Xlibris self-published author CP Caruso received the 2009 Oakland PEN AWARD. Her book, Sophia’s Exit Strategy is already available in St. Mar’s Book (Physical Bookstore) in New York and as distinguished from the Ernest Hemingway PEN for outstanding achievement by first-time authors. The award ceremony will take place on December 6,at San Francisco.

About her book
As a child growing up in Palermo, Italy, Sophia Lucarno, was “different” from what is usually considered “normal” — and consequently suffered from the taunts of other children.

As a result, Sophia developed a survival mechanism that enabled her to go deep inside herself, sufficiently shutting out the outside world. This tendency to be silent with herself became a regular feature of her personality, and continued until adulthood. As an adult, Sophia continued to resort to this state of silence in order to fight back against the traumas of her life. Despite her extraordinary beauty, it was obvious to Sophia’s father, Salvatore Lucarno, that she would never be able to get a husband from among the local men, so he arranged to marry her off to an American named Sergio Borelli.

Borelli married the beautiful Sophia and brought her to live in New York’s “Little Italy”. Their union was not a “love marriage,” but an arranged marriage; one that involved a sufficiently large bride price. Once Borelli ran into Sophia’s brick wall of sile nce, however, he began to believe he had been duped — and that he had actually purchased an inferior human being. In his outrage at being stuck with an inferior wife, he begins to verbally and physically abuse Sophia. After some time, Sophia forms a relationship with a local Jewish laundry cleaner and a wealthy widow, a twosome who act as her support system against her husband Sergio. They help her plan her first escape.

Meanwhile, Sergio, a low-ranking member of the neighborhood Mafia, calls on the organization for help in locating and returning his escaped wife. The chase is about to begin . . .

In a novel that powerfully captures the zeitgeist of late 1930s America, novelist C. Paolo Caruso masterfully weaves a riveting tapestry; one richly infused with intrigue, comedy, pathos, and human drama.

Driven forward by brisk momentum, a cast of richly-drawn characters, and a twist-filled plot that will leave the reader guessing — and panting — until the last page, Sophia’s Exit Strategy is one exciting, rewarding reading experience.

About the author
C. P. Caruso, a B.A., Pace University, an MIA and an M.Phil,Columbia University, has taught Political Science at Pace University and Long Island University. The author has also lectured at William Paterson College and Columbia University; and has written and published several articles dealing with political and social issues.

The author has done extensive research in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia; and currently serves as a staff trainer in the InterFuture cross-cultural understanding program for college students.