Memory Postcard: What It Was Like to Be a First Generation Italian-American in the 1920s

Glimpses into the lives of ordinary Americans. GREETINGS FROM MY MOTHER'S KITCHEN, PITTSBURGH, 1920 One day my mother was summoned to my grammar school to meet with one of my teachers. My mother's English wasn't very good (she was from Italy), so I had to act as the interpreter. TEACHER: I am very concerned about Helen, she has not been doing her homework, and she flunked her math test. MY TRANSLATION: Helen is doing great, she is very bright and works very hard. I am only making this concerned ...