Reluctant Jews

Sandro Gerbi examines the secularization of his family over the 20^th century, marked by a gradual departure from religious faith, the Jewish Community, and the increasing prevalence of mixed marriages. He does so without nostalgia, nor rejection of his ancestry.

The story begins in 1938, when his father, historian and economist Antonello Gerbi, was forced into exile in Peru due to Italy’s racial laws. His two uncles— one a sports journalist, the other a doctor—found refuge in the United States. Gerbi recounts key moments with vivid anecdotes and rich prose: his birth in Peru in 1943, the family’s return to Italy in 1948, the persistence of a distinct “family lexicon,” a trip to Israel in 1967, and encounters with figures such as financier Renato Cantoni, philosopher György Lukács, journalists  Ugo Stille and Indro Montanelli, and literary agent Erich Linder. The book culminates in his return to Lima in 2010, 62 years after leaving.

About the Author

Sandro Gerbi (born 1943, Lima) is a historian and journalist. He is the author of numerous books, including Tempi di malafede: Guido Piovene ed Eugenio Colorni (Comisso Award), Raffaele Mattioli e il filosofo domato, Indro Montanelli: una biografia (with Raffaele Liucci), Mattioli e Cuccia: due banchieri del Novecento, Giovanni Enriques: dalla Olivetti alla Zanichelli (Biella Award), and I Cosattini: una famiglia antifascista di Udine (Matteotti Award). For over twenty years, he has contributed to the cultural sections of La Stampa, Il Sole 24 Ore, and Corriere della Sera.