BOOK REVIEWS
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machismo, daring, and even callousness — all in the name of bravado and camaraderie.
For young Rosey and his childhood cohorts, maleness is toughness, and toughness is
defined by brawn, not brains. Yet Rosey has brains, enough to eam the nickname, “Bright
Boy” from Carm Carlotta, one of the leaders of the neighborhood tough crowd. Carm is a
twenty-something young tough, and the owner of a bright red, Mercury convertible which
makes him the envy of Rosey’s group of friends. They all idolize Carm’s tough charm
and way with women. This strong bond between Rosey and his friends is pitted, at times,
against allegiance to Rosey’s own family, particularly the teachings of his father, an
Italian-American male character of memorable dimensions.
Sied Run takes on a number of enduring themes, for while it is a
bildungsroman, it is also a working dass novel which addresses the Iure of the American
Dream, as well as definitions of masculinity, and incidents of racial tension and
homophobia. Early on in the novel, there is a passage which speaks to the heart of the
novel: “Acceptance of the world is at the heart of our most worthy dreams” (17).
It is a Statement uttered by Sam, the father of the protagonist, in response to
Rosey’s school assignment, “What is your vision of an ideal world? ” Clearly, for Rosey,
acceptance of the world he has been given is at the heart of his quest. Rosey’s initial
goals seem to be acceptance by others—the neighborhood toughs and the lovely Leona,
the girl on whom he has a crush. It is Leona who names him “Ross.” His given name is
Rosario, which his family has shortened to Rosey, but it is Leona who decides to call him
Ross, a shortened Version of his given name because, she notes, it “sounds like another
country” (40), suggesting that there is that quality which distinguishes Ross from his
neighbor friends, his peers.
One quality which distinguishes Ross is the model of manhood offered by the
character of his father, Sam. Of Ross’s father, the narrative notes:
Later on in life I would call him an intellectual — and certainly, of
course a poet. But there in the fifties and sixties among the
hardworking, vivacious Italians in a poor but happy neighborhood in
the northeast comer of Rochester New York he was just sort of smart,
a little quiet and offbeat to some of my belly-minded relatives who
worked with him in the shoe factory — but always, a nice guy (17).
Rosey is also a “nice guy,” trying to fit in and find himself amidst his outwardly more
“masculine” peers. He is thus bothered by some of the deeds of the gang, such as playing
with guns, bullying a young, gay teen; and stealing — in particular, the stealing of toys
and games as part of the annual “sied run,” the annual adventure of altruistic thievery on
the part of Carm and his cohorts, during which they rob local warehouses, procuring gifts
and toys to give to local orphanages.
The character and image of the hardworking, honest, artistic Sam is in
Opposition to that of the more “traditional” Italian-American male figures in the novel.
Much of the novel’s deep richness lies in this depiction of altemate visions of male
toughness — one which is loud, boisterous and all brawn; and another, which has at its
core, enduring loyalty, commitment, and poetic imagination. Sam is a poet, one whose
poems have been closeted away from his family for years. Without spoiling the story for
readers, I will simply say that the portrait of Sam’s selflessness is both meaningful and
touching.
Talarico’s Sied Run is a novel of friendship and love — friendship bom of
heritage, social dass, and gender. It is particularly poignant for its depiction of a teenaged
Italian boy’s neighborhood and family. There are numerous images of family within this