Elizabeth Street: A Novel Based on True Events - Softcover

“Basing her story on her own family narratives and a deep understanding of Italian Americans, [Fabiano] paints a vivid portrait not just of immigrants’ lives in the first ten years of the last century, but of the vicious criminals who preyed on them.”—Mike Dash, author of The First Family

In Elizabeth Street, Laurie Fabiano tells a remarkable, and previously unheard, story of the Italian immigrant experience at the start of the twentieth century. With stories culled from her own family history, Fabiano paints an entrancing portrait of Giovanna Costa, who, reeling from personal tragedies, tries to make a new life in a new world. Shot through with the smells and sights of Scilla, Italy, and New York’s burgeoning Little Italy, this intoxicating story follows Giovanna as she finds companionship, celebrates the birth of a baby girl, takes pride in a growing business, and feels a sense of belonging during a family outing to Coney Island.

However, these modest successes are rewarded with the attention of the notorious Black Hand, a gang of brutal extortionists led by Lupo the Wolf. As the stakes grow higher, Giovanna desperately struggles to remain outside the fray, so she may fight for—and finally save—what is important above all else: family.

Laurie Fabiano has had an exciting and colorful career in the non-profit world. After graduating college, she moved to her family's hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey, established the Hoboken Cultural Council, and created an innovative three-month arts and cultural festival. She went on to coordinate New York City's July 4th celebration. After involvement in local political campaigns, she became Deputy Mayor of Hoboken during the administration of Thomas Vezzetti, a reform candidate dubbed "The Wackiest Mayor in America." When she left the Mayor's office, she continued a project she initiated - taking the first American Baseball team to the Soviet Union for a "Goodwill Tour." In 1988, AIDS was at its peak and motivated by the death of a family member, Fabiano became an AIDS activist. For seven years she produced the AIDS Walks and AIDS Dance-a-thons around the country, raising millions of dollars and AIDS awareness. In the past decade, as the Robin Hood Foundation's Senior Vice President, she helped grow the Foundation into the largest private organization fighting poverty in New York City. She is now the President of Fab Tool, a marketing and events company. Fabiano comes from a creative and close Italian family and loves all things Italian. Elizabeth Street, her first novel, is her family's story.