The Italian American Family Album (American Family Albums) - Softcover

Hoobler, Dorothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195124200 ISBN 13: 9780195124200

Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 1998

Synopsis

An Italian immigrant says, "I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I found out three things: first, the streets weren't paved with gold; second, they weren't paved at all; and third, I was expected to pave them."
Against all odds--a new language, new customs, and the ethnic slurs and catcalls of prejudice--Italian Americans paved the streets, rolled the cigars, sewed the clothes, cooked the meals, and did all manner of back-breaking work to build a new life in Lamerica, the land of success. The Italian American Family Album brings us into the heart of those immigrants' experiences. Through diaries, letters, interviews, and articles from magazines and newspapers we share the ordeals and the triumphs of the Italian American first setting foot on his new homeland.
These personal accounts and family photographs of scores of Italian American families tell inspiring and courageous stories of hardship and suffering. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the journey across the Atlantic was remembered by many as the via dolorosa, the "sorrowful way." And even after arriving in the new homeland and successfully getting through immigration, finding a job and a place to live, and learning new ways of doing almost everything was a challenge. But there was joy in the new country, as well. The new arrivals were embraced by a community of fellow Italians with a grand sense of humor, an intense appreciation of music, and an even greater appreciation of good food. Life for the newcomer was full of old traditions and pleasure, and we hear first-hand how the old ways endured even as new philosophies and customs were embraced daily. Through the stories of the children of those early immigrants--writers Gay Talese and John Ciardi, entertainers like Tony Bennett, baseball great Yogi Berra, and others not famous, but still proud to call themselves Italian Americans--we see how family pride and strong ties to the old country survive even today.
As Governor Mario Cuomo says in his introduction: "I have always been intensely proud that I am the son of Italian immigrants and that my Italian heritage helped make me the man I am." That pride and the unique experiences of the early Italian Americans are an integral part of our country's history. Through the memories and photographs from the albums of generations of Italian families we meet real people, cut of the same cloth as we are--a many-colored and multi-textured cloth of ethnic customs, languages, traditions, and memories. We are a nation of immigrants, and The Italian American Family Album belongs to each of us.

The titles in the American Family Albums series tell the multicolored and often heroic stories of American immigrant groups, largely through their own words and pictures. Like any family album or scrapbook, the pages contain many period photographs and other memorabilia. These join with original documents--including selections from diaries, letters, memoirs, and newspapers--to bring the immigrant experience vividly to life.

About this title

About the Author

Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler have published more than 50 books for children and have been honored by the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the Society for School Librarians International. They live in New York City.

Review

"Carefully researched.... It has an enticing open format and is lavishly illustrated with interesting photographs."--School Library Journal
"This is one book every Italian American family should own. The narratives, interviews, and photographs of the Italian experience in both Italy and America define not only who we were but what we should never forget."--Unione (Italian Sons and Daughters of America)
"An easy-to-read introduction to Italian American history that is especially recommended for young Italian Americans who want to learn about their heritage."--National Italian American Foundation
"This easy-to-understand overview of the immigrant experience of Italian Americans and some of their unique contributions to the United States includes anecdotes, oral history segments, and fascianting photographs."--Commonweal
"An engaging, easy-to-read compilation of tales from Italians who emigrated to America or from the relatives of those immigrants, and accompanying narrative."--The South Philadelphia Review
"Carefully researched.... It has an enticing open format and is lavishly illustrated with interesting photographs."--School Library Journal
"This is one book every Italian American family should own. The narratives, interviews, and photographs of the Italian experience in both Italy and America define not only who we were but what we should never forget."--Unione (Italian Sons and Daughters of America)
"An easy-to-read introduction to Italian American history that is especially recommended for young Italian Americans who want to learn about their heritage."--National Italian American Foundation
"This easy-to-understand overview of the immigrant experience of Italian Americans and some of their unique contributions to the United States includes anecdotes, oral history segments, and fascianting photographs."--Commonweal
"An engaging, easy-to-read compilation of tales from Italians who emigrated to America or from the relatives of those immigrants, and accompanying narrative."--The South Philadelphia Review
"Carefully researched.... It has an enticing open format and is lavishly illustrated with interesting photographs."--School Library Journal
"This is one book every Italian American family should own. The narratives, interviews, and photographs of the Italian experience in both Italy and America define not only who we were but what we should never forget."--Unione (Italian Sons and Daughters of America)
"An easy-to-read introduction to Italian American history that is especially recommended for young Italian Americans who want to learn about their heritage."--National Italian American Foundation
"This easy-to-understand overview of the immigrant experience of Italian Americans and some of their unique contributions to the United States includes anecdotes, oral history segments, and fascianting photographs."--Commonweal
"An engaging, easy-to-read compilation of tales from Italians who emigrated to America or from the relatives of those immigrants, and accompanying narrative."--The South Philadelphia Review
"Carefully researched.... It has an enticing open format and is lavishly illustrated with interesting photographs."--School Library Journal

"This is one book every Italian American family should own. The narratives, interviews, and photographs of the Italian experience in both Italy and America define not only who we were but what we should never forget."--Unione (Italian Sons and Daughters of America)

"An easy-to-read introduction to Italian American history that is especially recommended for young Italian Americans who want to learn about their heritage."--National Italian American Foundation

"This easy-to-understand overview of the immigrant experience of Italian Americans and some of their unique contributions to the United States includes anecdotes, oral history segments, and fascianting photographs."--Commonweal

"An engaging, easy-to-read compilation of tales from Italians who emigrated to America or from the relatives of those immigrants, and accompanying narrative."--The South Philadelphia Review

"Carefully researched.... It has an enticing open format and is lavishly illustrated with interesting photographs."--School Library Journal

"This is one book every Italian American family should own. The narratives, interviews, and photographs of the Italian experience in both Italy and America define not only who we were but what we should never forget."--Unione (Italian Sons and Daughters of America)

"An easy-to-read introduction to Italian American history that is especially recommended for young Italian Americans who want to learn about their heritage."--National Italian American Foundation

"This easy-to-understand overview of the immigrant experience of Italian Americans and some of their unique contributions to the United States includes anecdotes, oral history segments, and fascianting photographs."--Commonweal

"An engaging, easy-to-read compilation of tales from Italians who emigrated to America or from the relatives of those immigrants, and accompanying narrative."--The South Philadelphia Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0195124200
• ISBN 13: 9780195124200
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 132