italian immigrant family herself.

Marianne Leone will be appearing May 16 at Newtonville Books. I highly recommend dropping in for her author talk at 7PM. Her book would make a wicked awesome mother's day gift.