Rosa: An Italian Tale

In turn-of-the-century Chicago, a dashing cross-country traveler and a stoic young woman fall in love...but can they make a life together, and make America their new home? So begins the story of Sebastiano Graziano and Rosalina Ambrosecchia, two Italian immigrants whose passion for life, and for each other, catapults them into the heart of the American Dream. Author Eileen Ghilarducci Arnoff presents the stories of her grandparents, as told by her mother and aunt, with a dazzling flair for language that relies upon the unmodified vernacular of her relatives. Rosa, An Italian Tale bursts with evocative imagery that will transport readers to early 20th century Chicago—a magical world where the ice man reluctantly carries his 50-lb. load up three flights of stairs, where vibrant religious festivals fill the streets with cheer, and where the “syndicate” and Black Hand thrive by preying on other immigrants. Filled with untold histories, delightful vignettes and revealing photographs, Rosa, An Italian Tale is sure to warm hearts and uplift spirits everywhere.