Leaving Little Italy explores the various forces that have shaped and continue to mold Italian American culture. Early chapters offer a historical survey of major developments in Italian American culture, from the early mass immigration period to the present day, situating these developments within the larger framework of American culture as a whole. Subsequent chapters examine particular works of Italian American literature and film from a variety of perspectives, including literary history, gender, social class, autobiography, and race. Paying particular attention to how the individual artist's personality has intersected with community in the shaping of Italian American culture, the book reveals how and why Italian America was invented and why Little Italys must ultimately disappear.

“Any settlers in the family?” “You don’t look Turkish at all, are you an émigré?” “Where are you originally from?” From an early age, I started hearing these questions. Either in school, during a cab ride, in the office or in my new social circles. I face these questions right after we start chatting... and this happens often. I always expect it. “Gökhan, where are you from?” I evolved: my height, my features, my voice, my gestures, the way I think, and many more but the answer to this question has never changed: “My ancestors used to live in Greece. They were there for a few generations. With the convention concerning population exchange between Turkey and Greece, my ancestors moved here permanently.” What I kept hearing on the grapevine eventually became a solid truth. I came to grasp the fact that my ancestors lived in Drama, Ptolemaida and Eleftheroupoli in Greece. All this longing to flee from my homeland and desire to get to know other places would clearly relate to a genetic interpretation. However, I still couldn’t say it all fit. "Kutluer compares and contrasts his Turkish roots, his old social surroundings to his new encounters in Bergamo and Montenegro. Starting from the relief of “getting out,” he dwells with the deep sense of nostalgia, the inevitable feeling of exile and loneliness; yet knowing that going back is not always an option and it is not the same land that one goes back to. Echoing some Turkish-German literature like Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Güney Dal, Feridun Zaimoğlu he battles the layers of integration to a new environment in reflection to his feelings of what once was a home to its aftertaste." – Elif Naz, Editor

In Suzanne Palmieri's charming debut, The Witch of Little Italy, you will be bewitched by the Amore women. When young Eleanor Amore finds herself pregnant, she returns home to her estranged family in the Bronx, called by "The Sight" they share now growing strong within her. She has only been back once before when she was ten years old during a wonder-filled summer of sun-drenched beaches, laughter and cartwheels. But everyone remembers that summer except her. Eleanor can't remember anything from before she left the house on her last day there. With her past now coming back to her in flashes, she becomes obsessed with recapturing those memories. Aided by her childhood sweetheart, she learns the secrets still haunting her magical family, secrets buried so deep they no longer know how they began. And, in the process, unlocks a mystery over fifty years old—The Day the Amores Died—and reveals, once and for all, a truth that will either heal or shatter the Amore clan.

Italian immigrants flocked to America beginning in the mid-1800s unaware of the hardships ahead, much like the harsh conditions they left behind in Italy. Despite discrimination, scarce employment, hunger, and drudgery, they courageously established trades, businesses, parishes, and solid family life in neighborhood enclaves nearly identical to their native villages. Close to two centuries later, Baltimore's thriving Italian community marvels at the grit and backbone of their families in their conquest of Americanization. Fortified by love of today's famiglia, food, traditions, faith, and close-knit community, Baltimore Italians celebrate their ethnicity while honoring those before them. These captivating photographs--cherished and generously shared by families of Baltimore's Italian immigrants--offer a brief yet fascinating insight into some of their rich history: who came from which village, how they paved the way, the jobs they worked, how they grew up, and the bravery displayed as they fought in wars for the United States. They did not sacrifice their birthright to become American; instead, they humbly added to it and called themselves Italian Americans.

On paper, Coach Rob Mendez sounds like any other football coach on any other field across America: passionate, authoritative, knowledgeable. But he’s unlike any other coach you know--in fact, he’s probably unlike any other person you know. Born with an extraordinarily rare condition called tetra-Amelia syndrome, Rob has no arms or legs. He moves with the assistance of a custom-made, motorized wheelchair that he operates with his back and shoulders. Many people look at Rob and see limitation, yet Rob sees opportunity: Opportunity to pursue his passion for football. Opportunity to change the way people perceive physical disability. Opportunity to serve as a role model for the hundreds of kids he’s coached over the years. Told with both humor and frankness, Who Says I Can’t? takes readers on Rob’s incredible journey, from his birth to loving parents who wanted to afford him every chance for happiness, to the emotional and physical hurdles he faced while seeking independence, to receiving the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPY Awards in 2019. Each day, Coach Rob rolls onto the field and shows his players that dreams are achievable when you show up, do the work, and believe in yourself. And after reading this book you, too, will believe that anything is possible.

Memories of Growing Up in Little Italy, NYThis is a memoir of childhood friends growing up together in the 40's and 50'sin Little Italy NY. It tells the story of the culture of living in a poor neighborhoodwith Italian Immigrants.The old neighborhood, as it is still referred to by its past residents, was full oflife with Italians that immigrated from different areas of Italy bringing withthem all their different foods, cultures, superstitions and most of all theirdreams to raise their children to become good, honest and successful AmericanCitizens. Growing up in Little Italy was difficult, yet rewarding. We wereconsidered poor in terms of material wealth, but many of us grew up richer inmind, body and soul.Most of all we had our imaginations to dream up games that gave us somethingto do all day long. In our own way we were entrepreneurs, as we did anythingto make money like selling newspapers, shining shoes, running errands andmore. Looking back, the Good Times Were Rolling Along.

In Little Italy: The Way It Was, Peter Corona, Ph.D. shares personal stories of the early days during the first half of the twentieth century when San Diego's Little Italy had more than 6,000 families living within its boundaries. Once known as the "Italian neighborhood" or the "Italian Colony," this thriving community was one of America's best kept secrets. In a pre-determined society that dictated life's direction from birth to death, residents followed a unique code of ethics, customs, and folkways, but most importantly, adhered to a code of silence. Through personal recollections, conversations with lifelong friends, and surveys of church and public records, Dr. Corona vividly describes the history of Little Italy's people and professions while detailing the conversations, activities, and events of life in the Italian Colony during the Depression, World War II, and the years immediately following. Others will enjoy the entertaining stories about Lou the Junk Man, Sparky's clubhouse with the secret door, Angel Garcia who smelled the fish at the Westgate Cannery, and the Washington Wharf Rats. As one of the original residents of Little Italy, Dr. Corona leaves a lasting record for future generations about a fascinating neighborhood with a unique history.