BARATTA, Don 1932-

PERSONAL: Born March 2, 1932; son of Peter Baron (a machinist) and Laura (a homemaker; maiden name, McGonnell) Baratta; married, June 24, 1956; wife's name, Joan (died, June 23, 1989); children: Michael James, David Donald (deceased). Education: Pasadena Community College, A.A., 1958; Louisiana State University, B.A., 1959; Claremont Graduate School, teaching credential, 1960. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Reading history.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Firefly Books Ltd., 3680 Victoria Park Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2H 3K1. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Farmers Insurance Group, Los Angeles, CA, worked as insurance adjuster for more than thirty years; writer. Military service: U.S. Air Force, aerial gunner, 1951-55; served in Korea; received Air Medal with battle star and United Nations Service Medal.

WRITINGS:

The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook, Prima Publications, 1987, reprinted, Firefly Books, 2002.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Tales of the Sacramento Kid, the "mostly-comic adventures of a California street cop."

SIDELIGHTS: Don Baratta told CA:"The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook was written because my father had died and I did not want to let it go at that. So, I wrote about him and disguised the work by including a bookful of his recipes. I never expected it to be published and am even more surprised that it has been on the market for nearly twenty years. Well, so much for my expert opinion.

"I like to write about things that offer hope and to write with humor whenever possible, My inclinations can probably be labeled shallow and inconsequential, but I have never thought my talent was much more than mediocre, and this is the best I can do. Anyway, I generally find works of hopeless tragedy to be tedious, which again reflects my unfortunate taste."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Publishers Weekly, December 18, 1987, John Mutter, review of The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook, p. 60.

Winston-Salem Journal, May 22, 2002, Michael Hastings, review of The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook, p. E2.