“POVERTY OF AFFLUENCE” is nonfiction family history in Silicon Valley. The family’s agrarian roots and perspective give the reader a view of Silicon Valley from the inside looking out rather stories about Silicon Valley from outside looking in.

From its origins as risk-takers along the Mediterranean trade routes at the time of Homer through its settling in the Santa Clara Valley, California and establishment of internationally successful fruit growing and real estate enterprises, the Mariani family’s story is emblematic of the American success story. Specifically, it is the story of the origins and fulfillment of the entrepreneurial spirit that defined Silicon Valley and continues to nurture its growth.

It is also a deeply personal story addressing the challenges of losing a patriarch, sibling rivalry, sexual abuse, pain and forgiveness, fortunes gained and lost all woven in a series of life lessons between a roller coaster of adventures behind the Iron Curtain, working in leper colonies, three-legged horses, giant earthworm, beheadings, and revolutions.

In POVERTY OF AFFLUENCE, I follow the immigrant journeys of my distant and immediate ancestors as well as my journey all the while shedding light on the major trends and movements in the growth of the world around us. It’s a story peopled not only by my family but by the major influencers such as David Packard, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Wozniak, Andy Grove, Gene Amdahl with whom we crossed paths. Embedded in these stories are different meanings behind poverty and the meaning behind affluence whether entertaining royalty, heads of state, celebrities or the gardeners and janitors. It is a universal story of the discovery of oneself through life lessons. In this way, the book provides a detailed fabric of Silicon Valley’s culture and a rare, inside, panoramic view of a place that continues to enthrall in popular media and the imagination.