Synopses & Reviews
In this lively and engaging history, Stephen Puleo tells the story of the Boston Italians from their earliest years, when a largely illiterate and impoverished people in a strange land recreated the bonds of village and region in the cramped quarters of the North End. Focusing on this first and crucial Italian enclave in Boston, Puleo describes the experience of Italian immigrants as they battled poverty, illiteracy, and prejudice; explains their transformation into Italian Americans during the Depression and World War II; and chronicles their rich history in Boston up to the present day.
Review
Drawing extensively on the files of La Gazzetta as well as the personal papers of its legendary editor and publisher, James V. Donnaruma, and on his own familys memories, Puleo has crafted an unsparing, but mostly admiring, account of a colorful and vibrant community as it battled for social acceptance and political recognition.” Michael Kenney,
Boston Globe
The Boston Italians will appeal to a diverse audience, including historians, sociologists, history of Boston enthusiasts, and the general public. In many ways, Bostons Italians will find this book most rewarding because, for the first time, they have a thorough and professional history of which to be proud. More important, the story of the citys Italian community will be better known and appreciated because of Puleos efforts.”
About the Author
Stephen Puleo is author of the Boston Globe best seller The Boston Italians and the critically acclaimed Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor to American History magazine, he holds a master's degree in history and wrote his thesis on Italian immigration and the settlement of Boston's North End. He donates a portion of his book proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the leading charitable funder and advocate of juvenile (Type 1) diabetes research. He and his wife, Kate, live in Weymouth, Massachusetts.