Publisher's Synopsis
The author, Vito Pileggi, tells stories about growing up in the northern part of the Willamette Valley, Oregon, in the 1930-1940s. Second Edition 2020, 486 pages, 89 photographs "My mother wanted to write a book about us but, unfortunately, she never got to it. Had she though, she'd have chosen the title, My Six Gray Heirs, one "gray heir" for each child. It crossed my mind to use her title but that would have been a little like stealing from her, wouldn't it-as if I'd never stolen anything from her before, like a piece of her fried chicken. But because my brothers and sisters constantly threatened to tattle on me when I did mischief, I chose to call my story, "I'm Gonna Tell Grandma." Those words still ring in my ears. "This collection of events took place during my youth, most of them being the same stories that my mother likely would have written. Only, she would have put a slightly different slant on them. The oldest of six children, I was raised in rural Oregon on a small farm and attended schools near Sherwood. Other than five and a half years in the Marine Corps, one year of that in Korea, I've lived all of my life in Oregon, and was employed by the Oregon State Police, retiring at the rank of lieutenant. "Throughout the years I've been an active singer and board member with Festival Chorale Oregon and have coordinated performance tours for the Chorale throughout mainland Europe and Carnegie Hall in New York.Currently, I live in Stayton, Oregon, was married and have five children: Stephen, Thomas, Angela, Richard and Joseph." -Vito Pileggi "Mischief, misadventures, a pet skunk, learning about electric fences, the inevitable reckoning administered thoroughly and lovingly by Grandma-all of these and many more real growing-up stories told firsthand by a master raconteur. Read them to yourself or aloud to a loved one. This marvelous compilation will make everyone chuckle, sigh a little and maybe even shed a tear or two. Bet you can't put it down." -Hale Thornburgh "If laughter is the best medicine, this book will cure anything." -Bonnie Stere "I am a recently retired school teacher in Germany. With great delight, my upper English class students read parts of the book. I like the topic and the entertaining way the author presents his stories and episodes. They reminded me of the great American writer Mark Twain. Like his stories, the extraordinary gift of subtle humor is shining through the words on the pages of the book. And now and then a refreshed Huck Finn seems to be roaming the world again." -Josef Zeimentz "I absolutely loved the book. I've never laughed so hard or so much. I could hardly put it down. I've shared it with others and they had the same response. What a great read!" -Joanne Hally "What fun! These stories are like a combination of sitcoms and movies: Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Egg and I, and more." -Keith Klum "This book made me feel nostalgic for a time before I was even born. Vito is known as a fount of stories, and what a precious gift he gives the reader by sharing memories of his growing-up years in rural Oregon. The joy, sadness, humor, and bounteous familial love of his modestupbringing are a true delight to experience through his engaging narratives." -Stuart Sparkman "Hilariously humorous! Really fun to read! My husband Jon read it twice before sharing it with me." -Bernadette Gauthier
