The book Ho Cambiato una Vocale by Rossella Mamone tells a story that is at once intimate, brave, and universal. It is the story of a life lived for fifty years behind a mask, and the struggle to finally breathe freely without it. At its center is Andrea Paola Iannotti, a woman from Latina who was once known as Andrea Paolo, a husband and father of four, a man to the world’s eyes but never to her own. The book unfolds the long and painful path that led her to change not only a vowel in her name, but the very shape of her destiny.
Rossella Mamone, known for her empathetic and detailed storytelling, takes on this true story with deep sensitivity. She doesn’t sensationalize Andrea Paola’s transition; instead, she guides the reader through the layered complexity of a life spent pretending to fit into an idea of normality that others had imposed. For decades, Andrea Paola lived in what she herself calls “a lie,” one she told to protect her family, her parents, her wife, and her children, while a quiet truth waited inside her. It is a truth born in Zurich, where she grew up in a strict and conservative family. Her father, described as authoritarian and even violent, ruled their home with an iron hand, often forcing her into hard labor and emotional silence. Her childhood, marked by repression and confusion, set the stage for a lifetime of solitude that became both her punishment and her only companion.
The book’s title, Ho Cambiato una Vocale, “I Changed a Vowel”, is both literal and poetic. The change from Paolo to Paola is small in sound but monumental in meaning. It is a symbol of self-recognition, of reclaiming identity with grace and defiance. In Mamone’s hands, the story becomes not just a chronicle of a gender transition, but a universal reflection on freedom, authenticity, and the human need to be seen.
Mamone’s narrative is rich in introspection. She delves into Andrea Paola’s years of denial and pain but also into her resilience, humor, and fierce love for her children. Even after her gender confirmation surgery at San Camillo Hospital in Rome, Andrea Paola insists she never stopped being a father. “The only thing masculine that remains in me is my paternity,” she says, and that line resonates throughout the book. It is a declaration that identity can transform, but love does not.
Today, Andrea Paola lives openly as a woman and continues her work in beauty and wellness, now running her own center bearing her full name. But her story has also carried her into public life. Her candidacy for mayor of Campodimele under the banner of the Italia dei Diritti movement is a statement against prejudice and narrow-minded morality. The same courage that led her to embrace her identity now fuels her fight for equality and visibility.
Ho Cambiato una Vocale is not just the story of one woman’s rebirth; it is a mirror held up to society’s contradictions. Mamone shows how cruelty often hides behind convention, and how true moral strength lies in compassion and understanding. Through the book, Andrea Paola becomes a symbol for anyone who has ever hidden their truth out of fear. Her journey reminds readers that authenticity is not a luxury but a necessity, that the price of silence is always higher than the risk of honesty.
By the end, what remains with the reader is a sense of awe, not just for what Andrea Paola endured, but for the way she now carries her past without shame. The small act of changing a vowel becomes an act of poetic justice, turning a life of secrecy into a testament of courage. In telling her story, Rossella Mamone has given voice to countless others who are still waiting to speak.
Available via heraldeditore.it and latinatu.it
Photos via Facebook
Post a Comment