My American Dream

Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Showing of 47 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. I love this book by Lidia and look forward to picking it up every night when my days work is done!

Her vivid descriptions of her life, her experiences, the geography is phenomenal. It is also a fascinating look into a time in history at the time of Tito and Stalin, and she describes the frightful experiences of escaping her home land into Italy. I find myself reading this book with my iPhone beside me, looking at photos of places she lived, the bridges she crossed, the piazzas where she shopped, and it only enhances her vivid descriptions.

Since her mom is still alive at the time of this writing, I am quite sure she must have filled in details for Lidia that may have escaped her as a child.

My American Dream - Wikipedia

I have been listening to her cooking shows, which I also love, and I can just hear "her voice" speaking in every page. Her values of family, hard work, and faith come through in every page. There are so many examples of resilience. She details how cooking with her grandma with few means began her love of cooking, and went to new heights in Italy when she had to move in with her aunt. Ok, I have to admit, I am only pages into this book, and she hasn't even come to America yet, but I cant wait to keep reading.

She lived in a time and place in history which was not easy- and it was no rise to "fame," in a modern culture or home that was safe and easy. Love this book and getting to know this amazing lady. On the show, she is knowledgeable, skilled, down-home, no-nonsense, practical, and a lovely person with humility. The book has all those same qualities, but perhaps one needs more in a book to make it appealing. I applaud her effort with this. I brought the book to the beach but found myself looking for other things to read.

I'm going to give it another chance, though. It seems that the Italian expat community where she lived in Yugoslavia remained much like it was before the war, except for the political oppression, which she discusses. I'll update when I finish the book. I put it down but will pick it up again because I like her personality even if her writing is prosaic.

Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Being the grandchild of immigrants I truly appreciated this book. This is a wonderful book that hits home in so many ways. I force myself to do so I can enjoy every chapter. So well written and a delight to read. Lidia tells the history of her life in superb detail and vividly tells the difficulties of fleeing oppression and living in a refugee camp for two years. Very happy I purchased this book. I have read dozens of biographies and this is among the very best. Many thanks to Lidia for telling her story.

One person found this helpful. I love her stories, and of course her recipes. She is a class act.

I have all her cookbooks. I bought this book for my Mom and she loves it. Has really enjoyed reading about Lidia's life. I enjoyed the book immensely. I was living in Greece until the age of 24 and her writing brought a lot of memories. The village life can be very hard however the people can depend on each other for help and support and you never feel alone or lonely.

I live in America the last 50 yearsand yet I never developed the close friendships that characterized my years in Greece. Beautiful memories about her beloved relatives. See all 47 reviews. Her story shows how a love of freedom, combined with passion, energy, and dedication can lead to success and fulfillment.

If you're a foodie or equate food with showing love , and especially if you've ever watched Lidia on PBS, I recommend reading this me The high rating for this book is not for the quality of the writing, which sometimes felt repetitive, but for the story itself, which is so inspiring. If you're a foodie or equate food with showing love , and especially if you've ever watched Lidia on PBS, I recommend reading this memoir.

It was something stronger than I was. Food was beginning to heal me, to keep me in balance. I found I could use food to do that for other people, too: I could provide them with a sense of comfort and love.

Questions?

When I became a mother, I tried to give my children the same security and comfort my grandmother gave me through food. When I cooked first for Pope Benedict and then for Pope Francis during their visits to New York, I was paralyzed at the thought of being in their holy presence. But then something special happened that I could never have anticipated. When I cooked and served them my food, the food was the equalizer, a gift they accepted humbly and with gratefulness. In the sharing of the food that I had prepared, a closeness of spirit happened between us.

I felt as if we were part of one family. I felt a tangible closeness to both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, and one that cannot adequately be explained. A lovely immigrant story by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Starting in Istria in her home town of Busoler and Pola, under the reign of Communist dictator Tito, until current day with her world renowned success as a celebrity chef, cookbook author, and multiple restaurant owner. I have long been a fan of Lidia's with my passion for Italian cuisine. I have several of her cookbooks and always watched her PBS shows.

I knew quite a lot about her already by listening to her share her stories between reci A lovely immigrant story by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. I knew quite a lot about her already by listening to her share her stories between recipes in the books and while demonstrating the recipes on her show. Love Nonna Erminia and it was so lovely to learn even more about her and Lidia's extended family in this wonderful book. Recommended reading for anyone interested in the courageous people that left their homelands at great risk, without someone to meet them at the other end in America, to begin again and make better lives for themselves and their families.

Like so many of us whose ancestors have come from far off places like Lidia's, to be a part of the American Dream, to share our love and bounty, this is a beautiful legacy for those that will follow us. My daughter gave this book to me for Mother's Day, a very appropriate gift. I am wondering if the refugee camp in Trieste, Risiera di San Sabba, is not the same where my Father was taken the last few months of WWII when he was tricked by British soldiers and captured by Germans into getting My daughter gave this book to me for Mother's Day, a very appropriate gift.

I am wondering if the refugee camp in Trieste, Risiera di San Sabba, is not the same where my Father was taken the last few months of WWII when he was tricked by British soldiers and captured by Germans into getting onto a train to take them to Austria to freedom, but instead ended up in the only camp in that area. He was fortunate to have been there only a couple of months. I have been to Trieste, but did not know where to look and now I do if I return for another trip. I can feel the sorrow Lidia of who she left behind, the "not fitting in" and finding what your lifelong work should be and working hard for it.

The connection with her family has the feel of my grandparents importance of being a strong part of each other life, supporting each other. I also had a father who found it difficult to communicate in the United States, but his good nature and building his neighborhood into his family is what saved him from complete sorrow of what he left behind. Yes, food is a healer and Lidia has demonstrated it is not an easy road to take business wise. I celebrate her success and thank her for this book. This book is definitely one of my favorite and more memorable audiobooks from this summer.

Lidia reads her own story so you can definitely hear it in her voice how events of her life affected her. I had no idea that her ethnic Italian family, as she describes them, fled Pula, Istria, in the republic of Yugoslavia now Croatia and lived in an Italian refugee camp for 2 years before emigrating to the U. Her story is so compelling and interesting to me. If you have seen her on TV or cooked from This book is definitely one of my favorite and more memorable audiobooks from this summer. If you have seen her on TV or cooked from one of her books, you will definitely enjoy listening to her tell her story.

Nov 12, KayG rated it really liked it Shelves: Pleasant read about food, Yugoslavia, immigration, and Italy. I particularly enjoyed the early part of the book where she very lovingly learned about food from her grandmother. May 30, Andrea rated it liked it. I bought this for my mother and read it after she went back to FL.

Jul 23, Nancy rated it it was amazing. Fascinating story of all this family did to escape communism and what made Lidia Bastianich the chef she is today. Jul 15, Ann Lefever rated it really liked it. A little repetitive but a worthwhile read on the Italians who got caught behind the Iron Curtain in Yugoslavia. Lidia's warmth and ambition is a wonderful combination. Her descriptions left me hungry for her wonderful food as well as her familial wisdom.

At first in the beginning I was a little confused. I thought this was going to be another one of her cookbooks but I was so delighted to find out that this was her autobiography. It was so captivating to read all about Lidia and her life not only as a chef but as an immigrant from Italy and while achieving the American Dream, she still got an opportunity to stay within her roots.

This is a great fit four our celebrity chef collection in Non-Fiction and a wonderful inspiring read. I picked this book up after hearing her refuse to defend her business partner and friend Mario Batali on NPR's Fresh Air , who has been accused of sexual improprieties that she would not dismiss or try to justify, and make oblique but strident criticisms of the way that the US and European countries have been dealing with the on-going, massive refugee crisis.

Though it was her deliberation that got me interested in the book, I was surprised at how [4. Though it was her deliberation that got me interested in the book, I was surprised at how well she wrote; if you've ever seen one of her shows, you can hear her voice in almost every sentence. Her colloquial speech, however, is interlaced with a well-defined narrative arc as she moves from her idyllic childhood to the suspense of her family's flight from Tito's Yugoslavia to the struggles of adapting to life in the United States to her present-day success.

Even the idealization of her childhood is frequently undercut by acknowledgements of the limitations of her understanding as a child, although it still comes across as a little sappy. In her acknowledgements, she thanks her daughter for helping with the research and story-telling parts of it, but unless her five-paragraph! It gets a little less exciting in the run-up to the opening of Felidia and the post-Felidia success.

I don't know if it's just less interesting to read about success than challenges, or what, but it started to lose a bit of steam at that point. I also felt like the copy-editing got worse at that point, but I don't know if that's just something I could notice more because the narrative was less captivating at that point.

Anyway, a great read for type. Aug 01, Steve Craven rated it really liked it Shelves: A thoroughly enjoyable book from at least a couple of perspectives. Lidia Bastianich is, of course, a rock star of our culinary scene. My wife and I have several of her cookbooks and numerous of her recipes have become staples in our own repertoire. Try her lamb chunks in olives! Our daughter once took us to enjoy a superb lunch at Lidia's in Pittsburgh. From that perspective, reading her autobiography and her philosophy of cooking is a joy. The book, in addition, is extraordinarily timely - te A thoroughly enjoyable book from at least a couple of perspectives.

The book, in addition, is extraordinarily timely - telling the Matticchio family story of how they came to a welcoming United States as refugees from Tito's Yugoslavia.

They went through the "extreme vetting" of the s in two years in a refugee camp in Italy. They arrived with nothing, depending on the proverbial kindness of strangers.

My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food

They had to learn the strange ways of Americans as well as to master the strange English language. They made it work through years of effort and dauntless determination. They more than repaid the faith that America had in them and are actively paying that faith forward. Without mentioning the current administration, the book stands as a profound testament against the inhuman immigration policies of the Trump Administration.

It is a celebration of the family that could not countenance such things as separation policies that are sure to cause mental issues for those children and their parents for the rest of their lives. A damning indictment that begs to be read and publicized. While My American Dream may not be a literary masterpiece, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

This was heightened by my enjoyment of the food at Lidia's restaurant in Pittsburgh, and most recently Becco in New York City. I also have fond memories of watching the cooking shows on PBS with my mother. While I have not visited any of the Italian or Croatian cities Lidia references, knowing a bit about the area, I could vividly imagine many of the scenes she described.

Further, I saw her speak s While My American Dream may not be a literary masterpiece, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Further, I saw her speak several weeks ago when she related some of the stories told in the book. Lidia's story encompasses many themes: Lidia gives her opinions on all these subjects and more. She has seemingly led a charmed life, yet she includes the hardships: My only disappointment was that no recipes were included. At times, my mouth was watering reading about the various dishes, while remembering the experiences in her restaurants.

I guess I will have to buy one of her cookbooks! Sep 20, Theresa rated it liked it Shelves: While Lidia Bastianich is widely viewed as a happy, loving chef and tv host, I didn't realize that her early life was an immigrant story. Born in in Pola on the Istrian peninsula, her family was an Italian ethnic minority in a Croatian culture.

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As communism spread throughout Europe in the s, her home became part of Tito's Yugoslavia. The author recounts her family's decision to flee, their life in an Italian refugee camp, and finally settlement in America. Read by Bastianich, she shares While Lidia Bastianich is widely viewed as a happy, loving chef and tv host, I didn't realize that her early life was an immigrant story. Read by Bastianich, she shares with readers her struggles to assimilate, her hard work and rise through New York City's food industry, and the price she paid personally and professionally to earn her hard-won success.

You can hear Lidia's flashes of wit and humor in the book's written words and follow the history of America's food culture since the s. Sep 19, Kate Schwarz rated it it was amazing Shelves: The food portion is interesting, and listening to her recipes and food memories makes me excited for all the things I will eat in Italy when I go for the first time with my daughter and my father next April.

But it was the immigrant story that floored me. I also had no idea of the extent of help the Catholic Relief Services offered to immigrants in the s.

What a giant difference compared to what immigrants face today. This really was a wonderful story! Jun 19, Mitzi rated it it was amazing. What an interesting life she has had. They lived in a refugee camp before being granted permission to emigrate to the U. After much hard work, Lidia has built a business that now includes her children Joe of Master Chef fame , and Tanya.

Restaurants, wine, and the market, Eataly are just a few of her successes. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lidia's life story. A good friend's nona, grandmother, was also from Italy and my friend said that she could visualize her nona doing the same things Lidia's nona did with the farmland, food and their day to day living. Our bookclub had a great discussion about the book. Everyone seemed to have a part that they like All in all, it was a story of love, hardship, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lidia's life story.

All in all, it was a story of love, hardship, determination, and success. Now with a cooking show on television, it's nice to see Lidia in the present along with her mother who is still by her side. I'm a huge fan of Lidia's, probably because I'm Italian-American and she reminds me a bit of my grandmother. This book is a wonderful memoir, well-written and touching, about her life in Italy, her family's experience in Communist Yugoslavia, their refugee years in Italy, and finally, immigration to the U. It's also quite relevant due to today's political landscape.

Lidia is a wonderful story teller, and while there are no recipes in this book, her love of food, family, and culture permeate I'm a huge fan of Lidia's, probably because I'm Italian-American and she reminds me a bit of my grandmother.