Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans

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Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans edited by Luisa. Del Giudice. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 288 pages, introduction by the editor, bibliographical information after each chapter, appendix, $89.00, hardcover.

There are many ways to tell a story, and as editor, Luisa Del Giudice looks at oral history as an angle of convergence in her collection of essays, Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans." Selected from the 2005 Annual Conference of the American Italian Historical Association (AIHA), the essays in the book convey Italian American stories from both historical and cultural perspectives. The volume is prefaced with gracious thanks to its 15 contributors and presents an overview of their experiences in academia, community, and the public sector and their pursuits toward a greater understanding of Italian American history, ethnography, and folk tradition. It continues with 251 pages of essays by artists, musicians, cultural anthropologists, and scholars of history and literature. The varied stories come together in a fascinating picture of the cultural practices of this unique, yet varied, ethnic group as Italians have migrated to live in the United States. Extensive bibliographies at the end of each essay are helpful for those who would like to dig more deeply or follow each author's trajectory of research. A thorough index also makes this more possible. For scholars and lay people interested in pursuing the roots of a culture that has, for the most part, been modernized, the book is accessible and authentic. Most of the essays maintain the storytelling voice that they present in their subjects, and some are so personal and direct that, to an Italian American, they may seem like a visit with family. To those in the field, the essays may seem like a visit with a family of folklorists. Many of the authors will be familiar names to those who know today's standard-bearers of Italian American folklore and tradition.

The collection of essays is divided into three …