A Bold and Dangerous Family: The Remarkable Story of an Italian Mother, Her Two Sons, and Their Fight Against Fascism

Summary (from the publisher): The acclaimed author of A Train in Winter and Village of Secrets delivers the next chapter in "The Resistance Quartet": the astonishing story of the aristocratic Italian family who stood up to Mussolini's fascism, and whose efforts helped define the path of Italy in the years between the World Wars—a profile in courage that remains relevant today.

Members of the cosmopolitan, cultural aristocracy of Florence at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Rosselli family, led by their fierce matriarch, Amelia, were vocal anti-fascists. As populist, right-wing nationalism swept across Europe after World War I, and Italy’s Prime Minister, Benito Mussolini, began consolidating his power, Amelia’s sons Carlo and Nello led the opposition, taking a public stand against Il Duce that few others in their elite class dared risk. When Mussolini established a terrifying and brutal police state controlled by his Blackshirts—the squaddristi—the Rossellis and their anti-fascist circle were transformed into active resisters.

In retaliation, many of the anti-fascists were arrested and imprisoned; others left the country to escape a similar fate. Tragically, Carlo and Nello were eventually assassinated by Mussolini’s secret service. After Italy entered World War II in June 1940, Amelia, thanks to visas arranged by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt herself, fled to New York City with the remaining members of her family.

Renowned historian Caroline Moorehead paints an indelible picture of Italy in the first half of the twentieth century, offering an intimate account of the rise of Il Duce and his squaddristi; life in Mussolini’s penal colonies; the shocking ambivalence and complicity of many prominent Italian families seduced by Mussolini’s promises; and the bold, fractured resistance movement whose associates sacrificed their lives to fight fascism. In A Bold and Dangerous Family, Moorehead once again pays tribute to heroes who fought to uphold our humanity during one of history’s darkest chapters.

 

Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins.

 

This work of non-fiction covers the courageous lives of the Rosselli family, who were vocal anti-fascists in Italy during the rise of Mussolini. Amelia Rosselli and her adult sons Carlo and Nello led the opposition and dared to speak out when few others were willing to risk doing so. As a consequence, Carlo and Nello were arrested, imprisoned, persecuted, and ultimately assassinated by Mussolini's secret service.

 

Although this book is focused largely on the Rosselli family in particular, it spends significant time providing historical context for Italy's political situation at the time period. Not only does this help place the Rosselli family in their time period, but it helps emphasize the risks they were taking by vocally defying Il Duce. It also made it easier for novices to Italy's history in the early twentieth century to still follow this story.

 

That being said, parts of this book (mainly those providing background coverage of fascism's rise in Italy) were slow going for me. In the book's defense, I probably just don't have enough interest in the subject. The most fascinating portions of this book for me was the beginning, that covered Amelia's childhood, since it gave insight into what life was like in Italy for someone born in 1870. It was interesting to see how much Amelia influenced her sons, since she largely raised them herself. She was the writer (of plays and novels, etc.) well before her sons starting speaking and writing out against fascism. The other most interesting part of this book for me was the detailed description of their imprisonment on penal islands off the coast. Sentenced to five years' exile on two separate islands, the brothers faced "five years of discomfort, extremes of cold and heat, scant and unhealthy food, incessant curfews and roll-calls, little water, restrictions of every kind, complete political and intellectual isolation and crushing boredom" (190).

 

Although I knew going in that the two men were assassinated, it was still tragic to read, particularly for their surviving family, which included a total of seven young children between the two and their two widows. Early in their marriage, Nello wrote to his mother about life with his wife Maria, saying, "I feel happy because every morning, when I wake up, I feel pleased at the thought of our long day ahead...Every evening I smile when I think of our shared nights. This is happiness, no?" (172). Yet the two men risked it all to stand up for what they believed was right, when many others stayed silent.

 

Stars: 4

 

Related Title:

• Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France by Caroline Moorehead