A charming and ‘instructive’ dispatch from Rome

This memoir from The New York Times’ former Rome bureau chief explores how Italy’s problems previewed those of the rest of the industrial world. The Italian Job: A Memoir of an American Reporter in Rome by Jason Horowitz. When he moved to Italy, Horowitz, an American who grew up in Queens, was sure that the country’s best days were behind it. But by covering neofascism, financial crises, immigration, and other topics for 25 years — a portion of which he spent as The New York Times’ Rome bureau chief — he found that Italy’s problems were a harbinger for the rest of the industrial world. Horowitz’s love for Italy gives the book “its charm and its instructive value,” Kirkus Reviews wrote, describing it as “a mix of forewarning and reassurance from someone with a distinct viewpoint.” Buy The Italian Job from your local bookstore.