The revelation that Nonno knew he was infertile shows again how secrets are baked into Alibrandi family history. Nearly everyone in Josie’s family has kept some deep, dark secret—and those secrets have, across the board, hurt people. As Nonna explains why she didn’t leave, she essentially cites anti-Italian racism as her reasoning. Mama, she suggests, was able to grow up in a close-knit Italian community with Nonno as her father, but she wouldn’t have had any such support if she’d been born a Sandford.