Beneath a Scarlet Sky and Focaccia

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan and Focaccia

Focaccia… 😋Since this book takes place in Milan, Italy, I was going to make Milanese Risotto; however, I didn’t want to buy saffron for the recipe so went with what I already had in my kitchen (and you can never go wrong with bread). I did use a bread machine recipe. I used to feel guilty about using bread machine recipes but you know, as much as I know, that if bread machines were in use over 100 years ago, the women would have used them as well!

Recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/25213/bread-machine-focaccia/

When one thinks about WW2, one may reflect on D-Day, Battle of Britain, or the Occupation of France. Have you ever read novels or nonfiction books, though, on how the people of Italy were impacted by Hitler and Mussolini? As a social studies teacher, I can sadly tell you that when I taught World History, I spent very little time on Italy’s impact during the war, which is why Italy is called “The Forgotten Front.”

This novel, although counted as historical/biographical fiction, is based on an actual account of a 17 year old boy (Pino Lella) from Milan who became a spy during WW2, risking his life to not only save Jews but to gather data for the Allies. For many years, his story was unknown. He harbored the atrocities he witnessed which ate away at his very soul. It wasn’t until the late 1990s until he somewhat shared his story. Then, as Sullivan mentions at the beginning of the book, it was in 2006 when he heard about snippets of this story at a dinner party. Sullivan was at a low point in his life. On the way home from the party, he contemplated suicide. With the support from his wife and the desire for a new project, he decided to take a chance with this story, flying to Milan to meet Pino Lella. For the next decade, through many interviews and much research, this novel was born.

It is a somewhat large novel but a very easy read. It does not take too long for the story to unfold. By the time you reach the end of the novel, you feel like you have a clear grasp on how the war impacted Italians (specifically Milan). The imagery is incredible and spot on (when you google pictures after the book, you basically see what you read). I have had this book for two years and just now read it. Glad I did and glad this hero’s story is finally told!

Mark Sullivan and Pino Lella

Update: After being “contacted” (if that’s the right word 😒) by a guy on Twitter, I decided to post the arguments against this story and leave it up to the reader to decide the legitimacy of the book (how much is fact and how much is fiction).

https://www.goodreads.com/community_answer/546884/comments?page=6&subject=546884&tab=book

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2226378#p2226378

https://arengario.net/misc/misc258EN.html

https://arengario.net/misc/misc261EN.html

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2758594294