The Stowaway in First Class - by Anthony DeSantis (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A family's legacy is forever changed in this true story of ransom notes, stowaways, and mobsters.

Paris, 1929. Gaetano "Guy" DeSantis is an Italian emigrant with a good life: a stable construction job, a comfortable place to live, and a blossoming relationship with a young waitress, Marie. But Guy dreams of making a future in America, alongside his cousin Frank who immigrated a few years earlier.

So when a mysterious stranger shows up at Guy's door saying that Frank has paid for a boat ride across the Atlantic, how could Guy refuse? But there's a catch--he must leave immediately, with no bags and no goodbyes.

With a heart of gold--and the suspense of a classic crime novel--this true story memorializes one man's split-second decision to chart a new course for generations to come, proving that courage and honor do have the power to make a better life.

Review Quotes

"Tender love and deep loyalty for family and country with a risky decision to take a chance for a better life grip you in this well-told immigrant story. Both heart and mind follow Guy's fascinating journey from rural poverty in Italy to young love in Paris and a daring stowaway adventure that opens the possibility to live the American dream." -Christina Holloway, award-winning author of Whispers Across a Sea: A Novel of Victorian Ireland

"DeSantis not only lifts up his father's unique story but offers a valuable contribution to the Europe-to-America immigrant experience." -BookLife Reviews

"This book is more than a just a story of two young men coming to America as stowaways on an ocean liner from France in the early twentieth century. It is about how one individual, Guy, achieves the American dream that he set out to realize. Guy relies on . . . character, hard work, good personal relations, perseverance, and strong family ties to achieve his goal. It is also a story of human trafficking. It reads like a thriller. The author's riveting storytelling makes the book hard to put down." -Ciro DeFalco, chairman, Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center, Inc./ Italian American Museum of Washington DC

"The harrowing story of Guy DeSantis as told by his son, is evidence that one decision can change your entire life. As Guy and his friend Ernesto stayed tucked away and out of sight in the bowels of the SS Paris, they had no idea how their journey would end. Their 'adventure' is worth the read, and the outcome will fill your heart with gratitude that out of one seemingly bad choice, good prevailed." -Mindi Wroblewski, author of The Paris Room and Your True Origin Story