For this Author POV feature, we’re spotlighting Lindsay Marie Morris, whose work brings a rarely told chapter of American history to the forefront. Her new World War II novel, Beneath the Sicilian Stars, bridges two continents — from the U.S. internment camps that held Italian Americans to the bomb-scarred villages of Sicily — through the story of one family forced to navigate fear, displacement, and resilience.
Written with meticulous historical research and grounded in lived cultural experience, Morris’s novel shines a light on the overlooked realities faced by Italian immigrant communities on the West Coast during the war. As librarians know, patrons continue to seek historical fiction that expands our understanding of the past while resonating with present-day conversations about identity, civil liberties, and belonging. Beneath the Sicilian Stars speaks directly to those interests.
Below, Morris discusses the origins of the book, the themes she hopes readers will explore, and how this title can support library programming, heritage month displays, and community history initiatives. She also offers insights for collection development, including content considerations, comparable titles, available formats, and opportunities for library engagement.
Can you introduce your book for librarians who may be discovering it for the first time?
From American internment camps to Sicily's bombed villages, Beneath the Sicilian Stars follows one family's fight for survival, identity, and hope during World War II. Perfect for readers of Kelly Rimmer, Rhys Bowen, and Angela Petch.
What inspired you to write this book, and what core themes do you hope readers take away from it?
While researching my debut novel, The Last Letter from Sicily, I stumbled on a book titled Una Storia Segreta: The Secret History of Italian American Evacuation and Internment during World War II. I am Italian American and have lived in California for more than two decades, and yet, I had never heard that Italians were interned alongside Japanese and German Americans. I learned that starting on the night of December 7, 1941, the date President Roosevelt declared would “live in infamy,” the FBI rounded up “potentially dangerous” Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants. On December 8, Roosevelt invoked the Enemy Alien Act, branding 600,000 Italian immigrants as “enemy aliens.”
Seventy-four Italian Americans were arrested through December 11, and over 1,800 more were apprehended after Italy and the U.S. were at war. Hundreds spent years confined in internment camps across the U.S.
Back at home, families were subject to restrictions, particularly on the West Coast, where curfews were implemented, travel was restricted to a five-mile radius, and homes were searched for contraband, including weapons, cameras, radios, and flashlights.
On February 19, 1942, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which not only initiated the removal of 120,000 Japanese Americans but also required that Italian Americans living in specified protected areas relocate within days to new communities outside of restricted zones.
I was particularly captivated by a chapter titled “Pittsburg Stories,” where I learned that 22% of the population of the small Contra Costa, California, town was evacuated by government order due to proximity to a steel mill and military base. Across California, 10,000 Italian Americans received similar notices informing them that they had 4 days to relocate from their homes, away from protected areas, including coastal regions and defense installations.
Interestingly, the majority of those evacuated in the Bay Area had arrived from Sicily in the late 19th century to the 1920s, before the rise of Fascism. That meant that most of the “potentially dangerous” individuals were senior citizens by 1942. This was evident when Pittsburg’s local newspaper ran front-page photos of all evacuated residents in the days that followed the evacuation orders. There were reports that some individuals had to be carried from their homes on stretchers, because even bedridden “enemy aliens” were potentially dangerous.
I believe these stories matter, not just to remember the past, but to remind us how fear can too easily overshadow compassion, and how immigrant communities have historically endured even in the darkest times.
What kind of readers or patrons do you see this book resonating with most? (age range, grade levels, reading interests)?
This novel would resonate most with individuals 18 and over who wish to explore timely themes of patriotism, identity, prejudice, civil rights, and lesser-known history. Historical fiction readers will especially appreciate its worldbuilding and connection with real-world events. Italian Americans will uncover a forgotten chapter in their ancestral past and better understand why so many within their ethnic group chose to change names and stop speaking their language.
What themes or discussion topics do you hope librarians highlight when recommending the book?
This novel raises questions of loyalty and identity, illuminating lesser-known violations of civil liberties and addressing the stigma of being an other amid wartime hysteria.
Are there any sensitive topics or content considerations librarians should be aware of?
Two deaths are mentioned, but readers do not “see” these events as they occur.
Additionally, one of the three protagonists of this family saga is a teenager who loses her virginity, which results in an unplanned pregnancy. The event is only briefly described, but this book may not be suitable for younger audiences.
Finally, in portraying the bombings of Palermo during the war, readers are presented with descriptions of the sensations experienced during air raids.
If your book were part of a library display, what topics, themes, or comparable titles would you pair it with?
Topics & Themes: World War II History, Italian American Heritage, Internment
Una Storia Segreta: The Secret History of Italian American Evacuation and Internment during World War II ( Heyday, May 1, 2001, ISBN-13: 978-1890771409
Branded: How Italian Immigrants Became 'Enemies' (Sanniti Publications, April 28, 2016) ISBN-13: 978-0965271431
The Sicilian Secret (Bookouture, April 23, 2024) ISBN-13: 978-1837906635
Which formats are currently available? (Hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, bilingual editions, large print, classroom sets, ISBNs, and whether bulk discounts or school pricing options exist.)
Beneath the Sicilian Stars (ISBN-13 : 978-1805088523) is available in paperback and audiobook formats for libraries and booksellers. The ebook is available through Kindle Unlimited.
Private businesses or public corporations, educational institutions, libraries, nonprofits, religious organizations, or government agencies can purchase the book in bulk from BulkBookstore.com.
How could this book be used in community events or themed programming throughout the year? (For example: Earth Day, Black History Month, Pride, Hispanic Heritage Month, etc.
- Italian American Heritage Month: October
- Immigration Day: October 28th
- Family Stories Month: October
- Family History Month: November
- December 7, December 8, and December 11: the dates on which FBI arrests began, the date on which 600,000 Italian immigrants were branded as “enemy aliens,” and when Italy entered the war with the U.S., respectively.
Do you offer author engagement options for schools or libraries? (Virtual visits, in-person events, Q&A sessions, etc.)
Yes. I have spoken to a 5th-grade class about the Ellis Island experience and have given numerous talks to libraries, in person and virtually, on writing historical fiction rooted in family stories and on how California Italians were uprooted during World War II.
Learn more about Lindsay Marie Morris and her work by visiting her website here.
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