The Stowaway in First Class by Anthony DeSantis, a true story that captures real timelines and a sequence of events spanning a hundred years, presents a heartfelt account of the author's father, Guy, an Italian emigrant who arrived in America with nothing and managed to create a wonderful life for himself and his family. The story is DeSantis' carefully documented tribute, written as both a dedication and a source of encouragement to immigrants, their children and grandchildren.
In the first chapter, DeSantis and his father are on a plane heading to Paris to meet Marie, a woman Guy left without notice 57 years earlier. Luckily, the two had exchanged letters detailing this long-awaited reunion. As we soak in the warmth of this rare moment, DeSantis takes us back in time to when Guy made a decision that changed his life forever.
A stranger who claimed to know one of his cousins in America, Frank DeSantis, approached Guy, claiming that Frank wanted him to travel to the USA as soon as possible, in fact, that very night. Although Guy didn't have a passport or visa, the stranger revealed that arrangements had already been put in place for him to travel as a stowaway. Guy would, however, wrestle with the fear of revealing this to his friends, since traveling as a stowaway was illegal. But most painfully, the urgency of the journey meant he would not manage to find his girlfriend Marie in time to say goodbye. She would wake up the next morning to an absence she couldn't explain, and a silence that would last for decades. It was only when Guy was miles away from home that he realized that the greatest danger was not his friends discovering the truth, but the men waiting for him on the other side.
As he tells the story, Anthony DeSantis allows the reader to delve into restrictive immigration laws of the 1920s, and to see the dark underbelly of the "streets paved with gold" myth. He writes Guy so beautifully, and through him, offers the reader critical lessons on endurance, especially those who may be fighting systems that seem designed to exploit them. He allows Marie, a woman who embodies the theme of loss and the cost of suspended love, to give the story an emotional pull, as well as a reminder that immigrants' stories are also about those who are left behind, waiting in silence.
Quill says: Some of the aspects that make The Stowaway in First Class win big among its peers in the genre include: being straightforward, simple, and involving the author as an active participant. You see him everywhere, feel his gratitude to his father, and realize he is not a historical figure, but a son reminding you to look back at the sacrifices that made your own life possible. The book is relatively short, but it leaves an echo that lasts for generations.
For more information about The Stowaway in First Class, please visit the author's website at: anthonydesantis.com
