Flight of the Rondone by Patrick Girondi
“I believe that my unique experiences and my goal of expressing and, in a certain sense, teaching the reader about those experiences, without giving consideration to offense, makes my writing different.”
Those are the words of Patrick Girondi, indeed a unique storyteller who has burst onto the literary landscape with a series of raw and gritty books — most notably Flight of the Rondone (Skyhorse Publishing), the very personal story of how he took on Big Pharma while developing a cure for his son’s rare disease.
Girondi’s narratives reflect his streetwise knowledge and experience, and his style has been capturing a wide diverse audience, not only through his writing but through his songs and his personal crusades.
This recent Q&A offers more insight into a most creative, opinionated and talented author.
Q: How would you describe the nature of your books?
A: My books are accurate depictions about realistic situations and people who you might meet on the street, but not know their stories.
Q: How do you think you are different from most mainstream authors on today’s literary scene?
A: I believe that my unique experiences and my goal of expressing, and in a certain sense, teaching the reader about those experiences, without giving consideration to offense, makes my writing different.
Q: The book that first got readers’ attention was Flight of the Rondone. What did you learn about life and our world that you didn’t expect?
A: Flight of the Rondone is my personal story, biographical and aimed straight at people’s hearts. The craziest thing that I learned is that there are actually real people that are willing to hurt others, including the very ones who they are closest to, for material gain. The song “The Greatest Love” by Whitney Houston has done immeasurable harm to each and every one of us. Self-love is not only not the greatest love but despicable.
Q: You are a singer, songwriter, author and CEO. What are you most proud of?
A: To be quite honest, I’m not really proud of any of my roles in life. I wake up in the morning trying to do the best I can to affect the lives of others in a good way. Each night, I lay my head down on the pillow asking forgiveness, for my stupidity and ineffectiveness, not achieving the goals that obligation demands.
Q: Your work has been described as raw, real and gritty. Is this how you see yourself, and do you believe those adjectives also describe the stories you tell?
A: I’m just telling stories the best way I know. I believe we’re all searching, and at different times in our lives we are doing so with open wounds, oozing puss and blood. I’ve seen people carrying their eyes in their hands or dragging their hearts behind them by their large artery. If these things are raw, real and gritty, then I guess that this describes our lives as much as it describes my stories.
Q: What has been the hardest thing for you to write about?
A: The pain of others grips me and torments my light and dark. Imagining how the parents of a child taken away by an accident must feel. Worse, those who live with the reality that their loved ones were taken away by corporate greed is as difficult as it is dangerous to write about it.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your books?
A: I hope that they realize that I’m just a simple man and that they are surrounded by many folks who love them, given a chance.
Q: What is your next project?
A: I’m looking to be effective with the little time I have. The transgender epidemic (spread by big Pharma and the politicians in their pockets); self-love is really self-hate; the sequel to Flight of the Rondone, the coming of maggots on Danny’s legs from my book, New City; are all projects rattling in my head at the moment.
About Patrick Girondi:
Patrick Girondi, originally from the South Side of Chicago, is an Italian and American singer-songwriter, author, and founder of San Rocco Therapeutics, a gene therapy company focused on bringing a safe and accessible cure to Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia patients. Girondi has released seven music albums and Skyhorse published his Wall Street Journal #1 bestseller Flight of the Rondone and New City.
