High School Dropout VS Pharma: The Fight to Save My Son’s Life
ABOUT THE BOOK
Flight of the Rondone is a true rags to riches tale the New York Times stated is “meant for television.” The protagonist, a high school dropout, is nicknamed in Italian U Carneveil (Walking Circus) for his entertaining and eccentric nature. Patrick Girondi starts his career shining shoes, stealing car parts, and escaping life-threatening situations while outwitting the Chicago police. He claws up to being a famous success story on the Oprah Show. His fortunes quickly change when his eldest son, Santino, is diagnosed with a fatal blood disease. Girondi hunts for a cure in a drama that has boundless implications in the world of gene therapy. As Girondi writes, “I’d been strangled, shot at, skated more than twenty arrests, made it through 3 FBI witch-hunts and went from the docks to trading and big money. I would see my son cured. How hard could it be?” After decades of struggle, he delivered the world’s first commercial batch of vector with the potential to cure Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia. But again, the success of the cure—and the fate of his son—is imperiled, in a world of lab jackets, mysterious deaths, and cut-throat Wall Street banksters.
This is a story of love, beating the odds, or as Girondi calls it, pure luck. It is a gritty and realistic tale told with little regard for empire or etiquette.
- 376 Pages
- May 24, 2022
- ISBN: 9781510772199
- Imprint: Skyhorse Publishing
My Thoughts
I’m sure most of us would agree that rags to riches stories are marvelous. The only problem is we’d love to be the ones telling the story.
Until that happens we can read Girondi’s unusual tale. Growing up in a tough neighborhood, he quickly takes up less than desirable habits, and for the most part, walks away from each incident smelling like a rose.
When he finally gets a job that he’s interested in, The Chicago Board Options Exchange, his life changes in that he’s willing to work learning and climbing the success ladder
This was a story that brought out some conflicting feelings. On one hand, I needed to know just the type of neighborhood and life Girondi started out in and the odds of his success, and on the other, I wasn’t very sure I liked him. He would break the law and in nearly every event he would sweet-talk the powers that be and walk away scot-free.
Not only did he walk away from illegal acts, he also bragged about his sex life and ability to pick women up nearly everywhere. Yep, he is sharing an honest story which I appreciate, but the first pages of the book didn’t capture me with these facts.
And then when it went into lengthy details about his job, I was interested, but only to a point. However, I kept reading because I wanted to discover what the “Big Pharma” part was about.
By this time I was still struggling, but hoping to find a side of Girondi that I liked. I did like the compassion he showed for those who were struggling financially. But it was almost too little compared to his treatment of his wife and other women.
And finally, I reached the part that talked about his love for his son and his determination to find a cure for Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia. It was interesting and worth discovering just who Patrick Girondi was.
Something I Liked
There was a lengthy Character Index at the back of the book. In one column the name and the next a description. This was extremely helpful. Though, I would have appreciated it being in the first of the book since I didn’t discover it until I was finished reading. (Here’s where you can mentally insert an emoji.) There is a table of contents at the first of the book, I just didn’t read the title of each chapter or what was listed after the chapters.
Final Thoughts
I did struggle through much of the writing. It felt too drawn out and the style of writing and presentation didn’t really grab me. And though I appreciate an author’s honesty when writing a memoir, I struggled with his attitude.
I think I would have been much happier to have just read about Girondi’s life and legal battle after discovering his son’s illness. That really caught my interest.
So, bottom line you be the judge and let me know your feelings regarding this unique man and story.
My thanks to Meryl Moss Media Group for the ability to read an advance reading copy and the ability to freely post my thoughts.
About the Author
Patrick Girondi, originally from the South Side of Chicago, is an Italian-American singer-songwriter, author, and founder of a gene therapy company. Girondi has released five music albums and published the book Diamond in the Rough.
