Description
Book SynopsisPaying homage to the Italian-American experience, Italian Stories celebrates an Italian neighbourhood in the Bronx during the 1930s and '40s, and mourns the loss of this ethnic identity with the migration of subsequent generations to the suburbs. With stories that are both melancholy and comic, Papaleo here explores the contradictory desires of assimilation: his characters want to live the life of the average American while maintaining a strong link to their rich heritage. In addition, Papaleo rails against the damaging stereotypes of Italian-Americans propagated by the media in movies and television.
Trade Review"Papaleo's appealing stories of an Italian community in the Bronx of the 1930s and 1940s highlight the universality of his characters' experiences, which could just as well take place in Armenian, Irish, or other ethnic communities in America."--Library Journal
