La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience

See Larger Image	List Price: $18.95 Our Price: $13.84 Your Save: $ 5.11 ( 27% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Written By: Jerre Mangione Average Customer Rating:


Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 973.0451 EAN: 9780060924416 ISBN: 0060924411 Label: Harper Perennial Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 560 Publication Date: 1993-09-15 Publisher: Harper Perennial Release Date: 1993-09-15 Studio: Harper Perennial
Related Items Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America Don't Tell Mama!: The Penguin Book of Italian American Writing Una Storia Segreta : The Secret History of Italian American Evacuation and Internment During World War II Christ in Concrete Dances with Luigi: A Grandson's Search for His Italian Roots
Editorial Reviews: From the early Italian adventurers who played an important role in the European expansion across the Atlantic to the political and business leaders of the 1990s, this book tells a dramatic story. The heart of the story is the mass migration that took place between 1880 and 1924, when a whole culture left its ancient roots to settle in the cities and towns of America.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Interesting Italian History Comment: This book is a very interesting historical accounting of the arrivals of Italian immigrants and the cultural affects they had on America and vice versa, including hardships they experienced. The author makes very poignant comparisons and contrasts between Italians in relation to the other ethnic groups who were in America at the time. More importantly, he exlains and describes the conflicts, differences, and discrimations between the Northern Italians and the "Mezzogiorno," or Southern Italians and the subgroups they segregated into and embraced in resistance to the unified Italy, even in a new nation. Customer Rating: Summary: Want to know who the real Sacco and Vanzetti were? Comment: Did you know the largest mass lynching in American history was of Italian Americans? I minored in Italian American studies as an undergrad. As you may imagine, there isn't that much literature out there that comprehensively covers "the Italian American experience", so La Storia was a recurring staple of the curricula for more than a few of my classes. The information contained in this book is for the most part helpful, a great introduction from the beginnings of Italian Americana to the late 20th century. Many people today (regardless of heritage) do not know enough about Italian culture, although it is a huge part of the fabric of America. Also discussed is the political and economical history of 19th century Italy (something many Americans know nothing about), providing a nice starting point from which to put the Italian American experience into perspective. Although the authors mention the well-knowns like Al Capone and Fiorello Laguardia, what's great about La Storia is Mangione's and Morreale's inclusion of so many important personages of Italian heritage that have become lost in the sands of time. My issue with this book is not its length but its density. So much information is crowded into every chapter, it's hard to retain all of it (and Mangione's excruciatingly wordy prose doesn't help). There are also some statistics and information nuggets that are uncited, but to the casual reader this won't be of any concern whatsoever. La Storia is essentially the Bible of Italian American studies; a great cultural and historical overview, and a great introduction to the field. Ultimately, if you know next to nothing about Italian Americana, if you would like to enrich your knowledge, or if you just want to learn more about your cultural heritage, I recommend you buy this book. Customer Rating: Summary: quick history Comment: Ideal gift for your Italian Sister in law. You learn her background and she appreciates your interest. I little bit wordy. Customer Rating: Summary: Comprehensive and Engaging Comment: I love this book. It offers an extensive history of the Italian American experience. This book is used as the textbook for a course I took, and I found myself consumed by it. Something I really appreciate about how this book is written is that while it is about Italian-Americans, it is also about what they left behind in Italy, and why. The context provided is concise, but very informative. Topics covered in La Storia include the Risorgimento, conditions emigrants endured, anti-Italian discrimination, westward expansion in the U.S., the mafia, anarchism (Sacco & Vanzetti), the image of the Italian-American, hollywood, and politics. This is a great read (albeit a long one), and I highly recommend it. The only reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 is that this book is mostly for those of Southern Italian and Sicilian extraction. Those who originate from Northern Italy may feel excluded. Customer Rating: Summary: Pretty darn good! Comment: Enjoyed it immensely. Covers the Sicilian immigrant experience with a focus on America very well. If you enjoy this book you undoubtedly will also appreciate Eleven Days in August, a delightful book by Amatore Mille that covers his relationship with his southern Italian grandparents. More Reviews