Gloria Mattioni

A novel that will appeal to readers of Jodi Picoult, Miriam Toews and Jennifer Weiner, recipient of eleven literary awards.

It's the story of two sisters living worlds apart, one in Los Angeles and the other in Bergamo, North Italy. A story of fierce love and heartbreaking grief. 

Claire Waters, an Italian mystery writer living in Los Angeles, rushes to Italy after her older sister's devastating brain-hemorrhage, determined to restore her health--or help her die with dignity. Claire is a gritty decision-maker, a lone wolf who values freedom above all else. Her sister, Ondina--now on the edge of death or living a severely limited life--is wise, cautious, and sociable. They may be different, but have remained close despite the distance. Claire is faced with a dilemma impossible to solve. Would her non-verbal sister want to go on struggling, damaged as she is, or end her suffering? Forsaking her career, Claire hardly leaves her sister's side, refusing to give up the tiniest hope of healing. It takes an exhausting and lonely year for stubborn Claire to surrender enough to listen to her silent sister.

Author Gloria Mattioni embarked on outlandish adventures as a means to appease her curiosity about the world beyond her native Italy. This led to a lifelong quest to find other women whose brazen life choices defied expectations of what women can or should do. Mattioni, who has been called reckless more times than she can count, seeks out women who crave adventure and refuse to be confined. She believes that recklessness is something to be cultivated, even in the context of our day-to-day lives. Here, Mattioni shares the stories of nine kick-ass women and invites all women to live a little more recklessly.

This book tells of the epic life and legal odyssey of James R. Weddell, a Dakota Yankton man sentenced to eighty years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. In 1993, Italian journalist, author Gloria Mattioni met James and volunteered to investigate and seek justice. For the following ten years, she spared no efforts to make sure that the case would be reopened and James would win his freedom back.

After an exhausting legal battle, James R. Weddell finally walked free on December 18th, 2003. Dakota Warrior is a meditation on what it means to embody the figure of the warrior in our modern society. It is also a breathless tale of daring prison breaks earning Weddell the nickname of the American Indian Houdini, of ending up on America's Most Wanted, of the unyielding fight for the Black Hills--the Lakota sacred lands that were illegally taken by the U.S. government, of political activism, of the shootout and reconciliation with AIM leader Russell Means, of racism and unexpected friendship, of tribal history and strong spiritual beliefs.

A chapter by historian Daniele Bolelli clarifies the terms of the controversy between the American government and the Lakota in regard to the Black Hills.