Partigiano Rita
(Partisan Rita) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
A historical event that recalls one of the darkest pages of Italian history, told with accuracy and passion by one of the great voices of contemporary Italian literature. The story of a brave woman who kept faith with her ideals and succeeded in saying “no” even risking her life. Written by Paola Capriolo, it speaks yet again to children about racism, and its most dreadful guise. This novel is based on the biography of the protagonist, reconstructed in the book Non era una donna era un bandito. Rita Rosani, una ragazza in guerra (Livio Isaak Sirovich, Cierre Edizioni, 2014). [Publisher’s website]
Edited by: Centro MeTRa - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Comment:
The idea of writing a book for young readers about Rita Rosani, a young Jewish woman from Trieste, the only female partisan to be awarded (posthumously) the honour of the Resistance Gold Medal, is certainly praiseworthy and interesting, and it is the highlight of the book. However, the book is disappointing at times: much of the narrative takes place before Rita joins the partisans, and only the final chapters follow her in her deeds. Perhaps the author concentrates too much on the middle-class aspects of the girl’s life, which remained quite ordinary even during the Second World War: her clothes, films, correspondence with Kubi (her Jewish boyfriend confined in Abruzzo), volunteering as a teacher, and her lack of interest in politics. Rita, on the other hand, tries to do her best to resist and find some light in that precarious situation. From the enactment of the racial laws in 1938 to the German invasion, the life of the Jewish community becomes more and more difficult, until the Rosani family sees its Italian citizenship revoked and has to flee the city. The depiction of her life as a partisan is also perhaps a little too romantic: the focus is placed on her love affair with Colonel Umberto Ricca, on the doll Rita makes, and on her walks near the mountain hut, the favourite refuge of the Aquila gang, of which she is a member. It would probably have been more interesting to read more about her training and the feats that earned her the rank of lieutenant. However, the book’s strong point is its will to recount and highlight the life of a young Jewish heroine who really existed, who was killed by the Fascists when she was only twenty-three years old, without wanting to create a hagiography. For this reason, Partigiano Rita (Partisan Rita) is a recommended book.