The Sugar's at the Bottoms of the Cup - Hardcover

Patricia Lynn Henley Elda Del Bino Willitts; Patricia Lynn Henley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0970825722 ISBN 13: 9780970825728

Publisher: Zucchero Press, 2004

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of Northern California in the 20th Century, this book is the compelling true-life tale of an ordinary woman with an extraordinary life; it is also a narrative blueprint for finding fulfillment and happiness. An Italian-American immigrant, Elda Del Bino Willitts came to the U.S. with her family in 1916, when she was seven years old. They traveled steerage on a steamship, then settled in San Francisco when it still had gas street lights and cattle pastures in Cow Hollow. Written entirely in first person, as if Elda is sitting down and chatting with the reader, the book recalls delightful details and insights from Elda's life in Northern Italy, San Francisco, Marin County, and the Sonoma Valley in California's Wine Country. Elda's loving heart, steadfast faith in God, and positive outlook supported her through adversities in her personal life, the business world, and her own health as she faced multiple battles against cancer. The book is an extremely honest account of all she went through, both good and bad, and how these experiences shaped her into a woman who "finally learned to savor the small daily miracles of love, joy, forgiveness, appreciation, and gratitude."

About this title

About the Author

Elda Del Bino Willitts was a successful businesswoman as well as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who believed that our everyday reality is full of beauty -- if we choose to look for it. In her lifetime she went from poverty to luxury, then realized what she really valued was the love of family and friends. The book was published in October 2004; Elda passed away peacefully in January 2005, when she was 95. She was a 45-year cancer survivor who died of old age. Patricia Lynn Henley earned her master's degree in journalism from Stanford University in 1995, when she was 40 years old. She spent 10 years working at a twice-weekly community newspaper in Sonoma, California, making her way up from summer intern to reporter to news editor. Patricia met Elda as part of a routine newspaper assignement. The two were drawn to each other and began a seven-year collaboration which resulted in the book "The Sugar's at the Bottom of the Cup." Patricia is now a freelance writer and editor.

Review

...engaging personal story, told with such honesty and depth that it illuminates universal themes of aspiration, compassion, dignity, and hope. --James R. Rawls, Reviews Editor for "Calfiornia History: The Magazine of the California Historical Society"

About this edition

• Publisher: Zucchero Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0970825722
• ISBN 13: 9780970825728
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384