American Biographies - History Books

Name: The Italian Home for Children
Brand: Christopher F. Small
SKU: 9780738538273
Price: 18.74 USD
Availability: InStock

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The Italian Home for Children

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

On the Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Cape Cod's Oldest Shipwreck:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Growing Up Greek in St. Louis

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Fanny Bixby Spencer

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Arabs of Chicagoland

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Murders in Monmouth

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Murder and Mayhem in the Napa Valley

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Michigan Literary Luminaries:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Murder and Mayhem in the Holy City

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

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The Italian Home for Children

9780738538273

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

As it ravaged the world, the influenza epidemic of 1918 devastated Boston's congested North End and left hundreds of orphans in its wake. Touched by this crisis, a Roman Catholic priest and a group of Italian Americans founded the first home for Italian children in Massachusetts. Franciscan Sisters devoted 24 hours a day to providing the children with a safe, loving, and spiritual environment. In addition, the home provided educational support for its residents. Over time, the changing needs of children mandated that the agency change the nature of its services from custodial care to treatment. In 1974, in response to the changing political and social climate, the agency became the Italian Home for Children. Today, it is a nonprofit, nonsectarian residential treatment facility with a capacity for 61 children of all races, nationalities, and religions. The images in The Italian Home for Children document milestones in the organization's history: the devastating influenza epidemic, the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas plays, a visit from Joe DiMaggio, trips to Canobie Lake Park in the summer, the Tony Martin benefit performance at Boston Garden, and the home as it is today--a refuge for children in the most severe crises.

On the Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics

9781609497156

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Enjoy a fun look at behind-the-scenes politics and personalities in the history of Harrisburg and the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania, first home of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, has a tradition of political progress. However, along with the good, the political playground of Pennsylvania has also seen the brazenly bad behavior of its political leaders. For over twenty-five years, political columnist John Baer has had a front-row seat to the foibles and follies of the Keystone State's political system. Baer takes readers through his memories of covering state politics for the last quarter century, from Democratic governor Milton Shapp's short-lived run for president--in which he finished behind no preference in the Florida primary--to highlights of some of the game-changing campaign missteps and maneuvers that moved administrations in and out of the capital. With a delightfully gruff wit, Baer gives readers a behind-the-scenes view of the politics and personalities that have passed through Harrisburg.

Cape Cod's Oldest Shipwreck:

9781596298606

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In 1626-27, the Sparrow-Hawk began her final journey across the brutal winter waves of the Atlantic Ocean, departing from the southern coast of England with America as her goal. As cases of scurvy and whispers of mutiny rose, the hopes of those aboard the small vessel began to fade. The ever-changing coastline of Cape Cod caused the Sparrow-Hawk to run aground. Desperate to repair their ship and attain their goal of becoming wealthy Virginia tobacco planters, the passengers wrecked her again, forcing them to abandon their beloved ship and take up residence in Plymouth Colony. Revealed by the tides over two hundred years later, the wreckage was pillaged by local scavengers and put on display in Boston. Join Mark Wilkins as he delves into the secrets of the Sparrow-Hawk.

Growing Up Greek in St. Louis

9780738519562

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Since the beginning of the 20th century, St. Louis' Greek-American community has been a vibrant part of the city's fabric. Through a series of vivid personal accounts of growing up in two worlds during the post-WWII era, Growing Up Greek in St. Louis explores the challenges faced by Greek-Americans as they sought to preserve a rich cultural heritage while assimilating to American ways.

From a detailed account of her Grandmothers' struggles during the occupation of Greece during WWII and the Asia Minor Holocaust to the first hand experiences faced by Greek-American children in Greek school, the celebration of name days, and the ever-present evil eye, the book captures the sense of tradition, history, hospitality (philotimo), and community so vital to the Greek experience.

Fanny Bixby Spencer

9781609498757

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

The last daughter born to Jotham Bixby, the Father of Long Beach, Fanny Bixby Spencer (1879-1930) carved her own singular and eccentric path across California history. Born to wealth and power, she chose a boldly independent, egalitarian lifestyle in an age when women's lives were largely confined to domesticity. Fanny served with the Long Beach Police Department as America's first policewoman. She was a founder of the city of Costa Mesa in Orange County. Her humanitarian efforts reached across ethnicities and social standing. Yet beyond her civic accomplishments, Fanny was provocative as a poet, artist, pacifist, suffragist, child advocate, foster mother and humanitarian. Marcia Lee Harris captures this fascinating woman's remarkable life, enhanced by Fanny's own poetry and soulful reflections.

Arabs of Chicagoland

9780738534176

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Arabs first settled in Chicagoland in the mid-19th century, when immigrants from all parts of the world were flowing steadily into the U.S. As tensions in the Arab world flared, immigration increased--the first to arrive were Lebanese Christians, followed by Muslim Palestinians. Today, there are more than 250,000 Arabs in the Chicago area, with equal numbers of Christians and Muslims. A part of the fabric of Chicago, Arabs serve in many roles, from business leaders to elected officials to judges, doctors, engineers, journalists, and more. In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Arab Americans have come under great scrutiny and have suffered much misunderstanding. Now, this book, which explores their integral role in Chicagoland's growth, is especially important.

Murders in Monmouth

9781596293489

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Why do people kill? In the case of the young and mentally unstable Frank Zastera, the rationale was as simple as the act was brutal: he wanted William Sheppard's money. In other homicides, such as the still-unsolved 1913 murder of George Harris, the motive for committing the ultimate crime remains obscured for eternity. In Murders in Monmouth, author George Joynson unflinchingly assembles the who, what, when, where and why surrounding twelve high-profile killings perpetrated by various individuals in early twentieth-century Monmouth County.

Murder and Mayhem in the Napa Valley

9781609495442

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The picturesque vineyards of California's Napa Valley, one of the world's premier tourist destinations, disguise a tangled history of lawlessness, depravity and frontier justice. Some crimes were committed over debts, some for retribution and others in the name of love. Famed photographer Eadweard Muybridge killed a man for seducing his wife but was acquitted. Other criminals were not so lucky and met the gallows, like murderer William Roe, the state's final public execution. From the Pomo massacre--the first criminal case heard by the California Supreme Court--to the cold cases that continue to haunt the region, Napa Police Detective Todd Shulman decants the crimes of the Napa Valley, memorializing the victims and honoring the efforts of local law enforcement.

Michigan Literary Luminaries:

9781626199378

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

From Ernest Hemingway's rural adventures to the gritty fiction of Joyce Carol Oates, the landscape of the "Third Coast" has inspired generations of the nation's greatest storytellers. Michigan Literary Luminaries shines a spotlight on this rich heritage of the Great Lakes State. Discover how Saginaw greenhouses shaped the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Theodore Roethke. Compare the common traits of Detroit crime writers like Elmore Leonard and Donald Goines. Learn how Dudley Randall revolutionized American literature by doing for poets what Motown Records did for musicians. Join author Anna Clark as she unveils Michigan's extraordinary written culture with a mixture of history, literary criticism and original reporting.

Murder and Mayhem in the Holy City

9781596291621

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Perhaps Charlestonian James Louis Petigru said it best when he declared in 1861 that "South Carolina is too small for a republic, but too large for an insane asylum." South Carolina has consistently been one of the most violent places in American history, and Charleston has served as much a hotbed of criminal mayhem as a "holy" city. While many books explore the illustrious past of this national treasure, few delve into this darker and equally fascinating side of its past. With this new book, historian Pat Hendrix takes a look at the history of crime in the Holy City. Starting with a war that nearly extinguished the fledgling city, he moves through the centuries, bringing to light such sordid tales as the Six Mile House murders, the Dutartre family cult, the murder of newspaper publisher Frank Dawson and the horrific discovery of South Carolina's first serial killer. Murder and Mayhem in the Holy City is an eye-opening foray into Charleston's underworld that calls into question the sanitized, celebrated history often told today and offers an enjoyable romp through more than three centuries of human drama.