The Carpatho-Rusyn Americans (Immigrant Experience) [Library Binding]

Paul R. Magocsi (Author)

Book Description

Series: Immigrant Experience | Publication Date: December 2000

Discusses the history, culture, and religion of the Carpatho-Rusyns, factors encouraging their emigration to North America, and their acceptance as an ethnic group there.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Chelsea House Publications (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791062848
• ISBN-13: 978-0791062845
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,912,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still a great introduction to the Rusyn people & country, April 10, 2002

By 

F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Carpatho-Rusyn Americans (Immigrant Experience) (Library Binding)

This is a delightful book about the Carpatho-Rusyn people, culture and land. It is easy to read yet fully detailed about the major topics of this small but complex area of study. The author is the leading expert on Rusyn history and culture and this is his beginner's guide to this topic. The text is illustrated throughout with black-and white photographs, artwork, and maps and there is an eight page insert of color plates called "The Seasons of the Church" that illustrates the liturgical uniqueness of this group.

This year 2000 revision of a 1989 text brings a classic introduction to the Rusyn people back into print and up to date. I call it a revision rather than a new edition because the changes are actually quite minor. Five paragraphs have been rewritten and two new ones added. To reflect the passing of eleven years, a few dates and numbers have also been changed. Two pictures were replaced with new ones and the captions to three others have been enhanced. Also, the two maps have been redrawn. On the page called Further Reading, three items were dropped and two new items added.

The illustrations in this new printing suffer from a common problem with reprints. the photos are darker and less in focus than those in the original edition. If the illustrations are the important part of this book for you, then seek out the original edition rather than this updated revision.

The first chapter, "From a Little-Known Land", is an introduction to the geography of the Carpathian Mountain region which is the Rusyn homeland. A 1914 map of northeastern Austria-Hungary shows this land when it was last united in one country.

The second chapter is called "The Homeland" and follows the history of this region up to the mid-1980s when the book was written. This region is in the geographic center of Europe and has been at the divide between Eastern and Western Europe for centuries. This is the land where the Roman alphabet changes to the Cyrillic, and where western Christian and Byzantine Orthodox theologies meet. It is the home of the Uniate church, a curious compromise where Byzantine liturgies are performed in churches owing their allegiance to the pope in Rome. The language is a dialect of Ukrainian, but has been greatly influenced by the Polish and Hungarian spoken in the countries the land has been a part of for centuries. The cultural awakening of these people in the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the 18th and 19th centuries is outlined. The division of the land between Poland and Czechoslovakia at the end of World War I, and the later removal of a section into the USSR after World War II are outlined.

"Events of the Immigration", the third chapter, describes the conditions that led to a vast immigration of Rusyn people to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th century. This immigration was stopped by World War I and was reduced to a trickle after the war.
"The New World" describes the arrival of the Rusyns in the coal mines and steel mills of western Pennsylvania, and the factories of New York and New Jersey. The people brought their own Uniate priests who were often married and they built their own churches. They ran into misunderstandings with American Catholic bishops who had little knowledge of the unique situation of these eastern rite Catholic churches.

In "Assimilation and Adaptation" Magocsi tells the story of how these churches confronted their problems in various ways. Some of the early churches, led by Father Alexis Toth, converted to Russian Orthodoxy and built up that church in America. After World War I some churches formed a new church that was affiliated with the Greek Orthodox community. Of course, some remained in the Uniate churches of their ancestors, while still others started attending Roman Catholic churches. The Rusyn press and fraternal organizations in the USA are also described in this chapter.

The next chapter, "People of Prominence" , discusses some famous Rusyn-Americans and their contributions. Sandra Dee and Andy Warhol are the most famous of these but many others are also mentioned.

The last chapter, "Looking Toward the Future", describes the resurgence of interest in Rusyn heritage in America and mentions some of the prominent people and groups involved.

The illustrations in this book really make it outstanding. There are illustrations of major historic figures like Cyril and Methodius, Prince Fedir Koriatovych, Aleksander Dukhnovych, Adolf Dobriansky, Reverend Alexis Toth, and Gregory Zhatkovich. Also lots of pictures are of ordinary people, like young girls or children in traditional costumes, dance or choral groups also in traditional dress, immigrants arriving at Governor's Island, miners and factory workers, church groups, and family groups. The unique architecture of Rusyn churches is represented by eight pictures from both North America and the Carpathian Mountains.

If you have one book about the Rusyn people, this should be it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best introduction to the Rusyn people and country, March 24, 2002

By 

F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Carpatho-Rusyn Americans (Peoples of North America) (Library Binding)

This is a delightful book about the Carpatho-Rusyn people, culture and land. It is easy to read yet fully detailed about the major topics of this small but complex area of study. The author is the leading expert on Rusyn history and culture and this is his beginner's guide to this topic. The text is illustrated throughout with black-and white photographs, artwork, and maps and there is an eight page insert of color plates called "The Seasons of the Church" that illustrates the liturgical uniqueness of this group.

The first chapter, "From a Little-Known Land", is an introduction to the geography of the Carpathian Mountain region which is the Rusyn homeland. A 1914 map of northeastern Austria-Hungary shows this land when it was last united in one country.

The second chapter is called "The Homeland" and follows the history of this region up to the mid-1980s when the book was written. This region is in the geographic center of Europe and has been at the divide between Eastern and Western Europe for centuries. This is the land where the Roman alphabet changes to the Cyrillic, and where western Christian and Byzantine Orthodox theologies meet. It is the home of the Uniate church, a curious compromise where Byzantine liturgies are performed in churches owing their allegiance to the pope in Rome. The language is a dialect of Ukrainian, but has been greatly influenced by the Polish and Hungarian spoken in the countries the land has been a part of for centuries. The cultural awakening of these people in the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the 18th and 19th centuries is outlined. The division of the land between Poland and Czechoslovakia at the end of World War I, and the later removal of a section into the USSR after World War II are outlined.

"Events of the Immigration", the third chapter, describes the conditions that led to a vast immigration of Rusyn people to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th century. This immigration was stopped by World War I and was reduced to a trickle after the war.
"The New World" describes the arrival of the Rusyns in the coal mines and steel mills of western Pennsylvania, and the factories of New York and New Jersey. The people brought their own Uniate priests who were often married and they built their own churches. They ran into misunderstandings with American Catholic bishops who had little knowledge of the unique situation of these eastern rite Catholic churches.

In "Assimilation and Adaptation" Magocsi tells the story of how these churches confronted their problems in various ways. Some of the early churches, led by Father Alexis Toth, converted to Russian Orthodoxy and built up that church in America. After World War I some churches formed a new church that was affiliated with the Greek Orthodox community. Of course, some remained in the Uniate churches of their ancestors, while still others started attending Roman Catholic churches. The Rusyn press and fraternal organizations in the USA are also described in this chapter.

The next chapter, "People of Prominence" , discusses some famous Rusyn-Americans and their contributions. Sandra Dee and Andy Warhol are the most famous of these but many others are also mentioned.

The last chapter, "Looking Toward the Future", describes the resurgence of interest in Rusyn heritage in the USA and mentions some of the prominent people and groups involved. However, since this book was written in 1989, years before Ukrainian and Slovak independence, the future described in this chapter appears a little dated. A new edition of this book has just been published, and hopefully will bring Rusyn history up to date with some information on the Rusyns of Slovakia and Ukraine.

The illustrations in this book really make it outstanding. There are illustrations of major historic figures like Cyril and Methodius, Prince Fedir Koriatovych, Aleksander Dukhnovych, Adolf Dobriansky, Reverend Alexis Toth, and Gregory Zhatkovich. Also lots of pictures are of ordinary people, like young girls or children in traditional costumes, dance or choral groups also in traditional dress, immigrants arriving at Governor's Island, miners and factory workers, church groups, and family groups. The unique architecture of Rusyn churches is represented by eight pictures from both North America and the Carpathian Mountains.

If you have one book about the Rusyn people, this should be it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best introduction to the Carpatho-Rusyn people, April 1, 2002

By 

F. Orion Pozo "Orion Pozo" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Carpatho-Rusyn Americans (Peoples of North America) (Library Binding)

The Carpatho-Rusyn Americans - Paul Magocsi
The best introduction to the Carpatho-Rusyn people and country

This is a delightful book about the Carpatho-Rusyn people, culture and land. It is easy to read yet fully detailed about the major topics of this small but complex area of study. The author is the leading expert on Rusyn history and culture and this is his beginner's guide to this topic. The text is illustrated throughout with black-and white photographs, artwork, and maps and there is an eight page insert of color plates called "The Seasons of the Church" that illustrates the liturgical uniqueness of this group.

The first chapter, "From a Little-Known Land", is an introduction to the geography of the Carpathian Mountain region which is the Rusyn homeland. A 1914 map of northeastern Austria-Hungary shows this land when it was last united in one country.

The second chapter is called "The Homeland" and follows the history of this region up to the mid-1980s when the book was written. This region is in the geographic center of Europe and has been at the divide between Eastern and Western Europe for centuries. This is the land where the Roman alphabet changes to the Cyrillic, and where western Christian and Byzantine Orthodox theologies meet. It is the home of the Uniate church, a curious compromise where Byzantine liturgies are performed in churches owing their allegiance to the pope in Rome. The language is a dialect of Ukrainian, but has been greatly influenced by the Polish and Hungarian spoken in the countries the land has been a part of for centuries. The cultural awakening of these people in the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the 18th and 19th centuries is outlined. The division of the land between Poland and Czechoslovakia at the end of World War I, and the later removal of a section into the USSR after World War II are outlined.

"Events of the Immigration", the third chapter, describes the conditions that led to a vast immigration of Rusyn people to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th century. This immigration was stopped by World War I and was reduced to a trickle after the war.
"The New World" describes the arrival of the Rusyns in the coal mines and steel mills of western Pennsylvania, and the factories of New York and New Jersey. The people brought their own Uniate priests who were often married and they built their own churches. They ran into misunderstandings with American Catholic bishops who had little knowledge of the unique situation of these eastern rite Catholic churches.

In "Assimilation and Adaptation" Magocsi tells the story of how these churches confronted their problems in various ways. Some of the early churches, led by Father Alexis Toth, converted to Russian Orthodoxy and built up that church in America. After World War I some churches formed a new church that was affiliated with the Greek Orthodox community. Of course, some remained in the Uniate churches of their ancestors, while still others started attending Roman Catholic churches. The Rusyn press and fraternal organizations in the USA are also described in this chapter.

The next chapter, "People of Prominence" , discusses some famous Rusyn-Americans and their contributions. Sandra Dee and Andy Warhol are the most famous of these but many others are also mentioned.

The last chapter, "Looking Toward the Future", describes the resurgence of interest in Rusyn heritage in the USA and mentions some of the prominent people and groups involved. However, since this book was written in 1989, years before Ukrainian and Slovak independence, the future described in this chapter appears a little dated. A new edition of this book has just been published, and hopefully will bring Rusyn history up to date with some information on the Rusyns of Slovakia and Ukraine.

The illustrations in this book really make it outstanding. There are illustrations of major historic figures like Cyril and Methodius, Prince Fedir Koriatovych, Aleksander Dukhnovych, Adolf Dobriansky, Reverend Alexis Toth, and Gregory Zhatkovich. Also lots of pictures are of ordinary people, like young girls or children in traditional costumes, dance or choral groups also in traditional dress, immigrants arriving at Governor's Island, miners and factory workers, church groups, and family groups. The unique architecture of Rusyn churches is represented by eight pictures from both North America and the Carpathian Mountains.

If you have one book about the Rusyn people, this should be it.