Il Volo del Rondone (Flight of the Rondone)

“The Flight of the Swift” tells a story characterized by the rise "from rags to riches" that the New York Times has indicated as "deserving of television screens". The author, who didn't even graduate from high school, is nicknamed "U carnveil" (the walking circus) for his wit and bizarre nature. Patrick Girondi began his career by shining shoes on the street, stealing car parts and escaping from dangerous situations, even deceiving the Chicago police. His winning story became so famous that it was told on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." His fate quickly changed when his son, Santino, was diagnosed with a blood disorder. Girondi, in search of a cure, experiences tragedies and boundless implications in the world of gene therapy. Girondi writes: "I have been strangled, shot, escaped from more than twenty arrests and disappeared from three FBI witch hunts; I have gone from working at the docks, to the Chicago Stock Exchange. I will see my son taken care of. How hard can it be?" After decades of struggle, he managed to bring to light the first commercial batch of a vector used in the field of gene therapy with high potential to treat sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.

Yet, the success of his son's cure and fate is in jeopardy due to white coats, mysterious deaths and ruthless Wall Street bankers. This is a story of love, a challenge against the odds or, as Girondi says, pure luck. It is a raw and real story with a little consideration of etiquette.