Meandering Em's

This is a fascinating study of an Italian incident in 1858 that helped to change the face of Europe. Edgardo was a six-year Jewish boy who was taken away from his parents by Papal forces because a claim that he had been baptized by a Catholic. The Catholic church had been doing this for centuries because of their belief that "baptism" made a person a Catholic and that person could not remain in a Jewish home. This time, however, the kidnapping made headlines around the world. There was tremendous pressure placed on the Pope to return the boy to his parents. When he refused, he played directly into the hands of the nationalist movement in Italy. This kidnapping greatly influenced the shape of Italy today.There were chapters that bogged me down a little as background characters and history were delineated. Other than that, this fascinating story was brilliantly told. There were great consequences to this kidnapping. It led to great changes in the Catholic church, expedited the nationalist movement in Italy and lead to the "creation of national and international Jewish self-defense organizations in both Europe and the United States."