Fascinating Family History by Allen E. Rizzi

I’ve enjoyed a couple of Allen Rizzi’s stories from his fascinating family history. The Immigrant is his latest one: 

The Immigrant

The Immigrant  traces the life of a bold 20th century immigrant. From humble beginnings in pre-World War I Austria, he lived through a rapidly changing world, adapting to what needed to be done to contribute to America and above all honor his commitment to family. Richly detailed with antique photographs, this story paints a portrait of immigration at its best in stark contrast to many of today’s immigrants...

My Thoughts: What a compelling life story of a man who immigrated to the US as a child. A child prodigy on the violin, he returned to Europe to study, leaving his mother and brothers in the US. By then, the Great Depression had begun so jobs were scarce. He adapted time after time having surprising jobs in Hollywood, he served in the Signal Corps during WWII, and one of his hobbies eventually led to an amazing contribution to salmon fishing in Oregon. What a legacy!

The Horse Whisperers from Anaconda

The Horse Whisperers from Anaconda chronicles the lives of horse whisperer brothers Lee and Edd Allen. Born in Pike County, Missouri and raised in Anaconda, Montana, the two became admired in their youth as they followed the teachings and traditions of their family and Blackfoot Indian friends to help build the American West. Richly illustrated with antique photographs, this novella explores the art of horse whispering as applied to everyday life and the grit that polished America into the gem it is today.

My thoughts: This is a corner of history that was new to me–a family moving from Missouri to the wilds of Montana to oversee a timber operation, but the sons learning training horses from Blackfoot Indians, which turned into jobs. They also trained horses for the army during WWI. They were hunters and mountainmen. Leather items they made still survive among descendants.

Lee and Edd Allen’s interests were so different. Lee stayed with their parents when they moved to California, still cherishing the outdoors. Edd was an artist, illustrator, printmaker, and lived in Paris for a time. One etching is in the Smithsonian, and others have become popular to collect–under his birth name of James E. Allen. A great tribute to the author’s ancestors and relatives.

The Author

Writer with over 55 years professional experience including non-fiction, biography, music, poetry and corporate analytic writing. Additional expertise as a photographer, historical researcher and genealogist. Specialties: Historical non-fiction, nostalgia, public profiles, biographies, and documentary writing in English, Italian, and German. Music composition and lyrics: Author of over 200 songs from 1974 to present.

Here is Allen’s Amazon Author Page. Please also have a look at his website.