On a hot August morning in 1892 in a town in the Italian province of Avellino, in secrecy in the cellar under the house of a prominent family, a baby girl, unplanned and unwanted, was born. Her adoptive parents named her Alessandra. Her birthright remained a secret for years to come. In Without the One There Can Be No Other-The Many Forces of Destiny, author Alessandra L. Matteo tells a fictionalized account of her paternal grandmother's life beginning from her birth in Italy, her travels to America for an arranged marriage to an Italian man, her life in the United States overcoming illiteracy, and the formation of her own family. This memoir narrates how Alessandra didn't live a life of privilege or the entitlement of wealth, which was her birthright. Hers was one of hard work, sacrifice, love of family, and the need to keep everyone she loved near. This memoir shares the story of a woman who had an indomitable spirit, was intelligent, courageous, determined, tenderhearted, hard-working, loving, and generous as well as flawed, imperfect, quick-tempered, stubborn, willful and, at times, childish in her expectations of those she loved. Though her life was beset with tragedy, denial, and rejection, Alessandra was an extraordinary woman-determined, courageous, and blessed with a pioneer spirit.