SKU: 27177728062

Seeking Sicily: A Cultural Journey Through Myth and Reality in the Heart of the Mediterranean

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Seeking Sicily: A Cultural Journey Through Myth and Reality in the Heart of the Mediterranean"Keahey's exploration of this misunderstood island offers a much needed look at a much maligned land." Paul Paolicelli, author of Under the Southern Sun Sicily is the Mediterranean's largest and most mysterious island. Its people, for three thousand years under the thumb of one invader after another, hold tightly onto a culture so unique that they remain emotionally and culturally distinct, viewing themselves first as Sicilians, not Italians. Many of

"Keahey's exploration of this misunderstood island offers a much-needed look at a much-maligned land."--Paul Paolicelli, author of Under the Southern Sun

Sicily is the Mediterranean's largest and most mysterious island. Its people, for three thousand years under the thumb of one invader after another, hold tightly onto a culture so unique that they remain emotionally and culturally distinct, viewing themselves first as Sicilians, not Italians. Many of these islanders, carrying considerable DNA from Arab and Muslim ancestors who ruled for 250 years and integrated vast numbers of settlers from the continent just ninety miles to the south, say proudly that Sicily is located north of Africa, not south of Italy.

Seeking Sicily explores what lies behind the soul of the island's inhabitants. It touches on history, archaeology, food, the Mafia, and politics and looks to nineteenth- and twentieth-century Sicilian authors to plumb the islanders' so-called Sicilitudine. This "culture apart" is best exemplified by the writings of one of Sicily's greatest writers, Leonardo Sciascia. Seeking Sicily also looks to contemporary Sicilians who have never shaken off the influences of their forbearers, who believed in the ancient gods and goddesses.

Author John Keahey is not content to let images from the island's overly touristed villages carry the story. Starting in Palermo, he journeyed to such places as Arab-founded Scopello on the west coast, the Greek ruins of Selinunte on the southwest, and Sciascia's ancestral village of Racalmuto in the south, where he experienced unique, local festivals. He spent Easter Week in Enna at the island's center, witnessing surreal processions that date back to Spanish rule. And he learned about Sicilian cuisine in Spanish Baroque Noto and Greek Siracusa in the southeast, and met elderly, retired fishermen in the tiny east-coast fishing village of Aci Trezza, home of the mythical Cyclops and immortalized by Luchino Visconti's mid-1940s film masterpiece, La terra trema. He walked near the summit of Etna, Europe's largest and most active volcano, studied the mountain's role in creating this island, and looked out over the expanse of the Ionian Sea, marveling at the three millennia of myths and history that forged Sicily into what it is today.



Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Published: 11/08/2011
ISBN: 9780312597054
Pages: 312
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.20d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 08/08/2011
Booklist 09/15/2011 pg. 20
Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2011
Library Journal 11/01/2011 pg. 98
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SKU: 27177728062

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Donna
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
These worked for me!
Color: Original Grey
They worked great. I bought these for cracked sore heels. It took 2-3 weeks but my heels no longer hurt and the cracks have closed and look more like an indention than a crack now. They feel so much better, but I'll probably wear them another week just to be sure they stay healed. They look and feel like regular socks from the outside but only cover the heel with the toe open. Not think but not thick, again like regular socks. They would probably be slippery on a smooth surface the same as socks. The inside feels like rubber or something smooth at the heel. I have washed them once each pair and accidentally dried one pair in the dryer. They still seem to feel the same so I think they're fine. They're pretty inexpensive and had different colors and sizes.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2026
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Mimi
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 4
Truly Helped My Cracked Heels
Color: Original Grey
I didn't include a photo cause they look exactly like their advertisement photo. I so liked the silicon-type heel lining as it kept the heel-repair cream on my heel and did not get soaked up by the sock. But, it is so, so slippery when walking around in them! Take care to be mindful when you set each foot down as the lotion can slide your heel across the sock quite a bit. If these socks were for an elderly person, I would have them only sit while using the sock - no walking around for fear of falling. I have larger ankles and found that having both the top and the bottom hems/elastic, etc. the same size to be quite troublesome and was not a nice feeling or fit on my upper hem that hit my ankle. Don't get me wrong, I am so glad that I got them and I continue to use them and they are helping my horribly-cracked heels greatly, but I find that I have to keep moving the top hem up and down so that it doesn't stay in one position as it cuts in to my ankle. My feedback and advice might be to please make the upper hem somewhat larger than the one that is on the bottom and goes over my actual foot. They really should not be the same circumference...or else make different sizes - S, M, L, etc. That's really my only complaint or "con" to ordering these. I think they are a great concept and I like the fact that I can throw them in the washer and dryer.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024
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SC6218
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Actually works, and really well
Color: Original Grey
I bought these because I got them on a great deal and was quite skeptical, but they actually worked exactly as advertised and I saw a huge difference after the first night! I understand why they don’t cover the whole foot like a regular sock (it would be stifling), but it would be incredible if they made a pair that go forward enough to cover the ball of the foot. One pair lasted about 3 weeks before the moisturizer wore out (I did notice a dropoff after washing, so for best results put them on when you’re clean and just for overnight, so you can avoid washing). Apologies for no photos- no one wants to see the before photos. These work so well I’ve just come back to order more even though I’m now paying full price. Definitely, definitely recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026
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Liana
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Comfortably and works
Color: Original Grey
❤️ I used these with magnesium lotion on my heals for 3 nights, soaked my feet every morning and cracked heals are gone!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2026
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T. U.
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
A game changer for deep heel cracks and psoriasis!
Color: Original Grey, Color: Original Grey
If you have deep cracks or psoriasis on your heels, get these they are a total game changer! They hold in Vaseline and topical meds perfectly while I sleep, providing much needed relief without getting all over my sheets. My heels are healing faster and my callouses are softer and don’t split open because the moisture is trapped against the skin all night with the built in gel cushion lining instead of rubbing off. So much hydration. The fact that it is a 2 pack is perfect because while one pair is being washed and drying, you still have a set to wear. Very soft, stretchy, breathable, and easy to sleep in. I highly recommend them!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2026

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