‹‹ Colorado Matters

From mining to mafia, ‘The Descendant’ lifts the veil on Colorado’s Italian history

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17min 00sec
Image shows an old wooden sign. "The Descendant" is written on the sign.
Courtesy Simon & Schuster
“The Descendant” is historical fiction written by Linda Stasi about her family’s Italian immigrant roots in Colorado.

Italian immigrations helped shape Colorado, from their work in mines to yes, even the mafia. Award winning journalist and best-selling novelist Linda Stasi's family roots run deep here. Her new historical fiction book is "The Descendant," which has been described as a sweeping family saga drawn from the true story of her Sicilian ancestors and the early roots of organized crime in Colorado.