IDEA PRESS & IDEA MUSIC 

Reading Mike Cutillo's George Washing is like breathing a refreshing mix of 

clean Mediterranean and upstate New York air. The book is part history, 

part travelogue and above all a personal journal wrapped in a witty, clever writing style that showcases the author's years as a journalist and keen

observer of people and family. Especially his father. While this is Cutillo's

first book – after decades of producing many thousands of column inches of newspaper columns, news & sports stories and editorials – expect readers to

be asking for more. And soon.

--Michael J. Fitzgerald, author of The Devil's Pipeline and other novels.

 

Mike Cutillo gives us a rollicking read with this collection of gentle vignettes

and reflections on immigrant life and culture in America over the last

seventy-five years. Although his gently whimsical stories explore the lives of Italian-Americans in particular, they also illuminate the richness more broadly of U.S. immigrant life and culture. This page-turner kept me

engaged and laughing. I highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in immigrant family life, values, and customs. George Washing Machine is a significant contribution to U.S. immigration literature.

-- Robert E. May, professor emeritus of history at Purdue University and

author of numerous books, including his most recent, “Yuletide in Dixie,”

due out in October 2019.

 

 

George Washing Machine recounts how the Cutillo family successfully

juggles enjoying life in America while steadfastly clinging to its Italian

heritage. A first generation Italian-American, Mike Cutillo, using his

immigrant father as a focal point and supported by numerous return visits

to Italy, relates the transition from being Italian to Italian-American. A great family memoir, this book should also appeal to others interested in Italian culture.

-- Donald F. Staffo, long-time, educator, author and a proud Italian-American

 

As I read Mike’s lively stufato (stew), I marveled at the timing of this rich

and lovely story: The way Mike’s father, Michele, and other immigrants have helped form the backbone of our country is among the things that give us so much to celebrate. Utilizing the keen eyes and deep insights of the award-winning journalist he is, Mike deftly weaves together the saga of his father’s

life in two worlds. If you wonder at all about America’s story, this is it. Get

ready to laugh and cry and fall in love with Michele Cutillo. As for his son,

Mike, well, all he does is collect stories … and write them like a song.

-- John Erardi, author of “Tony Perez: From Cuba to Cooperstown,” National Baseball Hall of Fame voter and Syracuse native