Nobody Washes Me, I’m Italian

Nancy Polito’s father, Armando Polito, was born November 1912 in Bovino, Italy; he came to America at the age of eight. Throughout his life, Armando was adamant that his family remember who you are and where we came from. He died February 2003. Unable to sleep one night in September 2007, Nancy turned on her computer. As she waited for the computer to boot up, her eyes were drawn to an old Panasonic tape recorder on the floor beneath her dresser. Covered with dust, the recorder was stacked with four cassette tapes, recordings of her father telling his childhood stories, the frightening trip to America, and his experiences growing up without formal English classes; his family had worked hard to assimilate into American culture. Sitting on the bed, she pressed play and began to write down the history of her family. Hearing her father’s voice was emotional; the tears flowed and she had to pause several times. After several late nights, she was able to completely capture her father’s life on paper. After two years of comprising her father’s story, Nancy realized how different her childhood was compared to her friends. Her father’s strong will, determination, and ability to see the world through a lens of both comedy and tragedy was meant to be shared, as he had instilled upon her and her family.