We are excited to share a giveaway for An Italian Adventure (Gaia B Amman)!
Meet the Author: Gaia B Amman
Gaia B. Amman (they/them) was born and raised in Italy. They moved to the United States in their twenties to pursue their PhD in molecular oncology. Now a full-time author, they have been a cancer researcher, a tenured professor of Biology, the chair of the science department at D’Youville University, and a senior editor at McGraw-Hill. Their research and commentaries have been published in prestigious, international journals, including Nature.
A bookworm from birth, they wrote throughout childhood and won two short story competitions in Italy in their teens. Fluent in four languages, Gaia is an avid traveler, and many of their adventures inspire their fiction. Mostly, they are passionate about people and the struggles they face to embrace life. They authored several sci-fi romances, romantasy novels, and young adult books, all of which were well-received by critics and readers alike. The books, while ostensibly light-hearted, funny, and at times spicy, ultimately strive to empower readers to be their best selves.
Among Amman’s favorite authors are Jandy Nelson, Frances Hardinge, AnneMarie McLemore, Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and many others.
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About the Book: An Italian Adventure
“Astute and affecting…” — Kirkus Reviews
Italy, 1987. One discovery. Two outcasts. A summer that changes everything.
Bound by secrets and a shared sense of belonging nowhere, two unlikely allies must find the
courage to exist beyond expectations.
Lee (Leda Balni) is a devout prepubescent tomboy whose carefully ordered world is shaken on the eve of her First Confession. When her nemesis, Nico—a Sicilian transplant as aggressive as he is lost—foists an abandoned adult magazine on her, it triggers a firestorm of questions about an identity Lee doesn’t yet have a name for.
Forced together by circumstance, these two outcasts must define and defend their budding identities in the face of adult hypocrisy and rigid Italian traditions. From the dusty streets of a small town to the quiet rebellion of a young heart, Lee begins a courageous struggle toward self-acceptance.
“Nonbinary Anne of Green Gables meets The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.”
An Italian Adventure is a poignant, humorous, and deeply moving “Own Voices” journey. The first volume of The Italian Saga, it is a celebration of resilience, found family, and the pursuit of happiness.
Based on a true story.
Perfect for fans of:
Coming-of-age stories with high emotional stakes
Queer historical fiction & “Own Voices” narratives
80s/90s nostalgia and themes of found family
Book’s Title: An Italian Adventure
Author: Gaia B Amman
Release Date: 3/3/2026
Publisher: Indie (Kuki Publishing)
ISBN-10: 0-9968051-9-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-9968051-9-3
Genre: LGBTQ+, historical fiction, coming-of-age, World lit, YA
Age Range: 13 and up
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
Use the Rafflepress Form below to enter
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1 winner will receive a signed hardcover edition of An Italian Adventure (Gaia B Amman) ~ US ONLY!
My grandniece would enjoy reading this book. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like an amazing and interesting read!