ITALY AT WORK

* 4..·~·;.., .. ~... :~ ..."" \'1..n.-emIMAGES: INIAGES: A PICTORIAL IUS­ HIS-TORY OFITAUAN ITALIAN AMERICANSCenter for Migration Studies, 1986, 1986.2SS 25$ pages, pages. illus. .The streets were paved withgold.Or so early immigrant lore bad hadturn-of-the-century turn-of-the-eentury paesani pacsani believing-—until they thcyreachedlillislslandandEllis Island andxenophobia reared its empty head.Names were changed to preserve theignorant and labelsaffixed afiixed to brand theinnocent. And Ilalian Italian immigrants,whoseancestors bad haddiseovered,nameddiscovered. and pioneered this land. became unwel­unwelcomealiens when they tried to people it.* r R» * i ti‘E“ 3’’.. “Ml . F-§' -e.-I Q t ‘Questionable luetlceBookspretty picture bookgenre by focusing onwords and historical music.the unifying theme of Italic migration. Clearly,Jmages Images is a at lyrical celebra­celebra-Beginningwiththediscoveryofthe oftion ofthe singularly dynamic andresil­resil-the New World, Italians havejourneyedjoumeyedient Italic people.The emphasis, ofto the Americas in search of opportuniy opponuniy course, course. is on the l.aUet latter 19th andearlyand adventure. WJ.tneSs Witness Enrico Tonti. Tonti,20th Century migrations. However, byexplorer and Indian figllter, fighter, Giacomomaintainingthethrmdthe thread ofhistorical con­eontinuitythroughout, Images is able tosource of the Mississippi, and Francisidentify and examine the significanceofVigo, revolutiooary revolutionary war hero. And let's • s the entire mass movement. Wasitcolo-colo­not forgettheoriginalthe original lonesomecowboy,nization by other means or culturalCharlesA.Siringo. Thisriderofthegreat'l1iisriderofthegreatenrichment?Whatever the answer,westerncattlerangecoald cattlerangecould well have beenImages conveys a refreshing messageportrayed by John Wayne. Indeed, Indeed. had -— Americana Arnerimna all'Jtaliana alfltaliana.they been ballyhooed in school texts, all-Rosario A A. laconis Iacotttltthese historical heroes might have ap-rF======================l"1 — — lBeltrami Beltrarniandhisvoyagestofindtheand to thepeared in a John Iolut Ford film saga.Images succeeds because itreaches beyond the banality of standardethnic editions. Alongside the gritty tintypesof unwashed peasants are colorfulposter reproductions of major Italictin­evetUS. events.One can even be forgiven afascinalioo fascination with Italo ltalo Balbo's spectacu­spectacularRome-Chicago-NewYork-Rome.*\Happily, I-lamily,thatisonlypartoftheis ooly of theTHE ITALIAN ALlAN AMERICANSimmigrants' immigrants’ story found in Images: A- 1. J. Philip di FrancoPictorial History of aflralian Italian Arnericartr. Americans.Vanz.etti, Unlike Unlikzth-¢lrishandthteScot.rthe Irish IM ScotsFor every Sacco and Vanzetti, there's awlwLaGuardia, who cam/! came to America with a brog~U. broguz, al.aGuardia, Fermi and Giannini. Forburr bttrranda a bundleof afcaqfidatce,Italy’:confidence, Italy'severy New Orleans Massacre, a Gar­GaribaldiBrigade.For every tragedy, tragedy. aslwres .rhon:.r bill but bllS1ed busted dreams, drowns, brokentriumph of the spirit anda arealization ofEnglish and a zest zcsrfor organized ban­the American dream. Images is a beau-beauditry.dirry. TMse These Jwddled, huddled, swarthy masus normstifully illustrated, expertly producedTwo Italian shoeshlne boys,hailedfrom the nwst most lurid regions ofaareuospective. 1896. Work Instead of school.emigrants anigrantr brought rwthing nothing to 011r ourretrospective. But it transcends thelowly country in Europe's Europe’: uncivilized unciviliudaerial crossing in mass formation in 1933.tier. And being Southern Solllhem ItalianA major reason for this tome's even­even-marked them as a distinctly inferior ideriarbreed-- rwt al like attributed bread not at alllike the hardyNordichanded approach mustbeattfibuted to thepioneus pioneer: of o_,fAm¢rt'r:a'.r America's widefrontier.front~r.publishers: the magazine Italy, ,lcaly Italy andthe Center for Italian Migrations. Em­Ern-The foregoing assessment of ploying a bilingual text they allow theItalian immigrants was the norm ratherstory of one of history's greatest treks tothan the exception in elementary andunfold,savoring every anecdote andhigh school texts of the1950s andhighlighting theheretofore unknown. 1960s, 19605, and even in the 1987 edition ofLeading leading Italian-American intellectuals,The Story of English. 1. J. Philjp Philip dihistorians and professionals provide theFranco's Theltalian Italian Americanscontin- contin-Sergeant John Basllone,1943Basllona,1943 'The Italic Way 1010Fall1988Fa" 1988