Albert DiNardo: The Last DiNardo is the story of a family that immigrated to Colorado from Italy and built a successful business despite facing many hardships along the way. What first inspired you to tell the story of the DiNardo family?

I was first inspired to write the story after meeting Albert DiNardo at his store in Canon City, Colorado. My wife had discovered the store on a recent trip and hit it off with the owner, Albert, and his companion, Heidi Willard. She told me about meeting this resilient couple, and I was intrigued by their story.

What surprised you most while researching immigrant life in Colorado during that period?

I was most surprised by two things I discovered while researching this story. The level of corruption at the Colorado state government in the 1920s, and also the lack of humanity at the federal government level in passing the Johnson-Reed Act limiting Italian immigration so severely. Second, I was inspired by the resilience and stubbornness of the parents of Albert DiNardo. They were really remarkable people.

The twins, Albert and Mario, grow into very different personalities. How did their contrasting strengths shape the family business?

Albert and Mario were very different in almost every aspect of their business life. Albert did the heavy lifting, the nuts and bolts of the business. Every day grinding was what he lived for and continues to live for. Mario, on the other hand, despised hard work. However, he did like the aspects of running the store and talking to customers, basking in the glow of hard work he was assumed to take part in. He did grind in his own way as long as it was indoors, out of the weather, and in the comfort of a heated and air-conditioned building.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?

I would hope readers would be as inspired as I was learning about these people and their lives. The absolute refusal to give up or fall victim to circumstances. They pressed on no matter what bad luck brought them, refusing to stop living for the better day that would come if they kept trying. Their belief in each other was inspiring to me.

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