Taking the mass Italian immigration of the late 19th century as his starting point and drawing on dozens of oral histories and a diverse array of primary sources in English and Italian; Guglielmo focuses on how perceptions of Italians' race and color were shaped in one of America's great centers of immigration and labor; Chicago. His account skillfully weaves together the major events of Chicago immigrant history--the "Chicago Color Riot" of 1919; the rise of Italian organized crime; and the rise of industrial unionism--with national and international events--such as the rise of fascism and the Italian-Ethiopian War of 1935-36--to present the story of how Italians approached; learned; and lived race. By tracking their evolving position in the city's racial hierarchy; Guglielmo reveals the impact of racial classification--both formal and informal--on immigrants' abilities to acquire homes and jobs; start families; and gain opportunities in America. White on Arrival was the winner of the 2004 Frederick Jackson Turner Award of the Organization of American Historians
#263685 in Books 2003-11-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x 1.30 x 9.25l; 1.68 #File Name: 0195168933528 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. He explains how the Rosie the riveter myth is pretty much a fabrication and how America's approach to manufacturing ...By Mike MTrying to distill WWll down to a little over 400 pages is a Herculean task but Mr. Kennedy does a serviceable job. He provides thumbnail sketches of the major players' personalities and tics. He does an admirable job of jumping back and forth between the European and Pacific theaters of operation; always keeping in mind America's POV in explaining how FDR and his staff dealt with their fractious; troublesome allies. He explains how the Rosie the riveter myth is pretty much a fabrication and how America's approach to manufacturing was able to out produce the German mode of war production: America going for Quantity vs. the German fixation with Quality. Lots interesting information and facts. There are areas where I thought he could have used more depth such as the death of FDR (probably no more than two pages.if that); Mussolini and Hitler's last hours are given mere paragraphs; Churchill being voted out of office just months shy of victory in Europe is given maybe two paragraphs and while he mentions how Tibetts went to the airplane factory to pick the future Enola Gay off the assembly line he gives short shrift the immensely expensive and technically complex challenge of building the A-bomb. Nor does Mr. Kennedy mention that when HST hinted to Stalin that America had an powerful new weapon Stalin was all ready aware of the activities going on at Trinity and of the Manhattan Project. Mr. Kennedy doesn't offer any new information or insights but this is a good; one-book overview; of the war.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Thorough But Easily Read Historical AccountBy zorbaI bought this book thinking it would be an account of civilian life in the U.S. during WWII. But I was surprised to see that it focused almost exclusively on the military campaigns and the decisions behind them. There was sporadic mention of life on the homefront; but mostly the book is a book about the war. Which is not a criticism. Kennedy deftly and thoroughly takes us through the war; outlines for us the challenges and opportunities and how the leaders of the affected nations developed their strategies. In addtion to the fine details of history; Kennedy writes in such a fashion that this book will probably appeal to the scholar and the layman with equal strength. As someone long in the tooth; I knew most of the history of WWII; but if you are younger and want a comprehensive; well-written history an epic period in world history; you could do a lot worse than read this compelling book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good but not as goodBy Michael StephensFreedom From Fear #1 was one of the most interesting and informational books I've ever read. Part Two was interesting but I did not learn much more about the war than I had known before other than the fact that; while Japan lost the war; Anglo-Saxons are no longer in control in the Far East. I somewhat disagree with his ending ideas about the "good" war; that it wasn't so "good" after all in it's outcome. However; those who fought in it and their families would probably disagree.
