Rosa: The Life of an Italian Immigrant (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography) [Paperback]

Marie Hall Ets (Author), Helen Barolini (Introduction), Rudolph Vecoli (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography | Publication Date: May 3, 1999

    This is the life story of Rosa Cavalleri, an Italian woman who came to the United States in 1884, one of the peak years in the nineteenth-century wave of immigration. A vivid, richly detailed account, the narrative traces Rosa’s life in an Italian peasant village and later in Chicago. Marie Hall Ets, a social worker and friend of Rosa’s at the Chicago Commons settlement house during the years following World War I, meticulously wrote down her lively stories to create this book.
    Rosa was born in a silk-making village in Lombardy, a major source of north Italian emigration; she first set foot in the United States at the Castle Garden immigrant depot on the tip of Manhattan. Her life in this country was hard and Ets chronicles it in eloquent detail—Rosa endures a marriage at sixteen to an abusive older man, an unwilling migration to a Missouri mining town, and the unassisted birth of a child, and manages to escape from a husband who tried to force her into prostitution. Rosa’s exuberant personality, remarkable spirit, and ability as a storyteller distinguish this book, a unique contribution to the annals of U.S. immigration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A vital record of another part of America’s past.”—St. Paul Pioneer Press

“Rosa Cavalleri [is] a gifted storyteller.”—Library Journal

About the Author

Marie Hall Ets [1895–1984] won a Caldecott Medal for the book Nine Days to Christmas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 2 edition (May 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299162540
• ISBN-13: 978-0299162542
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rosa's life is unforgetable, as is Rosa herself, January 30, 2001

By 

Anthony R. Buccino (Nutley, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rosa: The Life of an Italian Immigrant (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography) (Paperback)

First we need to thank Helen Barolini for resurrecting this precious book from obscurity. And for all those who complain there are no uplifting, inspiring tales about Italians, here in Rosa The Life Of An Italian Immigrant, is the proof that there certainly is.

Rosa would be the first to say she was no one special, just an ordinary peasant orphan who kept herself from starvation and worse by the faith of her religion and incredilby hard work for her entire life. Not that hard work is a surprise but the reality with which this uneducated woman shows us a plain ordinary life is as unforgettable as she is. God gave her the gift to tell the story of her life, to share laughs and to charm her new friends in wherever she landed, in a mining camp, a convent school or a silk factory.

From her early life as a child laborer who is beaten for mistakes in the silk mills of the 1860s to the uneducated young girl who is forced to marry a lousy, drunken bum, Rosa perseveres and triumphs with a long life and many friends who love her. You can't read this story with out falling in love with this precious woman as she endures life.

In 2001, it is hard to imagine that the cruelties Rosa suffered were every day occurences a century ago (or even less!), that is, nothing unusual. We have come a long way baby, but we had better not forget where we've come from.

Rosa The Life Of An Italian Immigrant will keep you rooted in the reality of our history and ancestry. Buy it, read it. Give it to your friends. Buy them their own copies! Give it as gifts to all the young women in your family.

Rosa's story must be remembered. Her story is unforgetable, so is Rosa Cavalleri.

Hey, Hollywood, I dare you to make a movie about this incredible woman!!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid tale, April 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Rosa: The Life of an Italian Immigrant (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography) (Paperback)

I stumbled across this book a month ago while writing a term paper on Italian immigration.
Rosa's tale is a poignant story. Her life story reveals her pride,faith and determination to survive in both the new and old world and her unwillingness to compromise her values.

I highly recommend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put this down., January 10, 2006

By 

Deborah L. Larsen (Sutton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rosa: The Life of an Italian Immigrant (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography) (Paperback)

Being a member of a third generation Italian American family this book was very interesting to me. I felt like I was sitting next to Rosa as she went through her experiences. It brought back many memories. I finished the book in one weekend then mailed it to my Italian mother for her to enjoy. This is the first Italian American book I have read that was written from a women's point of view. I highly recommend it.