Adriana Trigiani reads from Don’t Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from My Grandmothers (Harper Paperbacks, 2011)

Best-selling author Adriana Trigiani has gathered estimable lessons from her two grandmothers, revealing how their values have shaped her own life. In Don’t Sing at the Table, she introduces Lucia Spada Bonicelli (Lucy) and Yolanda Perin Trigiani (Viola), a pair of feisty, intelligent, and strong women. Between them, Lucy and Viola have lived through the twentieth century from beginning to end, surviving immigration, young widowhood, single motherhood, four wars, and the Great Depression. From the factory line to the family table, they set an example for their granddaughter in their fearless approach to overcoming obstacles. Sharing her grandmothers’ wisdom, Trigiani offers answers to the questions that define the challenges women face today at work and at home.