The writer Giuseppe Prezzolini said that Italian immigrants left behind tears and sweat but not "words," making their lives in America mostly in silence, their memories private and stories untold. In this innovative portrait of the Italian-American experience, these lives are no longer hidden. Ilaria Serra offers the first comprehensive study of a largely ignored legacy--the autobiographies written by immigrants. Here she looks closely at fifty-eight representative works written during the high tide of Italian migration. Scouring archives, discovering diaries, and memoirs in private houses...

The writer Giuseppe Prezzolini said that Italian immigrants left behind tears and sweat but not words, making their lives in America mostly in silence, their memories private and stories untold.In this innovative portrait of the Italian-American experience, these lives are no longer hidden. Ilaria Serra offers the first comprehensive study of a largely ignored legacy-the autobiographies written by immigrants.Here she looks closely at fifty-eight representative works written during the high tide of Italian migration.Scouring archives, discovering diaries, and memoirs in private houses and...