Book excerpt: "Being a member of a large, caring, Italian-American family is not only a privilege and a great gift, but it also bears an obligation. It comes with a requisite responsibility-the active participation in the helpful caring for others." A man reflects on a lifetime of love, unforgettable friends, and a dedicated family in the nostalgic memoir, "The Third Attic and Other Brooklyn Stories." Vincent Manago reminisces on a boyhood spent in 1950s and 1960s Brooklyn, New York with his Italian-American family. Readers will delight in hearing of Vincent's search for the elusive "Third Attic," a secret room reportedly hidden within the yawning reaches of the attics of the local church that was built in part by Vincent's grandfather during the dawn of the twentieth century. Learn of the young Jewish couple who help their Italian neighbors in a time of need, only to have the kindness repaid in the most unexpected way during World War II. Experience Vincent's life through adolescence in Brooklyn, his young loves, and his chance meeting with the woman who would become his wife. These stories and more help reconstruct the nuances of a life well lived, in an era that has long since passed.