Tina, Mafia Soldier

By: Maria Rosa Cutrufelli

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Synopsis: A classic of Italian feminist mafia literature about a gender-bending mafiosa and the writer who becomes obsessed with telling her storySicily, 1980s: When she was just eight years old, Tina watched as her father, a member of Cosa Nostra, was murdered in cold blood. Now a teenager, she terrorizes her hometown of Gela, having made it her mission to join the mafia, an organization traditionally forbidden to women as made members. Nicknamed &’a masculidda, or &“the tomboy,&” Tina has taken charge of her own gang, and is notorious for her cruelty and reckless disregard for societal expectations.When a news article is published about Tina&’s latest crimes, a teacher living in Rome feels compelled to write a novel about her—even though it means returning to her native Sicily to gather material. She and Tina circle around each other in a dangerous dance of obsession and violence until their first, and last, explosive meeting.This groundbreaking exploration of gender identity and clear-eyed presentation of an unseen side of the mafia is a landmark literary achievement by one of Italy&’s feminist icons.