Feeling Italian: The Art of Ethnicity in America (Nation of Nations, 18)

by Thomas J. Ferraro

Description

2006 American Book Award, presented by the Before Columbus FoundationSouthern Italian emigration to the United States peaked a full century ago—;descendents are now fourth and fifth generation, dispersed from their old industrial neighborhoods, professionalized, and fully integrated into the “melting pot.” Surely the social historians are right: Italian Americans are fading into the twilight of their ethnicity. So, why is the American imagination enthralled by The Sopranos, and other show more portraits of Italian-ness? Italian American identity, now a mix of history and fantasy, flesh-and-bone people and all-too-familiar caricature, still has something to teach us, including why each of us, as citizens of the U.S. twentieth century and its persisting cultures, are to some extent already Italian. Contending that the media has become the primary vehicle of Italian sensibilities, Ferraro explores a series of books, movies, paintings, and records in ten dramatic vignettes. Featured cultural artifacts run the gamut, from the paintings of Joseph Stella and the music of Frank Sinatra to The Godfather’s enduring popularity and Madonna’s Italian background. In a prose style as vivid as his subjects, Ferraro fashions a sardonic love song to the art and iconography of Italian America. show less

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Cantsaywhy 355 reviews

I finished this a while ago and this is what I wrote at the time: "Good but sometimes so far into the weeds as to be disorienting - many good points though." Read as part of my research into my Italian American and Italian ancestors

Jul 24, 2022

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