Italian stories

"Italian Stories pays homage to the Italian-American experience, celebrating an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx during the 1930s and '40s, and mourning the loss of this ethnic identity with the migration of subsequent generations to the suburbs. With stories that are both melancholy and comic, Papaleo explores the contradictory desires of assimilation: his characters want to live the life of the average American while maintaining a strong link to their rich heritage. In addition, Papaleo rails against the damaging stereotypes of Italian-Americans propagated by the media in movies and television."--BOOK JACKET.