The Stowaway in First Class
Formats: E-Book, Audio, Paperback, Hardback
Ages: 18+
A family’s legacy is forever changed in this true story of ransom notes, stowaways, and mobsters.
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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.
Reviews
"... a fast moving, true story of Anthony DeSantis' father's journey from Southern Italy to the United States. The author's exceptionally strong writing skills make the plot, danger, and romance important and fascinating. DeSantis deserves praise and kudos for his research and documentation. This book examines the immigrant story, the perils of a desire to leave Southern Italy to improve oneself, and what the challenges are when one leaves what one knows best and loves in spite of everything. I recommend this book as a well-written and well-considered 20th Century immigrant story. In the final trip returning to Italy with his aging father, Guy, Anthony DeSantis' father, we find out what happened to the woman Guy left behind which brings the story full circle. There is a lot to learn here." Jane Abbott (Educator)
“In The Stowaway in First Class, Anthony DeSantis has crafted a narrative that pulses with the raw, unvarnished heartbeat of the immigrant odyssey—a tale as vast and turbulent as the Atlantic itself. Like the churning wake of the SS Paris, this story drags readers into the depths of human resolve, where desperation and hope collide in a crescendo of grit and glory. Gaetano ‘Guy’ DeSantis’s journey is not merely a memoir; it is an anthem, a thunderous ballad of betrayal, ransom, and redemption that could only be born from the crucible of early 20th-century America.” Nonfiction Authors Association Gold Award
“DeSantis wields his pen like a stevedore’s hook, hauling his father’s past into the light with unflinching clarity. The prose is both intimate and epic, stitching together Guy’s fragmented recollections—torn from a 1984 video transcript—with the grandeur of a Homeric saga. Here, history breathes through the cracks of dialogue, slightly polished but still rough with the cadence of broken English and the ghostly hum of Italian. The narrative thrums with the suspense of a Dashiell Hammett thriller. What elevates this chronicle beyond mere biography is its unrelenting gaze into the cost of dreams Guy’s ransom ordeal—a grotesque parody of the American “fee for freedom”—mirrors the broader extortion of the padrone system, where immigrants traded indentured labor for a sliver of promise.” Nonfiction Authors Association Gold Award
