From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Carlo Levi was taken into custody by the Fascists in Italy in the 1930s. Instead of being imprisoned, he was punished by being moved to the south of Italy and being forced to live in the dire poverty there. He is a licensed doctor, but he is not allowed to practice medicine. Corruption is everywhere, from the land owners in the north to the laws passed to tax the southerners' sole possessions, goats. The people are not given much education, and malaria is everywhere. It's a bleak story of life i
...more
I'd hoped to read this someday in Italian, but, alas I never did and now undoubtedly never will. Still, I found the English translation very effecting. This is a hard book to describe -- it seems part reminiscence, part social observation, and part philosophical treatise. Briefly, it's based on a year Levi spent in southern Italy after being banished to a remote village as punishment for opposing the Fascist government in the mid 1930's. There he observes and interacts with the local peasants, w
...more
I always envy countries that have that one writer who leaves a legacy by explaining the roots of their modern society. This is a beautiful, timeless book.
Jun 19, 2012
Alyson Zikmund
marked it as to-read
Nov 20, 2012
Annie
marked it as 1001-list
Feb 22, 2013
Katie
marked it as to-read
Aug 10, 2015
Kristin
marked it as to-read
Mar 29, 2018
Mansir
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2019
Erica
marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2020
Anna
marked it as to-read
Oct 12, 2020
Ginger
marked it as to-read
Jul 14, 2023
Ann
marked it as dnf
Mar 03, 2024
Tiffany
marked it as to-read
