Salvatore travels alone at 13 to a new country to work in the coalmines, meets and marries Maria, the love of his life.Together they face hardships and challenges, working together to build a better life for them and their family
From quiet Pacentro, Italy in 1902, to the Starkville, Colorado mines and then on to the steel mills of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, this is the story of young immigrant Salvatore and his wife, Maria. Together, they raise five children and create community despite hardships, making their own private paradise. Here is a family saga and an American story of immigration and assimilation where individuality and character are not lost.
Professional Reviews
Karen Kotrba, author
Through fine writing and a remarkable level of research, Paul L. Gentile's book is a compelling read, a powerful reminder of our shared history as American immigrants. Salvatore and Maria: Finding Paradise is so dense with small, powerful moments you will be impelled to seek out stories from your own forebears. Gentile has created a work that richly honors those who came before.
Kathleen Ganster, journalist
In Salvatore and Maria: Finding Paradise, Paul Gentile takes you along on Salvatore's journey as he leaves Italy in 1902, works in the mines of Colorado, falls in love with Maria and moves to the Pittsburgh area to work in the mills. Like so many of that time, Salvatore rarely complains and takes his greatest joy in his family. The story that Gentile weaves here will ring true to nearly everyone in America. This book is for historians as well as those who enjoy a good family story.
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The experience of a young adult trying to figure out what they want to do for employment or education can be overwhelming. My book will give them insight to what it means to be a carpenter. And the progress unions have made in discrimination.
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