Notes

• "In April 1903, the steamship Republic spills more than two thousand immigrants onto Ellis Island. Among them are Diamante, age twelve, and Vita, nine, sent by their poor families in southern Italy to make their way in America. Amid the chaos and splendor of New York, the misery and criminality of Little Italy, and the shady tenants of Vita’s father’s decrepit Prince Street boardinghouse, Diamante and Vita struggle to survive, to create a new life, and to become American. From journeys west in search of work, to journeys back to Italy in search of their roots, to Vita’s son’s encounter with his mother’s hometown while serving as an army captain in World War II, Vita touches on every aspect of the immigrant story." "The award-winning Italian author Melania G. Mazzucco weaves her own family history into this tale of discovery, love, and loss, creating a blend of biography and autobiography, of fantasy and fiction."–BOOK JACKET