NORWICH – Knowing where you come from is important to a lot of people. To Richard Biviano, it was important enough to inspire him to write and publish a book.
Biviano, formerly of Norwich, recently published his first book, “Kool-Aid Ain’t So Bad.” Biviano says the book, which is about his real life experience growing up in Norwich, is a simple story. “This is not the great American novel,” he said, “just the simple story of my life.”
Biviano grew up in Norwich during the 1940s. He graduated from Norwich High School in 1951 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Biviano served as a radio operator aboard a destroyer ship until the end of his term, at which time he moved to Philadelphia to attend college for mechanical design.
“This is a true story about growing up as a child in Norwich and then leaving. It’s about family and family values. It’s also the memories both good and bad of a childhood, and the growing into adulthood,” Biviano said.
The Norwich native, said he knew little about his own family’s past, and that was part of the reason he wanted to write the book. “The biggest reason for doing this was my lack of knowledge about my own past. I didn't want my children and grandchildren not to know where they came from,” Biviano said. He explained that when he first wrote the book, he did not intend for it to be a commercial venture. He simply wrote it for his family.
“After giving everyone in the family a copy of the book and [seeing] their response, I thought this might appeal to others who enjoy reading entertaining real-life stories,” Biviano explained.
“Kool-Aid Ain’t So Bad” encompasses Biviano’s entire life, including his experiences after leaving the Navy, getting married, having children and watching them grow to adulthood. “It’s life as it was and as it is now,” he explained.
The book was published by Author House. It is currently available at www.authorhouse.com and at www.amazon.com.