Title:
Arcadia, My Arcadia
Author: Nicholas D. Kokonis
Publisher: St. Basil's Publishers, PO Box 1155, Deerfield,
IL 60015
Description: Soft-cover, 466pp.
ISBN: 0-9754032-0-6
Price: US$25, plus US$4 for US delivery from publisher/distributor.
Availability: http://www.myarcadiabook.com
Reviews and Comments: For testimonies and comments, see below; brief review by HCS ("Arcadia, My Arcadia a Must-Read"); review by William Graddy, Ph.D. ("Recording Life Like WIlla Cather.")
From the Publisher
Arcadia, My Arcadia chronicles the personal odyssey of a bright, sensitive and determined country boy, Angelos Vlahos, in the stone years following the German Occupation and the Civil War. Destitute, Angelos nurses a dream: To leave the dusty poverty of his nameless village in the folks of the somber Arcadian mountains for the big city and beyond in order to help his destitute family. Atlas carried the world. Will Angelos be able to carry his whole family across the Egypt of their misery to the new Promised Land?
Written in praise of the common men and women of the world, Arcadia, My Arcadia is, above all, a poignant, elegantly written story that will break your heart as well as warm it. It makes a gift of lasting value for those you love not only during the holiday season but always. (Read more.)
Quotes and Reviews Cited by the Publisher
"Fascinating"--Charles Moskos
"It has a strong, haunting, literary quality. Reminds me a lot of a Greek Steinbeck. Brilliant!--"Betty St. John, Jack Scagnetti Literary Division.
"It touches deeply." --Nicholas Gage
"It's been years since I've read David Copperfield but this book reminds me of it. It is absorbing and creates a whole world."--S. L. Wisenberg, Red Fish Studio
"Pure gold."--Vickie Yiannias, Odyssey Magazine
"A story vividly and dramatically told."--Harry Mark Petrakis
"Keeps the reader thoroughly entranced from the first page. Reminiscent of the classic authors. This novel should be on everyone's reading list."--Linda Morelli, Award-winning author of Fiery Surrender
"A classic coming-of-age drama." --Costas Haris, Pedagogic Institute, University of Athens
"Nice job! I like your analogy to a Greek Angela's Ashes. I care a lot about your characters." --Caroline Dubois Hutton, Hutton and Hutton Agency
"A wonderful and beautiful story."--Benington Banner
"A document of life of the ordinary people of the Greek countryside. Kokonis' ability to record life is impressive, and to this reviewer, reminiscent of Willa Cather."--William Graddy, Trinity International University (To read full review, click here.)
"A fine writing style."--Alexander Karanikas, Tillers of the Myth
"The legend of immigrants."--Costas Sarantopoulos, M.D., Former Pres. of Pan-Arcadian Federation
"It will haunt it readers long after they have finished it."--Viveka Neveln, Managing Editor, Edgge Dining and Doing Guide.
"We owe gratitude to the author because he took the common life of our country and its scenes and made them a blessing through the literary process and projected them on the international horizon for all world to view and admire."--Photis Fournodavlos, Philologist, Univ. of Athens
"A story form the heart, told with wisdom and love."--Jim Kokoris, Sister North
"So well-written and compelling. It stands out even among a field of shining stars. A must-read."--Mary Papoutsy, Hellenic Communication Service
"A document of life of the ordinary people of the Greek countryside. The reader cannot put this book down."--Iphigenia Benaki, Theater Critic, Athens, Greece
"It touched a chord in my heart. My father made the same journey."--Nichole Argyres, Associate Editor, St. Martins Press
"I truly want to direct this story. I have a real passion for it!"--Peter J. Kousakis, Film Director, Hollywood
About the Author
NIcholas D. Kokonis is a clinical psychologist and college professor. The child of struggling, semiliterate Arcadian peasants, he was born and raised in Arcadia (Greece) and knows his main character's life down to the missing hobnails on his only pair of shoes. Following his arrival in the United States in 1962, he studied on scholarships and maintained a private clinical practice for thirty-two years.
A published poet, avid student of cultural history, the cinema and foreign languages and a well-traveled man, Dr. Kokonis wrote a column (Psychologically Speaking) for the Greek Press for nearly two decades. His clinical research has been profiled in collegiate journals and he has received prestigious faculty appointments to colleges and universities. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, among them Who's Who, Outstanding Citizen of the Year, Notable Americans, a profile in the Chicago Sun Times, American Hellenic Who's Who and a reference in the Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature (Poetry).
Presently, Dr. Kokonis divides his time between his native Arcadia and the United States. His authentic story Arcadia, My Arcadia has attracted the interest of many film directors and producers here and abroad and is currently under movie option contract.
