Giovanni and Maria DeMasi boarded the ship M.S. Vulcania in southern Italy in July 1963 with their young children Raffaele and Antonella. They were going to America.
All of their belongings were packed in two heavy trunks, along with two sewing machines. They knew little about their destination. One of Maria’s cousins made arrangements for Giovanni, a master tailor, and Maria, a dressmaker, to work at a clothing store in Troy, New York.
This book traces their journey from immigrants who didn’t know the English language to naturalized citizens. They had to overcome many obstacles raising a family in a new, unfamiliar land.
They are among the tens of millions of people who have left their hometown for the promise of a better life in the United States, contending with laws that for 140 years have restricted who can enter the country.
Their story is both unique and universal.
150 pages
Cost: $20
This is a collection of Michael’s favorite stories from his journalism career. There are 40 stories including photos and updates with some of the people he has met while working as a newspaper reporter.
You’ll read about:
- An Irish priest lifting spirits at a maximum-security prison.
- A wealthy socialite whose 40 dogs eat organic chicken.
- A mayor who became the Pied Piper of Guyanese immigrants.
- A friendly clock enthusiast named Smiley Lumpkin.
- A successful real estate developer who was fired from his job as an attorney — three times.
- The salvager who bought downtown Albany’s biggest, ugliest building.
241 pages
Cost: $20