Pick-and-Shovel Poet: The Journeys of Pascal D'Angelo (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD PASCAL D'ANGELO leaned out from the noisy crowd and peered up the long stretch of gleaming railroad track..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York City, Ellis Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-An excellent biography, replete with evocative photos. Murphy recounts D'Angelo's early life and his emigration to America with his father in an attempt to save their family from the crushing poverty of Italy in 1910. The author poignantly captures their struggle, which, like that of so many immigrants, entailed prejudice, cold, hunger, and constant worry over where they would find work. D'Angelo eventually learned to read English and was so struck by the power of words that he began to compose his own poetry, and to express his life's journeys. After he was discovered by the editor of The Nation, his poetry and his autobiography, Son of Italy, were soon published. Murphy quotes liberally from that work, which lends depth and often humor to the text. The stunning photographs, many by Lewis Hine, reflect the faces of these new Americans and add even more layers of emotion to D'Angelo's poetry, which is also featured in the text. An important, inspiring, and well-documented book that will complement any collection.-Carol Fazioli, formerly at The Brearley School, New York City

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-12. Except for his autobiography and some poetry, not much has been written about poet Pascal D'Angelo, who immigrated to the U.S. from Italy in 1910 and lived a life of hardship until his death at age 38. Consequently, Murphy sets his passionate biography in a historical context that broadens the book's scope. Detailed early chapters give a strong sense of the emotional and physical stamina it took for poor Italian farmers to leave their families and homeland, and the often nightmarish experiences, from Ellis Island to building the railroads, that awaited them in their new land. D'Angelo proves an inspiring figure who maintained his optimism despite financial hardship, ethnic discrimination, and crippling labor. The poet's works are brief and few, but this reverent biography is filled with his indomitable spirit. Black-and-white archival photos show the times, places, and people. Roger Leslie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (October 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395776104
• ISBN-13: 978-0395776100
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #974,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A passion for language, a demon for work, January 19, 2001

By	G. DeCandido "LadyHawk" (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Murphy has written a compelling account of the life of Pascal D'Angelo, an Italian immigrant who left a hard life in Italy for one harder in the United States: carrying rock and hauling rock to make way for roads and railways, a pick and shovel man. His language is clean and sure; he uses D'Angelo's life to illuminate the experience of many Italians who came to this country in the early years of the 20th century. More than that, however, he makes D'Angelo's fervent desire to read and write English palpable. Writing words on the unheated shack where he lived, visiting the local library, gleaning stray meanings from his fellow workmen -- it will give young people a glimpse of how much one can long for the right words. His poetry is ornate but passionate, and the whole is a marvelous read.