These Brooklyn based Gurdjieff-inspired allegorical tales were originally written for a monthly column in Chronogram--a magazine published by one of Mr. Crocitto's students in the Work. 
Read Insight once, it's funny, poignant, inspiring. Read it again --- there's something serious going on beneath that sly Brooklyn patter. Then read it out loud, and listen as the pages become parable. And not just your same-old, run-of-the-mill parables. These really happened. 
Frankly speaking, it's an amazing introduction to one of the most sane men of our times.

Insight is Better than Ice Cream: A Collection of Themes for Re-Collecting Yourself

Literature & Fiction

Crocitto, Frank

United States

Candlepower

A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN BROOKLYN is the poetic tale of author Frank Crocitto's childhood growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940's. 
Reminiscent of Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales," the book poignantly captures the true spirit of the Christmas season reflected in the traditions of a large Italian-American family and the love and respect that binds it together. 
Crocitto's story begins just prior to Christmas, as the anticipation begins to mount for the 'big day.' The holiday season officially commences as school lets out for the holiday. Snow begins to blanket the streets of Crocitto's 81st Street. The colorful house lights are brought out and hung with Grandpa. As Grandma mobilizes her tyrannical reign in the kitchen to prepare for the ultimate holiday meal, there are snowball fights with "the gang," and there is the search to find the perfect tree with Mom and Dad. 
As the family traditions are carried on, the night before Christmas brings a life-changing encounter with Santa Claus. Christmas Day culminates in present-opening, church-going, raucous family bingo games, dancing in the parlor and the profound realization of just how fortunate one boy can be. 
Grady Kane-Horrigan's sepia-toned illustrations are the perfect complement, each one providing an snapshot of Crocitto's finely written details: a wreath on frozen fence post, a snake-like tangle of lights, the twinkle in Santa's eye. 
A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN BROOKLYN brings you into the family, and Crocitto's warmhearted Christmas memories of a sweeter, simpler time will resonate with readers of all ages.

A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn

Children's Books

Kane-Horrigan, Grady

Holidays & Celebrations

Mr. Crocitto has created a new Christmas classic with A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn - the poetic tale of Frank's growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s, during the threat of war. This beautifully illustrated gift book is reminiscent of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales, and poignantly captures the true spirit of the Christmas season as reflected in the traditions of a large Italian-American family and the love and respect that binds it together. The reader dives into the Crocitto Christmas from start to finish - sharing his touching, and sometimes hilarious, moments. Hanging the house-lights with Grandpa, sprinkling the strufoli with Grandma for the family feast, and searching for the perfect skimpy Christmas tree with Nicola Santa Crocitto. This is no mere reminiscence, however. Frank believes we can return to that same fresh state of childhood again - when we saw the world as a place of beauty and wonder - in the midst of our 'grown-up' lives. To feel that way again, A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn can transport us there.

Biographies & Memoirs

Regional U.S.

A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN BROOKLYN is the poetic tale of author Frank Crocitto's childhood growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940's. 
Reminiscent of Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales," the book poignantly captures the true spirit of the Christmas season reflected in the traditions of a large Italian-American family and the love and respect that binds it together. 
Crocitto's story begins just prior to Christmas, as the anticipation begins to mount for the 'big day.' The holiday season officially commences as school lets out for the holiday. Snow begins to blanket the streets of Crocitto's 81st Street. The colorful house lights are brought out and hung with Grandpa. As Grandma mobilizes her tyrannical reign in the kitchen to prepare for the ultimate holiday meal, there are snowball fights with "the gang," and there is the search to find the perfect tree with Mom and Dad. 
As the family traditions are carried on, the night before Christmas brings a life-changing encounter with Santa Claus. Christmas Day culminates in present-opening, church-going, raucous family bingo games, dancing in the parlor and the profound realization of just how fortunate one boy can be. 
A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN BROOKLYN brings you into the family, and Crocitto's warmhearted Christmas memories of a sweeter, simpler time will resonate with readers of all ages. 
Frank Crocitto's warm and delightful reading of A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN BROOKLYN brings this charming holiday memoir to life for all who listen.

HOORAY FOR LOVE is Crocitto's latest collection of work, and his first literary sampler. Crafted as a modern-day paean to the ever elusive – and often undefined – human activity of loving, Crocitto weaves together strands of short stories, poems and a play that reveal the myriad approaches we take towards love as we move through our lives. 
The short story 'May I in the Merry Merry' depicts a timeless, spring-filled Manhattan – one ready to bloom at any moment within the heart of erstwhile lover Vincent J. Sciaputo. The play 'O Fathomless Love,' with just enough tongue in its cheek, is the play you wish they would teach in high-school drama courses. And the vignette 'My Wife, My Life' casts an uncritical eye on a husband forgetting his spouse, and then, remembering. 
The book culminates in the substantial essay 'Hooray For Love,' in which Crocitto describes his personal search for the true nature of love. Set against the backdrop of his college theater-days, with Shakespeare as a springboard, Crocitto dives into the practical aspects of love. His words are especially pertinent now, in our love-lorn -- yet love-deprived society.

Hooray for Love!: A Lyrical Journey to the Source

Hooray for Love: A Lyrical Journey to the Source

Festivals, food-feasts, families—BIG families and the nostalgic draw of old-world tradition—A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN BROOKLYN is THE Italian American Christmas Book. 
A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN BROOKLYN, a deceptively dainty little literary morsel, puts Christmas in its proper place in the consciousness of Christmas Italiana, while simultaneously reinvigorating refined literature. The book is crafted as much in its lyric as it is in its appearance which is no mean feat considering the rich watercolor illustrations that evoke many of the scenes described. The narrative slips gracefully from prose poem to comedic scene—not over-precious, but true to the awes of childhood. The book is not afraid to uplift, even in the midst of the sometimes dreary world of adults, the spiritual reality that most children learn to write off as "innocence" to be lost.

Historical

Frank Crocitto, editor of the Thoreau tribute: New Suns Will Arise (Hyperion 2000) presents an unconventional introduction to the mind and heart of the Transcendentalist philosopher. Selections from Emerson’s journals have been carefully chosen and sensitively formatted for maximum impact and accessibility. Inspired by the bicentennial celebration of Emerson’s birthday, this compilation aims to introduce "America’s Founding Thinker" to a whole new generation. Emphatically Emerson reveals the mind of an American sage, whose revolutionary heart longs for Truth, Freedom and "the spirit of America."

Emphatically Emerson

Arts & Literature

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Books by Candlepower

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Candlepower publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Insight is Better than Ice Cream: A Collection of Themes for Re-Collecting Yourself

A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn

A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn

A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn

Hooray for Love!: A Lyrical Journey to the Source

Hooray for Love: A Lyrical Journey to the Source

A Child's Christmas in Brooklyn

Emphatically Emerson