My Perfect Wife, Her Perfect Son

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My Perfect Wife, Her Perfect Son, by Joe Benevento

My Perfect Wife, Her Perfect Son reimagines the Holy Family’s story through the very human voice of Joseph. Mary’s pregnancy only begins his troubles. He must navigate the unreasonable dictates of a disheveled, wise-cracking Angel Shlomo, Mary’s surprising insistence that she remain a “Blessed Ever Virgin,” pushy in-laws, Roman contractors, Jesus’s crazy cousin John and the allure of the harlot Safiya, just a few of the challenges for an imperfect man assigned to become a role model for the son of God.

Joe Benevento, grandson of southern Italian immigrants, grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Queens, the fifth of seven children. His particular interest in Saint Joseph traces back to his childhood and the importance attached to his “name day,” March 19th, which featured an Italian American parade in New York City and special “St. Joseph Day pastries” in all the Italian bakeries.