Relative Strangers

Italian Protestants? Few people seem to have heard of them, but the author's mother's immigrant Italian family was Protestant while his father's were Catholic immigrants from Sicily. Relative Strangers describes the author's search for the religious roots of his parents' families in northern Italy and Sicily. He traces the history of the Waldensians, the Protestant sect which began in Lyon, France in the 12th century, often suffering persecution, but surviving to this day both in Europe and America.

"This fine book is part personal memoir, part history of religion and always compelling reading. It illustrates yet again the diversity of the human family and the unpredictable paths taken by the quest for faith."--- Scott Turow

"Frank Cicero's Relative Strangers is a stunning mixture of memoir and social history, one small chapter in the epic of the millions of Italians who migrated to the United States in search of a better life." --- Geoffrey Symcox, Professor of History Emeritus UCLA

"With engaging clarity and fascinating detail, Frank Cicero tells the story of his journey to trace the roots of his unusual family - Italian immigrants in Chicago divided by religion. In this era of inter-religious dialogue it helps us understand the roots of religious division and points to ways to overcome such divides. It is a rich read." --- Richard Peace, Ph.D, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Good historians share three characteristics: they ask simple yet insightful questions, they have a burning curiosity about the past, and they are tenacious and resrouceful researchers. Frank Cicero exemplifies each of these traits, and, in Relative Strangers, he has crafted a surprising Chicago immigrant story that defies our conventional historical thinking about who came to America and the beliefs they brought with them."--- Russell Lewis, Chief Historian, Chicago History Museum