Date: Fri 21-Aug-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

John-Del-Vecchio-novel

Full Text:

Local Author's New Novel Is A Story That Hits Home

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

John Del Vecchio's experience as a war correspondent during the Vietnam War

inspired him to write the bestselling novel, The 13th Valley, back in 1982.

The same was true For the Sake of All Living Things and Carry Me Home, his

second and third books.

The latest book by the Newtown resident has little to do with Vietnam, dealing

instead with an entirely different kind of war. And once again, it was John

Del Vecchio's own life experiences which brought it to life.

Darkness Falls: An American Story hits the bookstores in October, but early

reviews are already in -- and they're calling it a winner.

The book centers on the life of a 50-year-old Italian-American who struggles

with the realities of life typical of the Baby Boomer generation. It takes

place in a small Connecticut town where a fatal car accident upsets the

community. The town then struggles to overcome racism and youth violence in

its high school, creating more turmoil and trouble. John Panuzio dislikes his

fast-paced job (increasingly affected by corporate downswing) and finds

himself struggling to keep his marriage and family together. Not unlike the

author, he's been handed the responsibility of caring for both his children

and his ailing parents. As Johnny-panni (as he was known as a child)

contemplates suicide, he comes to grips with his own life by remembering days

gone by when he was a boy growing up in an Italian family.

"A lot of the issues that John Panuzio deals with in the book are today's

issues," noted Mr Del Vecchio, born in Bridgeport and of Italian descent.

"It's about values and being proud of your heritage."

The author, who recently turned 51, has high hopes for Darkness Falls, which

is being published by St Martin's Press of New York. As he points out, there

are a lot of things going on in the world today that are "slightly out of

whack."

"This book is my thoughts on how things could be brought back on a more even

keel," he explained during a recent interview at his Taunton Lake Road home.

Mr Del Vecchio sees America becoming fragmented, a place where people no

longer know one another, not even neighbors.

In a way, he said, Darkness Falls is a mirror on society, reflecting the

current state of Americans in general. Its structure of overlapping concentric

circles over people and events makes it unlike most other fictional books.

One critic called the book a must read for anyone interested in the state of

our children and their schools, race relations, the plight of the elderly and

the love that holds a family together.

Another said Darkness Falls reminds us of the need for firm family values and

questions the cultural diversity approach to solving racial problems.

Mr Del Vecchio has already begun work on a sequel to Darkness Falls, that

centers on the same Panuzio family. This time, however, it focuses on the life

of the daughter, a high school basketball star, who is being heavily recruited

to play in college. High school kids can be put under enormous pressure, said

the author, who has done a great deal of research on the college sports scene.

He said some of what he discovered is disturbing.

It is all about money, he said, pointing to books like Personal Foul, which

talks about alleged recruiting violations at large universities.

It has been 16 years since Mr Del Vecchio released The 13th Valley, a powerful

book about a two-week American infantry assault in 1970 on a North Vietnamese

stronghold in northern South Vietnam. The book was one of the first of its

kind, vividly describing a war that many struggled to understand and which

succeeded in tearing America apart. Mr Del Vecchio was a member of the 101st

Airborne Division as a combat correspondent.

To date, The 13th Valley has sold more than 1.25 million copies worldwide. It

is expected to be re-released by St Martin's Press sometime soon.

Mr Del Vecchio and his wife Kate are the parents of three children, all of

whom are currently enrolled at Newtown High School. Nate is a senior, Adam is

a sophomore, and Cara is a freshman.