Amore: An American Father's Roman Holiday

Part memoir, part cultural exploration, Amore follows an American father as he and his teenage daughters journey into the heart of Rome, into the way Romans love and what they have to teach about its erosion in America.

As his twin daughters approached adolescence, sociologist Roger Friedland was worried. The thing that most bothered him was not the erotic heat of its youth culture, but the lovelessness of its sex.

Offered the chance to live and teach in Rome, Roger and his wife, Debra, seized the opportunity to take their family to live in a city where love is alive, family bonds hold, divorce and rape are rare, and “ciao, bella” is a constant refrain.

In Amore, Friedland shares the stories of his family’s enchanted and unnerving passage into the heart of Rome and considers its lessons for America where love is at risk.

Amore is a love story, a family’s voyage between two states of feeling.

What happens when a sociologist puts his own family under the microscope in the most romantic city on earth?

• A Father-Daughter Relationship: As his teenage twin daughters come of age, a father's quest to teach them about love becomes an education for him, too.
• An Unforgettable Travel Memoir: Discover the enchanted and unnerving streets of Rome through the eyes of an American family on a two-year journey that will change them forever.
• Cultural Sociology in Action: A sharp, personal look at the cultural differences between America and Italy, exploring everything from family bonds and fidelity to why Romans still believe in romance.
• A Candid Love and Marriage Story: More than a travelogue, this is a deeply personal story of a family’s voyage between two states of feeling, and a marriage tested and affirmed.

As his twin daughters approached adolescence, sociologist Roger Friedland was worried. The thing that most bothered him was not the erotic heat of America’s youth culture, but the lovelessness of its sex. Offered the chance to live and teach in Rome, Roger and his wife, Debra, seized the opportunity to take their family to live in a city where love is alive, family bonds hold, divorce and rape are rare, and “ciao, bella” is a constant refrain.

In Amore, Friedland shares the stories of his family’s enchanted and unnerving passage into the heart of Rome, and considers its lessons for America, where love is at risk.

Amore is a love story, a father’s exploration of the ways of life and love in Rome, and what they have to teach us about the erosion of romance in America.

“Intelligent, thoughtful and well-researched, Friedland’s book is not only a love letter to Rome, but also to his daughters and the members of their generation, for whose personal happiness he fears.” - Kirkus Reviews

“This is a fascinating contrasting of the quality of life in the U.S. and that in Rome and what the difference may mean for the future of family life and national destiny.” - Booklist

“This fascinating cultural comparison will open readers’ eyes to the serious problems surrounding love and intimacy in the United States.” - Shelf Awareness