What Would You do
for Your Family?
BEYOND THE COPPER HORIZON
brings a timeless, yet unique Italian-American immigrant story vividly to life. Opening at the Battle of Novara in 1849, conscripted farmer Domenico Zanotto returns home to his alpine village of Cuceglio anticipating domestic peace in a burgeoning Italian nation. The war-scarred, cavalryman is instead devastated by lost love and violent nightmares. He questions God and labors in the vineyards in quiet despair until he finds unexpected love and hope in Catterina, a confident young woman twenty years his junior. Their family life is upended when disease, poverty, and death force them to join the earliest wave of Piemontese immigrants seeking wage paying jobs in the booming copper mines of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. In America, they face grueling working conditions, brutal winters, shattering loss, and the harsh prejudices of immigrant life. Only after achieving a modicum of economic stability for his family, does Domenico realize what ultimately must be sacrificed in the pursuit of a better life for future generations.
A Story Inspired by Real Lives.
by BOB ZANOTTI
THE AUTHOR
Bob Zanotti grew up in a large, hard-working family in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Opportunities to travel to France and Italy as a young man profoundly affected his worldview. A Christmastime visit to Cuceglio, the ancestral alpine village of his family, ignited a lifetime passion for exploring family history.
Bob earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and Business Administration from Illinois Wesleyan University, an MBA from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and he is a proud United States Army veteran. A seasoned business leader, Bob built his career around a people first philosophy, always nurturing professional passions for employee engagement, organizational behavior, and company culture.
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Turning his talents to writing a debut novel, Beyond the Copper Horizon, Bob weaves meticulous genealogical and historical research with a storyteller’s heart. He crafts emotionally rich narratives that deeply resonate with our common human experience. His novel invites readers on a journey, not just to understand the past, but to feel it.
Bob and his wife, Laurie, live in Wisconsin and are the proud parents of four sons. Together, they treasure time spent with family in their beloved Door County.
Bob is available for book club and writers' group discussions as well as speaking engagements for genealogy societies, History Groups, and Italian-American organizations. Inquiries are welcome!
EXPERIENCE
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“Scrapbook” Video (A collection of photo’s and memories along the journey of creating Beyond the Copper Horizon)
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“Book Trailer” Video (Discover the people, places, and events that shaped Beyond the Copper Horizon)
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Battle of Novara Commemoration Video – March 23, 2023 (Fourteen-minute video montage of 2023 Battle of Novara Memorial Ceremony. Author is introduced to speak at 8:28 mark.)
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“Piemonte” Spotify Link (55 Josh Groban songs in English and Italian corresponding to each chapter of Beyond the Copper Horizon)
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Experience “Free” Beyond the Copper Horizon resources. Please request through the Contact page.
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* “Fact and Fiction” Document (Author’s chapter by chapter summary of what is fact and what is fiction)
* “Book Club Discussion Questions” (A collection of thought-provoking questions to get great conversations started)
* “Domenico Eulogy” Document (Original Italian version of 1913 Domenico Zanotto Eulogy given by Dezzutti)
* “Domenico Eulogy” Document (English translation)
BUY
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Collectors First Edition Hardcover - Numbered and signed. $99.99
Leather hardcover with copper metallic foiling, printed end pages, and gloss dust cover
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​​Special First Edition Paperback - Numbered and signed. $49.99
Elegant matte finish cover with dimensional 3D accents
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Audio Book - Coming Soon
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Beyond the Copper Horizon is also available to order from your local independent book store and purchase from most major book retailers
A portion of each book sale is donated to the following nonprofit organizations that help preserve and share important stories.
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Historical Group of the Risorgimento 23 March 1849 (Novara, Italy)
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Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows (Cuceglio, Italy)
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Keweenaw National Historical Park (Calumet, Michigan)
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Copper Country Historical Collections – Michigan Tech University (Houghton, Michigan)
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GET IN TOUCH
If you’re interested in the free materials, want to learn more, or something in my book resonated—or gave you pause—I’d love to hear from you. Or whether you’re inquiring about an appearance or simply want to stay in the loop about future book fun—please reach out. Connecting with history buffs, reading enthusiasts, and other kindred souls is the best part of my writing journey.
Stories are better when we share them!