A Conversation with Libby Cataldi

Of all the stops on my September book tour, Pittsburgh holds a special place for me. It’s where my grandparents built their American life after leaving Rotondella, where my mother was born, lived, and died, and where I grew up. In many ways, Pittsburgh is where the story of It Takes a Lifetime to Learn How to Live began.

DATE AND TIME
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
6:30–8:30 PM
Doors open at 6:00 PM

LOCATION
Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

TICKETING
Free with advance registration.  The program will take place in the museum’s sixth floor Detre Library and Archives.

REGISTER

Join the Italian American Program for a conversation with author Libby Cataldi about her new memoir, It Takes a Lifetime to Learn How to Live: An Italian American Story of Coming Home.

Rooted in the legacies of immigration, family, and identity, Cataldi’s intimate memoir traces her family’s journey from the southern Italian village of Rotondella to Pittsburgh.

Raised in an Italian American household shaped by a past that was rarely discussed, Cataldi embarks on a deeply personal journey back to her ancestral home in search of truth, belonging, and a deeper understanding of the generations that came before her.

In Italy, she uncovers the lasting influence of tradition, silence, sacrifice, and resilience, exploring how forces such as poverty, rigid Catholicism, patriarchy, the Mafia, malocchio, and omertà shaped the lives of her grandmother, mother, and ultimately herself.

Through her family’s story, Cataldi will reflect on the enduring legacy of immigration, the strength of Italian American women, and what it means to reconcile the past while finding a sense of home.

Following the presentation, enjoy a Q&A with the author and a book signing.

(Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in attending.)