Twisted Head (2008)

Carl Capotorto's family name translates as ''twisted head,'' which, he writes, ''is no accident.'' The gay actor/writer grew up in an eccentric Italian-American family headed by a father so rigid, he spent much of his time throwing customers out of the family pizza joint in the Bronx for breaking his ridiculous rules (''NO SHARING, NO EXTRA CHEESE, NO SLICES AT THE TABLE!'' etc.). His tyranny didn't end there, either — he also heaped verbal assaults upon his wife and kids (and anyone else who happened to be around). But despite his semi-tragic upbringing, Capotorto has managed to write Twisted Head, a delightfully zany memoir — see, for example, his account of his father's virulent anti-pornography crusade. But it's also larded with unnecessary detail (do we really need in-depth descriptions of Capotorto's household chores?). B