It is probably impossible to measure the far-reaching effect Italian-American women have had on community and culture. Italian women of yesterday have enriched modern life in Italy and America through their expertise in academics, arts, and humanitarian work. Today, their influence continues in an ever-increasing array of fields. Within the pages of Italian-American Women of Chicagoland, the lives of Italian-American women, past and present, come to life. Their stories have laid a foundation for generations to come. The story of Maria Agnesi is one of a child genius who changed the course of mathematics. Italian-born Frances Xavier Cabrini came to America and built health care facilities in Chicago and across the nation. She was later sainted by the Catholic Church for her work. The first woman in Italy to attend the University of Rome and receive a medical degree, Maria Montessori was prominent in finding a new way to educate children. Internationally, Montessori schools flourish to this day.

Drawn from scores of family albums, these intimate snapshots tell the story of the unique and universal saga of Italian immigration and life in Chicago. More than 25,000 Italian immigrants came to Chicago after 1945. The story of their exodus and reestablishment in Chicago touches on war torn Italy, the renewal of family and paesani connections, the bureaucratic challenges of the restrictive quota system, the energy and spirit of the new immigrants, and the opportunities and frustrations in American society.

Since 1850, Chicago has felt the benefits of a vital Italian presence. These immigrants formed much of the unskilled workforce employed to build up this and many other major U.S. cities. From often meager and humble beginnings, Italians built and congregated in neighborhoods that came to define the Chicago landscape. Post-World War II development threatened this communal lifestyle, and subsequent generations of Italian Americans have been forced to face new challenges to retain their ethnic heritage and identity in a changing world. With the city's support, they are succeeding.

Edited by Dominic Candeloro, Kathy Catrambone and Gloria Nardini--- Revised Edition (b) 2019 Published by the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia. The spotlight has always been on the men. This anthology is a preliminary effort to "write" that wrong and to focus on women in our effort to document and share the FULL Italian experience in Chicago. The purpose is S.O.S.--Save Our Stories! Dominic Candeloro, lead editor, recruited the almost 50 contributing authors; Gloria Nardini managed the section on creative writing, edited individual pieces, and refined the Italian language usage in the text; and Kathy Catrambone edited individual pieces and copyedited the entire volume. Diane L. Cosentino designed and formatted the book for printing. This edition was further formatted by Casa Library publishing. Our contributors include some of the most prestigious scholars in the field of Italian American Studies, experienced journalists, freelance writers, researchers and first-person narrators with varied backgrounds. This book is path-breaking in that it increases enormously the amount of published material on the topic. The names of more than 500 individuals and groups are mentioned and discussed in varying degrees of depth. Inexorably, the history we gathered took the form of biography. Since Italian American history is at risk of being lost, we can congratulate ourselves for capturing and preserving in book form as much as we have. An anthology is a tool that marks out the territory and invites the reader to go beyond the samples, to delve into original sources for a deeper understanding of the subject. The big picture that emerges is a varied one. Chicago Italian women have been ragpickers, needle workers, midwives, labor organizers, farm workers, club women, county commissioners, lawyers, doctors, dentists, writers, entrepreneurs, broadcasters, performers, homemakers, and mothers. Theresa AmatoAgata and Rocchina D'Ambrosioas translated by Maria DiMarcoMichael Anania Tony Ardizzone Rose Argo,Mary H. Ber,Lisa Krissof Boehm Mary Jo BonaAnn CalcagnoDominic CandeloroKathy CatramboneGloria G. CocoLou CorsinoPam DeFiglioTina De RosaVincenzo DeVitoChickie FarellaGloria G. GugliottaConcetta HedrickTerry Catrambone HeffronMaria A. IannottaAnna Clara IontaValerie KaneDonna GabacciaFred GardapheJoyce GarroDiane LedetLeonora LiPumaCarlo LombardoAnthony J. MaroAlessandro Mastro-ValerioBenedetta Mentensanaas translated by Jeanette Risatti ViehmanEugene Miller and Gianna Panofsky Gloria NardiniRoxanne Christofano PilatTony RomanoAnn RubinoChristina Ruscitti Amabile Santacaterinaas translated by Jeanette Risatti Viehman, Dolores Sorrentino Sennebogen Joanne Spata,Karen TintoriDomenica TrevorJudy Valente We also offer a Note on Sources and suggestions for further research which mostly lead back to the Florence Bartolomei Roselli Library at Casa Italia and the library archival website Chicago Italian Archives .

A colorful ethnography of an Italian ladies' club, this book explores the historical and linguistic importance of the women's language and behavior.