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.