The Great Sicilian Norseman

About the Book

The Great Sicilian Norseman is a true story about a six-foot-seven-inch Viking, Roger, who came down from Normandy to Sicily to gain riches and property, but instead, he indirectly frees the Sicilian people of Arab rule in the year 1050. He became Count of Sicily after he freed his beloved, Judith, who was held for ransom by a German ruler. His son, Roger II, later became king of Southern Italy.

About the Author

Joseph Francis Panicello was born in Queens, New York, in 1927 of Sicilian parents. Joe was in the US Navy for three years and he and his two deceased brothers are World War II veterans. Joe became an Electronic Engineer using the GI Bill and worked for Bell Laboratories and Lockheed Aircraft for 40 years. He is a widower of Rose after 30 years of marriage. He has 3 daughters with her and now lives in California with his present wife Barbara. Joe became a writer of seven books and twelve screenplays after he retired from Lockheed in December of 1989.