Lillo the Little Shepherd Boy
by
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INTRODUCTION
To the reader. . .
It gives me great pleasure to share these thoughts with you; I will be more than pleased if you share it with someone else, especially those of a younger age. This book will give you and yours, hours of pleasurable and rewarding reading. It will take you into other countries. It will reveal thoughts of some twisted and deranged minds; from there you will experience the love and faith of dear ones. It also explains how a young one can cope with harsh realities such as, what love means; and how strong it can be; and the will of obedience. You know my friend, that boy you will read about, is me, and truly me. You will be with this boy at times of sensibility and at times of recklessness, but he'll always hold one thought in mind . . . never to hurt anyone's feelings. To love; to obey elders; and to achieve his goal, this is Lillo's motto.
The scenery that you will visualize in your mind may seem to be part of reality, but you have to get back to your thoughts, because what you're seeing is through the eyes of a young boy, growing to be a man.
Further in this book you might ask yourself, “how can a boy at that age, go through, and live a life like that?” Well, my friend, when hunger strikes within a person, a body, young or old, can take a lot. Woo-hoo! Hold it! I'm spoiling it for you. No! I can't tell you anymore. I'll tell you this though, what you'll read is a true story, lived by me. Only, some scenes are embellished to give more pleasure to the reader. As you know, I can't use real names other than mine, and those of my family. This is to avoid conflicts. Although some of those names may coincide with people anywhere, it's not intentionally done. I hereby publish this novel as I've lived and as I've seen it. It is the truth, so help me God!
Calogero Campo
09/02/1938
Story told and completed 08/23/1978.
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About the Book
It is 1943 in Sicily. The pension from America has stopped, the countryside is not producing food, and winter will soon be upon the Sicilians. Salvatore Campo is a desperate man. With five children and a wife to support, he resorts to stealing grain—a crime that eventually lands him in jail. As sorrow and despair falls on Salvatore’s family, his wife prays for a miracle. As time goes on, she begins to realize that her only hope for overcoming starvation lies within her eight-year-old son, Lillo.
Three years later as little Lillo is sent away to work on a country farm to help his family, his only possessions are an extra shirt and pair of pants. With a fear bigger than himself, Lillo embarks on an unforgettable coming-of-age journey that opens his eyes to the world around him and forces him to face all the challenges that accompany his new destiny as a sheepherder. From sleeping on the cold floor to assuming responsibility for over seventy sheep, little Lillo grows up quickly while learning how to travel alone, live without his family, and most importantly, become a man.
In this autobiographical novel, a Sicilian boy must rely on his inner-strength and perseverance as he helps his family survive starvation after World War II and walks into a new future.
About the Author
Charles Calogero Campo was born in Sicily, Italy, and at age seventeen, left Italy to work in Belgium to help support his family. In 1960, he made his way to America where he owned a successful pizzeria in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for over thirty years. This is his third book.