An award-winning journalist recounts the grand adventure of rebuilding a house with his father, of finding new faith in their relationship, and of living out the American Dream. "A thoughtful, sensitive, funny mid-life odyssey". Carol Saline, author of Sisters and Mothers & Daughters Like many American men, John Marchese arrived at his fortieth birthday feeling a mixture of pride and anxiety. The son of a construction worker, he'd been the first man in his family to graduate from college, the first Marchese after three generations in America to make his living with his mind, not his hands. Despite his achievements, he had never really settled down-after college he'd lived in seventeen places. And, disturbingly, he sensed that a subtle estrangement had developed between him and his working-class father. Now, as he approached midlife, he wondered if they had anything in common. Determined not to be a rootless cosmopolitan who'd never done an honest day's work, John approached his father for help in finding a house they could renovate. His father would teach the skills he'd always wanted to pass along to his son, and John would have his first real home since childhood. Renovations is Marchese's account of their difficult, but ultimately rewarding, time together. This is the story of how something as simple as home improvement can balance an otherwise complicated life; it's about a father and son tackling a project that seems woefully ill-advised, and-through humorous and oftentimes touching situations-emerging from it with a deeper understanding of each other. Renovations is about the ambiguous influences of family history and the enduring inspiration of the American Dream.