THE MADONNA OF 115TH STREET. Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880-1950.

Hardback, 1st US edn. This is the story of a popular religious celebration, the annual 'festa' of the Madonna of Mount Carmel on East 115th Street. And it is the story of an urban culture in which that celebration took place: the poor, troubled, constantly changing community of Italian Harlem. Through a close study of the symbols and rituals of the annual celebration, the author shows how it disclosed the complex inner lives of the people who participated in it. He paints a vivid picture of East Harlem in this period: a complex, overcrowded, dangerous, and outcast community, where, in spite of all this, people succeeded in shaping a recognisable and even secure world. He goes on to present eloquent testimonies to the strong ties of Italian American family life and the conflicts resulting from these ties: alienation between the Italian-born generation and their American-born children; intense rivalries for power and affection. A powerful union of social history and religious studies. Illus., Notes, Selected Bibliog. and Index. 287pp. 8vo. h/back. F. in nr. f. dw.