From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2019

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Part 2, Chapters 4-9

Part 3, Chapters 10-15

Part 4, Chapters 16-19

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Tembi’s timeline constantly shifts between the past and present. Why might she have organized her memoir in this way? What impact does the structure have on the reader?

Discuss the book’s title and subtitle. How does Tembi start her life “from scratch”? What aspects of her life after losing Saro are built on a preexisting foundation?

Address the importance and function of food in Tembi’s memoir. In what ways does food serve as a metaphor for the subtler aspects of human interaction?