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>>> A FATHER OF 12 IS MURDERED, 
THE RESULT OF MOB VIOLENCE IN 
THE 50S. HIS WIFE, THE MOTHER 
OF THEIR 12 CHILDREN IS LEFT 
NOT ONLY HEARTBROKEN, BUT A 
SINGLE MOTHER FORCED TO RAISE A 
LARGE FAMILY IN THE SUBURBS OF 
PHILLY.
IT SOUNDS LIKE AND MADE-FOR-TV 
DRAMA, BUT IT IS NOT.
IT IS THE STORY OF OUR NEXT 
GUESTS FAMILY, AND SHE HAS 
WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT IT CALLED 
"LOVE AND LOYALTY".
PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME THE 
AUTHOR, JOSEPHINE PASQUARELLO.
THANK YOU FOR COMING IN!
>> THANK YOU!
>> YOU KNOW, I READ THE FIRST 
CHAPTER OF THIS BOOK.
I SAID BEFORE, I WAS HOOKED 
BECAUSE IT IS SO COMPELLING.
IT DESCRIBES WHAT HAPPENED HERE 
FATHER, TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> WELL, MY FATHER WAS EXCUSE 
ME, MY FATHER WAS BORN IN 
PHILADELPHIA, ALL ITALIAN.
HE WAS ONE OF 10 CHILDREN.
MOTHER AND FATHER DIED WHEN HE 
WAS A YOUNG KID, SO HE BECAME 
THE MAN OF THE FAMILY.
HE WORKED THE STREETS OF 
PHILADELPHIA, HE HAD A WOODEN 
PUSHCART AND SOLD FRESH 
PRODUCE.
LITTLE BY LITTLE, HE GOT TO 
RUNNING WITH THE GUYS ON THE 
STREETS, HE STARTED CARD GAMES, 
TAKING NUMBERS, WHICH IS HOW HE 
GOT INVOLVED IN THE MOB WITH 
THAT ELEMENT.
THEN HE MARRIED MY MOTHER, AND 
THEY HAD 12 CHILDREN.
HE WAS ACQUIRING ALL OF THIS 
REAL ESTATE.
HOW DOES A MAN ON THE STREETS 
OF THE YOUNG KID HAVE ALL OF 
THIS REAL ESTATE?
WITH A BIG BUSINESS, AND TAKE 
CARE OF 12 CHILDREN?
>> OH 
MOB, AND PROBABLY A LOT OF 
THINGS.
>> YEAH, SO HE DIED?
>> WELL, THEY KILL HIM.
>> THEY KILL HIM IN THE FIRST 
CHAPTER?
>> RIGHT.
AND THE FEDS WERE AFTER HIM TO 
TURN ON THE MOB, AND THE MOB 
WAS AFTER HIM TO NOT SAY 
ANYTHING, SO HE WAS CAUGHT 
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, AND HE 
NEVER DID SAY ANYTHING, BUT THE 
MOB TOOK IT OVER AND DECIDED 
WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO.
SO THEY PUT THAT IN A START, 
THEY STABBED HIM, BUT AFTER IT 
WAS DIGESTED, THERE'S NOTHING 
BACK IN 1965 THAT COULD BE 
DONE.
>> SO THIS LEFT HER MOTHER A 
WIDOW WITH 12 CHILDREN?
>> RIGHT.
>> SO DESCRIBE YOUR MOTHER, SHE 
HAD TO I'VE BEEN A STRONG WOMAN 
HERE.
>> YES, SHE WAS, SHE WAS BORN 
IN ITALY, FROM THE MOUNTAINS, 
SO BORN IN ROME.
WHEN SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD, SHE 
CAME TO AMERICA.
THEY LIVED IN SOUTH PHILLY.
HER MOTHER AND FATHER WERE VERY 
STRICT.
SHE COULD NOT HAVE ANY FUN AND 
WAS NOT ALLOWED TO GO OUT.
THEY MADE HER QUIT SCHOOL IN 
THE FOURTH GRADE SO SHE COULD 
TAKE CARE OF THE HOUSE.
AND MY FATHER SHE WAS A 
SEAMSTRESS.
MY FATHER WAS HER FIRST 
BOYFRIEND.
SHE DATED HIM FOR THREE MONTHS, 
THEN HE MARRIED HER.
THEY HAD THEIR FIRST OF 12 
CHILDREN NINE MONTHS LATER.
>> WOW!
AND 12 KIDS AFTER THAT!
SO YOU WERE THE 10TH?
>> I AM NUMBER 10.
[LAUGHTER] 
>> WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO GROW UP 
IN SUCH A BIG FAMILY?
>> WELL, WE LIVED IN A LITTLE 
HOUSE IN SOUTH PHILLY, A LITTLE 
ROWHOUSE, ONLY THREE BEDROOMS, 
ONE BATHROOM.
>> WOW.
>> BUT YOU LEARN HOW TO 
MANEUVER THROUGH THE HOUSE.
YOU LEARNED THAT THERE COULD 
HAVE BEEN FIVE GIRLS IN THE 
BATHROOM, BUT THAT WAS THE WAY 
THAT WAS.
YOU JUST WAITED YOUR TURN.
AND AS WE LOOK GOT OLDER, MY 
MOTHER HAD A BATHROOM PUT IN 
THE BASEMENT SO THE BOYS COULD 
BE DOWN THERE AND NOT BOTHER US 
GIRLS UPSTAIRS BECAUSE THERE 
WERE STILL SIX OF US UP THERE.
BATHROOM!
OH YES, FOR ONE BATHROOM, BUT 
WE LEARNED HOW TO DO IT.
>> NOW, THOUGH THE STORY STARTS 
OFF TRAGIC, AND OF COURSE, FOR 
THE REST OF THE STORY YOU TALK 
ABOUT YOUR MOM RAISING YOU, AND 
EVERYTHING, THERE IS SOME HUMOR 
IN THEIR, IS THERE?
YEAH.
WE PLAYED A LOT OF GAMES, AND 
THE OLDER BOYS ALWAYS BEAT US 
UP, BUT WE TORTURED THEM BACK.
AFTER DINNER, WE WOULD PUT ON 
SHOWS.
WE WOULD PUT ON THE RECORD 
PLAYER.
IT COULD'VE BEEN ME AND 
CARMELLA DOING A TAP DANCE IN A 
BALLET, PUTTING ON SONGS, AND 
WE SAT IN THE LIVING ROOM.
WE WOULD PUT ON CHUBBY CHECKER 
AND GOT UP AND DANCE.
SO WE HAD A LOT OF FUN LIKE 
THAT BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE 
TOYS OR ANYTHING.
>> RIGHT.
>> SO IT WAS LIKE A CLUB EVERY 
DAY.
YOU WERE ALWAYS THERE TOGETHER, 
WE ALWAYS ATE OUR MEALS 
TOGETHER, DINNER WAS A BIG 
MEAL, ALL OF US.
AND AT DINNER, ALL WE DID WAS 
CUT UP AND TEASE EACH OTHER.
>> WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS 
WAS A STORY, SOMETHING HE 
NEEDED TO PUT OUT AS A BOOK?
>> PROBABLY IN THE BEGINNING OF 
MAY BE 2025, I WAS HANGING OUT 
A LOT WITH MY BROTHER WHO HAD 
TWO BROTHERS LIFE.
I WOULD GO TO VISIT THEM AND 
THEIR WIVES.
THEY WOULD SAY DIFFERENT 
THINGS, BECAUSE WE NEVER KNEW 
HOW MY FATHER DIED.
>> OH!
>> NO, MY MOTHER NEVER TOLD US.
SO MY UNCLE AND AUNTS WOULD 
NEVER TELL US WHAT WOULD GO ON, 
BUT SOMETIMES, THEY WOULD 
ACCIDENTALLY SAY SOMETHING.
BECAUSE THEY SAID YOU KNOW, THE 
MOB WAS REALLY AFRAID OF YOUR 
DAD.
BUT I SAID WHAT ARE YOU TALKING 
ABOUT?
SO IF YOU QUESTIONED IT, UNCLE 
GEORGE WOULD HAVE NEVER BROKEN 
IT DOWN FOR ME.
SO I JUST COMBINE LITTLE 
STORIES OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS 
THEY WERE SAYING TO ME.
THE PART OF THE STORE WERE 
UNCLE NICK COMES TO THESE STORE 
TO GET MY FATHER OUT SO THE 
COPS WOULD NOT HAVE TO KILL 
HIM, UNCLE NICK TOLD ME THAT 
JUST BY SHEER ACCIDENT.
>> WOW.
>> IMMEDIATELY WHEN HE WAS 
FINISHED, I RAN UPSTAIRS TO GOT 
MY PEN AND PAPER AND I WANTED 
TO KEEP THE STORIES TOGETHER.
ONE OF MY COUSINS JUST VERBALLY 
TOLD ME EVERYTHING, AFTER 50 
SOMETHING YEARS.
>> WOW!
THAT HAD TO I'VE BEEN EMOTIONAL 
FOR YOU.
>> I WAS FROZEN.
I JUST SAT IN THE CHURCH, AND I 
JUST LISTEN TO HIM.
TALKED FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES, 
HE SAID JOSEPHINE, YOU DON'T 
KNOW THIS?
AND I SAID NO, I DID NOT KNOW 
THAT!
>> WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU 
REMEMBER MOST ABOUT YOUR 
FATHER?
>> HE WAS THE BOSS.
THE OLDER BROTHERS AND SISTERS 
[AUDIO LOST] 
>>> LIKE, EVERYBODY WENT TO 
HIM.
IT WAS HIM WHO MADE THE 
DECISIONS.
MY MOTHER IN THE HOUSE WAS THE 
ONE WHO COOKED AND CLEAN.
NINE MONTHS OF BEING PREGNANT, 
NINE MONTHS OF BREAST-FEEDING, 
NINE MONTHS OF BEING PREGNANT.
THAT WAS HER CYCLE OF LIFE.
>> AMAZING!
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE 
AWAY FROM THIS BOOK?
>> I WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND 
WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH, FOR A 
QUARTER GRADE EDUCATION, SHE 
FIGURED IT ALL OUT.
HOW TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE, 
HOW TO CLOTHE US, SHE KEPT THE 
HOUSE CLEAN, AND ALL OF THE 
LOVE.
