Guido's Credos: The Paisan Point of View on Everything from Marriage to Macaroni

Ostensibly a romp through all things Italian, Guido’s Credos offers a seriocomic subtext about stereotypes and the societal emphasis on political correctness. In his 39 credos — one for each year he’s lived — author Vinnie Penn rants about everything from growing up in Italian neighborhoods to the church, school, and home décor, weaving in historical facts that supply rich background material. Each of the book’s chapters, from “Getting the Boot” to “In the Name of the Father, Son, and the Stromboli Spirit,” correlates to a chapter in any proper Italian-American upbringing, as well as the litany of stereotypes that must be endured. Other sections ponder topics such as the unairable episode of COPS: Brooklyn, going inside a pitch meeting for an Olive Garden commercial, how to overact at a wake or funeral, and how the original script for Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding was toned down so as not to frighten the audience.