Dan Elam
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Immigrant Secrets
- The Search for My Grandparents
- By: John Mancini
- Narrated by: Andrew Parrella
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
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Story5 out of 5 stars 4
The only thing my father ever said about his Italian immigrant family was that his parents died in the 1930s, shortly after arriving at Ellis Island. Except they didn't. Once I began the search for my grandparents, I mostly ran into dead-ends. Until the 1940 census. My grandparents magically appear, but as inmates at the Rockland Insane Asylum. What happened? Why all the secrecy? And how did I use genealogy to unravel the mystery?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating history and great storytelling!
- By Warren Bean on 04-21-23
- Immigrant Secrets
- The Search for My Grandparents
- By: John Mancini
- Narrated by: Andrew Parrella
Thoughtful entertainment & great read
Reviewed: 04-10-23
Few books are true "can't put down" examples but the author deftly weaves his real-life search for answers to his family history with a poignant reimagining of the gaps. Clever writing turns this into a great storyline. For anyone who has ever wondered about what their family went through when they immigrated or even what life was like at the turn of the last century, this is a thought-provoking read. Makes you wonder what was life during that period but also makes you wonder what you will never know about your own family. If you told me that a book talking about genealogy would be entailing and having me rush to the next chapter I would have never believed you, but the author does a great job of making this historical account turn into a story of itself. The narrator keeps the story working with careful accents and just the right amount of emotion. Quality book.
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