One Way Out

As a young baby boomer, son of a World War II veteran, grandson of a Sicilian immigrant, and part of a successful family construction business, Jim Azzarelli’s future looked bright indeed. But no one could have prepared him for the vast changes he was about to experience. One Way Out is one baby boomer’s story of living through a time when America experienced tumultuous change. A third generation Italian-American, Azzarelli made it his mission to follow in his family’s footsteps and make his own way in the construction business. But the political, social, and cultural upheaval of his generation would greatly impact his future.

Azzarelli protested the Vietnam War and narrowly missed being drafted toward the end of the conflict. He bore witness to Woodstock, the Watergate scandal, the Civil Rights movement, and the death of John F. Kennedy. Yet despite such life-altering events, Azzarelli clung to the old world values of his grandfather and his father-the importance of hard work and putting family first. He founded his own construction business in Florida, married, and raised a family of four. Full of wit and wisdom, One Way Out brings to life the turbulence of a generation and reveals how one man learned that in planning for the future, one must always consider the past.