“Joseph M. Orazi gives us a captivating and well-written novel in “L’America.” The author is no stranger to the saga of Italian immigrants. He was the screenwriter and associate producer for a riveting documentary on the internment of Italians in World War II titled “Prisoners Among Us.” He delved into the subject to explore new angles and sub plots not normally covered. In “L’America,” Orazi tells the story of three men who find themselves on the same ocean vessel in steerage “in the belly of the beast called SS Santa Ana.” There is Giuseppe Mosca, a peasant farmer from Calabria who leaves for America to become a tailor. There is Aldo Grimaldi, a skilled contractor in Naples where corruption and nepotism has all but excluded him from the market. He hopes to restart his business in the United States where he believes work is won on merit instead of connections. Paolo LaChimia is the youngest of the three; a teenager from the streets of Palermo whose early life in crime leads him overseas. Dialogue between characters convey the conditions of past migration; much more dire and ominous than what we see today. In one scene, a ship’s steward explains steerage to Paolo. “Get used to it. This is the best it’s going to smell. Wait until we’re a week out. Then you will long for day…This is steerage. The occu- pants are nothing more than cargo with legs.” Historical photographs often show Italians by them- selves as a group of immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island. In truth, people from many different countries were represented on the same ocean liner. When Aldo gets settled inside the large boat, he sees “the strange assembly of nationalities and the drone of voices evoked a kind of Babel. There were Russian Jews, Irish farmers, Greeks, people strangely attired in kilts, Arabs in long robes, and even Cossacks with terrifying scowls and long, curved swords that hung from their belts in ornate sheathes. Thirteen days suddenly seemed like an eternity.” Orazi is an observant writer whose passion for history comes through in every scene and sentence. The reader is immersed in the past at every turn and twist in this incredible novel. Most appealing are characters who possess the hopes and flaws to make them approachable and understandable. Even on the rare occasions when they are at their worst, we somehow still root for them. Orazi is commended for writing such a profound novel that takes readers back to a time much different than our own. “L’America” will inspire in all of us inherent respect and admiration for those who came to give us a better life. “
F&L PRIMO / THIRD EDITION 2019 / 59
These [Cleveland] communities tended to congregate along lines largely defined by occupation. Big Italy became the center of the city’s fruit industry since many of the settlers came from Sicily. It was here that Frank Catalano introduced Cleveland to oranges, olive oil, figs, anchovies, and garlic. In Little Italy, stonecutters flourished. Seizing the opportunity for monument work in Lake View cemetery, Joseph Carabelli established what eventually became the city’s leading marble and granite works. Tailors worked in the garment industry. Landscapers tended to estates. And almost all who could read scoured the pages of La Voce Del Popolo Italiano. La Voce interpreted American law, emphasized citizenship, and offered news from the homeland. It was the first newspaper in the country to publish articles in both English and Italian. “
L’America, Chapter 17
Rag and Bone Man in early 20th century NYC
Those masterful images, because complete
Grew in pure mind, but out of what began?
A mound of refuse, of the sweepings of a street,
Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can,
Old iron, old bones, old rags, that raving slut
Who keeps the till. Now that my ladder’s gone
I must lie down where all ladders start
In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart.
—William Butler Yeats, “The Circus Animals’ Desertion”
Very excited to share this poster of my upcoming lecture and book signing at Falvey Memorial Library o the Villanova campus Monday October 21st at 12:30 pm. I will be covering some unknown events during the early emigration of Italians to this country.
Light refreshments will be served at this Ciao Philadelphia co-sponsored event that is free to the public.
You are invited to attend!
Please join us on Monday, October 21 at 12:30 p.m. in Falvey Memorial Library’s room 205 for a talk by me – ’72 CLASS on L’America. I will discuss the late 19th and early 20th century emigration of Italians to this country, including the reason for the exodus of millions and the brutal passage via steamship during those years. I will cover the challenges of assimilation, concluding the largely unknown events (the labeling of Italians as enemy aliens, internment in camps throughout the country, and forced relocation on the west coast) leading up to World War II.
I hope to see you all there!
Villanova University ADdress
800 E. Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085
“They began life in the new world shunted through chutes from
holding pens to processing stations on the modern model of
efficiently slaughtering livestock …
They believed with all their hearts in the pursuit of happiness,
and had pursued it all the way to this maze of chutes.”
—Carmine Sarracino, “Twelve Facts about the Immigrants”
Latest release to PRWEB :
https://www.prweb.com/releases/amid_immigration_tensions_in_the_u_s_author_and_playwright_details_italian_immigration_experience_through_new_historical_fiction/prweb16397563.htm
“Amazing Book. Not a mystery yet I could not put it down! So beautifully written it makes you long for more and more.
I was familiar with many of the places and traditions because that is exactly where my people are from. Reading about those places and people in such a beautiful way meant a lot to me.
This is a book your children must read!” Gene C. 8-1-2018
