When my great-grandmother died in 1978, I was heartbroken. Even at the age of 92, the woman I called Nanny had remained formidable, sharp as the proverbial tack—a character, people always said. I missed her and I had to face…

I was born in the United States, second generation Italian-American on my mother’s side and third generation on my father’s side. I didn’t realize until much later, though, that I was not only an American citizen, but a citizen of…