On the night of January 5, in certain areas of southern Tuscany, a costumed, singing troupe of characters visits residents' homes, expecting to be fed and feted in a folk custom that has recurred in the region for centuries. This is the Befanata, a mumming tradition centered in Tuscany, whose main character-the Befana-is a kindly old woman or grandmotherly witch who delivers toys, candies, and gifts. Part of the Christmas season, the Befana is familiar in some form in much of Italy, but very little has been written about her, despite sustained interest in European mumming traditions in general. The Pigitliano Befanata is distinct in its emphasis on song and strong in its richly symbolic use of food, which is not only consumed at each home but is also carried away as a gift. The characters who make up the squad are unique to the Italian practice. They always include the Befana and her husband, the Befano, but other members of the befanotti vary from place to place over time. Siporin combines fieldwork and archival evidence to introduce the Befanata and its historical and social contexts: what it is, what it means, and how it feels. The Befana Is Returning is a deeply researched, deftly insightful presentation of this living tradition that adds a large missing piece to the array of contemporary ethnographic scholarship on mumming.

Stories of Jewish Life: Casale Monferrato-Rome-Jerusalem, 1876-1985 is an unconventional memoir-an integrated collection of short stories and personal essays. Author Augusto Segre was a well-known public figure in post-WWII Italy who worked as a journalist, educator, scholar, editor, activist, and rabbi. He begins his book with stories shaped from the oral narratives of his home community as it emerged from the ghetto era, continues with his own experiences under fascism and as a partisan in WWII, and ends with his emigration to Israel. Spanning the years 1876 (one generation after emancipation from the ghetto) to 1985 (one generation after the Shoah), Segre presents this period as an era in which Italian Jewry underwent a long-term internal crisis that challenged its core values and identity. He embeds the major cultural and political trends of the era in small yet telling episodes from the lives of ordinary people. The first half of the book takes place in Casale Monferrato-a small provincial capital in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy. The second half, continuing in Casale in the late 1920s but eventually shifting to Rome then Jerusalem, follows the experiences of a boy named Moshe (Segre's Jewish name and his stand-in). Moshe relates episodes of Italian Jewry from the 1920s to the 1980s that portray the insidiousness of fascism as well as the contradictions within the Jewish community, especially in its post-ghetto relationship to Italian society. The painful transformation of Italian Jewry manifests itself in universal themes: the seductiveness of modern life, the betrayal of tradition, the attraction of fashionable political movements, the corrosive effects of totalitarianism, and ultimately, on the positive side, national rebirth and renewal in Israel. These themes give the book significance beyond the "small world" from which they arise because they are issues that confront any society, especially those emerging from a traditional way of life and entering the modern world. Students, scholars, and readers of Jewish history, Italian history, and fiction with an autobiographical thread will find themselves captivated by Segre's stories.

"In any business there are those amazing, amusing occurrences that only those on the inside know about. It's those fascinating, almost unbelievable stories about movie making that are revealed in these pages. For a movie buff like myself, what a treat A must read for movie lovers " Leanna Bonamici Casablanca Studios, Women in Film & TV "An insightful revelation of movie madness that makes for an entertaining read now and smart dinner party talk later." David Bruce Gaard Playwright What really happened when the camera wasn't rolling Paul Newman and The Lady Reporters Kirk Douglas Goes for a Ride Faye Dunaway Did it Her Way Barbara Eden and The Harper Valley P.T.A. Woody Allen and His Tweed Jacket Jon Voight's Lucky Break Barbara Hershey and Her Stunt Man Cecil B. de Mille Had His Secrets Orson Welles and The Magic Rabbit Vincente Minnelli and The Ferris Wheel Bette Davis and The Dinner Dishes Carrie Fisher Sang for Our Supper Steve Siporin dates his love of movies to when he was five years old and was taken to Radio City Music Hall in New York City to see "Alexander's Ragtime Band." After a career in Hollywood's movie studios he now lives in Palm Springs, CA, famous for its climate, film festivals, and streets named after movie stars.