A Summer’s Reading – The story of Mr Cattanzara

Mr.  Cattanzara was born and raised in Italy, in a poor neighborhood in Rome. He was raised in a poor house with his five younger siblings. His mother was always busy, working as a cleaning woman and taking care of the younger children. His father was working from very early in the morning until late at night in the factory, to support his family.

As a child Mr.  Cattanzara hated school and was always ashamed to go. All the other kids had nice clothing and nice school bags and he had none. He hated how the teachers treated him and was allways hiding in the school’s library every chance he got, to read and to dream his dream about becoming a famous writer.

When he was 12, his father said he must leave school and find work to help support his family. Leaving school at such a young age meant that he had very few opportunities to earn any money. For some time, he tried to sell newspapers in the street. Other times he tried to work at the Bakery or the fish shop. Very soon he realized that because he didn’t finish school, he can only find simple work for very little money and had no time to his reading

When he was 18 he decided to leave his home and try to make his way in America to fulfill the American dream and have a new life. Mr. Cattanzara arrived at New York by ship where he met his wife and was sure that a better life is going to start now for him.

But even in New York he couldn’t find a good job. His English was poor, he had no education and no money to learn. He was forced to live with his wife in a tiny apartment in the suburbs and had to work in simple jobs to bring home some money. His dream of becoming a famous writer seemed like some children’s fantasy and he was very depressed and very lonely. He tried to forget his troubles and soon started drinking. When he saw George wondering at night in the neighborhood he saw in him his younger self – a little boy with big dreams and no hope. Mr Cattanzara didn’t want George to end up like him and tried to encourage him to complete his studies and build his life from there.