Professor Silvia Giagnoni Publishes New Novel, Alabama Hunt
Communications professor Silvia Giagnoni just published her latest Italian-language novel Alabama Hunt (Alter Ego, 2024). The book was presented at the Biblioteca Lazzerini in Prato on November 7 with the participation of author Giorgio Van Straten, former director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York City. It was also presented on November 9 at the Centro Pecci Books Festival in Prato by author Roberto Venturini, editor of the novel.
The story centers on a tragic hunting accident that triggers a terrifying escalation characterized by political extremism and religious fanaticism. The oppressed countryside of pre- and post-9/11 Alabama, where racism and xenophobia persist, is the backdrop against which events unfold leading to the traumatic separation of Markus and Jeff, two cousins who grew up as brothers. The gradual and voluntary estrangement from his family leads Jeff toward a dangerous drift and he becomes a frightening anti-hero. Reaping the fruits of the hatred that has incubated for years, he vents his contempt toward his quintessential enemies: Muslims. By alternating flashbacks that reconstruct Jeff’s story, Professor Giagnoni paints a portrait of a man who seeks redemption in violence while sliding inexorably toward an announced end.
Born in Prato, Tuscany, Professor Giagnoni is a writer, activist, and media scholar. After earning her Ph.D. in Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University, she took a position in the Department of Communication and Theatre at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama, where she became associate professor in 2013. During the 10 years that Professor Giagnoni spent in Montgomery, the birthplace of the civil rights movement, she strengthened her ties with the local activist community and deepened her commitment to social justice issues. She joined JCU’s Department of Communication and Media Studies in 2021.
She is the author of Placebo, 21st Century Boys (Arcana, 2003), Oltre la siepe. Alla ricerca di Harper Lee (Edizioni dell’Asino, 2013) and Fioca (Iacobelli, 2021). Her latest non-fiction book, GKN. Cronistoria Personale di un Innamoramento Collettivo (Panerose Edizioni, 2024) is about the ongoing struggle of the former workers of the GKN company in Florence. They have been fighting a labor dispute for the past three years while fostering an intersectional political movement that has brought together environmental, civil, and social rights groups.
In English, she has published Fields of Resistance. The Struggle of Florida’s Farmworkers for Justice (Haymarket Books, 2011) and Here We May Rest. Alabama Immigrants in the Age of HB 56 (NewSouth Books, 2017).
In Spring 2025, Professor Giagnoni will be teaching CW 352 Creative Nonfiction, CMS 320 Cultural Resistance, and COM 220 Media, Culture and Society.
