Crossing Division Street: A Novel

Four generations converge in one woman's choice between her principles and heritage.

In July 1999, Sidone Russo, a single, high-powered attorney, is stopped at a red light in Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green neighborhood when a little girl jumps into her car and cries, “Go, Lady! They gonna kill me!” Panicked, Sidone takes off with the girl crouched in the back seat, sobbing.

As the reality of the girl's life seeps into Sidone's independent world, Sidone is forced to confront her own identity and the hidden roots she left behind in Cabrini, once a mixed-race neighborhood called Little Sicily or Little Hell. What unfolds is an epic, 100-year family saga and the true history of Little Sicily and Cabrini-Green, a place where generations struggled through the defining events of America's twentieth century—from lynchings and riots to wars and assassinations—by embracing racial, ethnic, national, and religious identities not as a matter of choice but of survival.

Caught in a conflict that has defined her family and our modern history, Sidone must choose whether to leverage her hidden identity in a high-profile adoption trial or remain true to her individualist principles. In the crosshairs lies not only her career and her mother’s deepest secret, but also the lives of her Sicilian papa, an orphaned child, and the only man she’s ever loved.

In a dual-timeline story of loyalty, betrayal, redemption, and inheritance, Crossing Division Street is an accessible, conversation-inspiring debut that challenges narratives around identity in America, leaving readers wrestling with one of the oldest yet most urgent conflicts of our time.

Rebecca Chamian Ribaudo is a Chicago-based author. While writing fiction has always been a passion, her career as a marketing executive helped organizations from Fortune 500s to nonprofits define their voice and develop their brands. Currently, she serves on boards focused on free expression and civil liberties. She and her husband live in the city of Chicago and have two daughters. Crossing Division Street is her debut novel.