Thursday, February 16, 2012

What is Tom Santopietro reading?

Today's featured contributor at Writers Read: Tom Santopietro, author of The Godfather Effect: Changing Hollywood, America, and Me.

His entry begins:
I’m usually in the midst of three books: one fiction, one non-fiction, and a separate book for commuting on the subway (I live in NYC and am on the C line, recently voted the worst line in the entire system for the third year running--slowest trains, oldest trains, dirtiest, and least intelligible announcements. Ahh- the joys of New York. A good book is definitely necessary…)

Stephen Sondheim: Look, I Made A Hat. Turns out Sondheim is as good a writer as he is composer/lyricist, which is saying a lot. Smart, witty, and filled with painstaking (and fascinating) detail. Reading the book is like taking a master class in songwriting, musical theatre, and American pop culture, with the smartest and toughest professor you...[read on]
About The Godfather Effect, from the publisher:
A brilliant examination of our forty year obsession with the classic film trilogy—and a personal reflection on what it means to be Italian-American

Forty years and one billion dollars in gross box office receipts after the initial release of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola’s masterful trilogy continues to fascinate viewers old and new. The Godfather Effect skillfully analyzes the reasons behind this ongoing global phenomenon. Packed with behind-the-scenes anecdotes from all three Godfather films, Tom Santopietro explores the historical origins of the Mob and why they thrived in America, how Italian-Americans are portrayed in the media, and how a saga of murderous gangsters captivated audiences around the globe. Laced with stories about Brando, Pacino, and Sinatra, and interwoven with a funny and poignant memoir about the author’s own experiences growing up with an Italian name in an Anglo world of private schools and country clubs, The Godfather Effect is a book for film lovers, observers of American life, and Italians of all nationalities.
Learn more about the book and author at Tom Santopietro's website.

The Page 99 Test: The Godfather Effect.

Writers Read: Tom Santopietro.

--Marshal Zeringue