Like a fresco with a central figure, Giovanni (Jack) Dalla Costa, who emigrated from Italy s Veneto region in 1886 to play a part in the Alaskan gold rush, this book spans sixty years of history, faithfully depicting the extraordinary events in the life of Giovanni and his family. This true story unfolds amidst difficult times in the Veneto countryside during the second half of the nineteenth century, with the terrible vicissitudes of emigrants on their way to Brazil, and the reckless gold rush in the United States. Ending in the aftermath of World War I, it depicts a universe that more than a century ago was the road-map for the present-day world with its migration, wars and economic crises.
But the tale of Jack Costa transcends its socio-historical setting, for it is, above all, a story of strength and faith which, in those times, could carve out a man’s destiny, making a dream come true. People’s poor awareness of the challenges awaiting them across the ocean made those distant countries seem more mysterious, mythical and alluring, but it also made them all the more shocking once their shores were reached. Giovanni found this out the hard way when his parents’ home and harvest were destroyed and he decided to emigrate, braving the seas and the New World to save his family, which was on its knees. No mean feat for this teenager, who faced tremendous hardship on his way to Alaska, only to find further adversity when he got there. Yet, in the twenty or so years spent away from his homeland, he grew into a real sourdough, struck it rich and went back home. Through blood, sweat, and toil, Jack had paid savage Nature a heavy price, for which he was rewarded with gold. But he was ill-prepared for the savagery of Humankind awaiting him when, at last, he returned to his beloved homeland.
