Portrait of the Italians in America

Between the years 1880 and 1914, nearly four million Italian immigrants arrived in the United States. While the Italian population was initially clustered in the industrial Northeast, the growing number of immigrants began fanning out across the country in search of work or adventure, transforming the communities and landscapes they came into contact with along the way as dramatically as they themselves were changed by the American experience.In "The Journey of the Italians in America," Scarpaci embraces the contradictions of the Italian American legacy, considering the multifarious ways in which Italians became an essential part of American history without generalizations. Every aspect of life, ranging from religion, the struggle for citizenship, anti-Italian prejudice, World War II, Columbus Day parades, Italians in popular culture, and of course, food, all come to life in this insightful and candid photographic journey.Drawing from both private and public photograph collections, the author explores the traditions, history, and legacy of Italians in America. The photographs, some dating to the 1800s, represent more than one hundred years of Italian American life, each telling the intimate story of an Italian family, individual, or business. From agrarian family homesteads in Italy to prosperous commercial enterprises in New York City, the photographs, accompanied by insightful, detailed captions, capture the complex and nuanced chronicle of an ethnic group as diverse as it is influential.Scarpaci, Vincenza is the author of 'Portrait of the Italians in America ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781589802452 and ISBN 1589802454.