Stories, Streets, and Saints documents the history of an important Italian American neighborhood, Boston's North End, from the age of immigration at the turn of the twentieth century to the era of neighborhood upheaval in the "New Boston" of the 1980s. Drawing on years of fieldwork, on-site photography, and scholarly research, Anthony V. Riccio records, translates, and transcribes compelling oral histories of elderly Italian American storytellers who weave social history in their unique village idiom, providing an intimate look at daily life in an Italian American neighborhood. Testimonies of post-Unification southern Italy reconstruct the dire social and economic conditions that caused millions to pursue the promise of America. Rare firsthand stories of the Spanish Flu offer timely narratives in the wake of COVID-19, and eyewitness descriptions reconstruct the horrific Molasses Explosion of 1919. Riccio's own photographs from 1979 to 1983, along with images from old family albums, illustrate these oral histories, creating a lasting record of the experiences of Italian Americans, who, like many other ethnic groups, contributed mightily to the building of America.

AcknowledgmentsIn Memory of My Friend, Anthony Riccio: 1952-2022Tommy DamigellaForewordNicholas Dello Russo1. Life in Southern Italy at the Turn of the Century2. Leaving Italy for the Promise of America3. The Journey to Boston4. A New Life in the North End5. Becoming an American Citizen6. The Italian Mother7. The Italian Father8. The Oral Tradition: Family Stories, Dialects, Folktales, and Prayers9. Italy and the North End in World War I10. Garlic Necklaces, Camphor Bags, and Shots of Anisette: The Spanish Flu Pandemic in the North End11. The Molasses Explosion12. Italian American Street Life13. Going to School14. Justice Denied: Sacco and Vanzetti15. The Depression in the North End16. Seamstresses and Factory Workers: Italian American Women at Work17. Making It in the North End: Italian American Men at Work18. Making Wine, Drinking Wine19. Life in the Tenements20. Sicilian Fishermen in the North End21. Miracles, Societies, and Processions22. Christmas in the North End23. Irish and Italians24. Refugees in the North End: West Enders Tell Their Stories25. Local Politics26. Gangsters and Racketeers27. Life in a Cold-Water Flat28. The Changing North End29. The Old Waterfront and the New Boston30. Poor Tenant, Poor Landlord31. Meglio Pane e Cipolla, e SolaEpilogue: Anthony's Gift to UsJames S. PastoNotes