Brooklyn Suite

About the Book

In this collection of linked stories, Michael Angrosino imaginatively re-creates the Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York where he grew up in the 1950s. This working-class ethnic enclave was in a state of flux; seemingly timeless verities were being challenged as a younger generation prepared for the great dispersion to the middle-class suburbs. Angrosino's stories are built around vivid neighborhood characters making their way through the joys, sorrows, and confusions of everyday life in a community that was soon to vanish. Meet: Ike, the embittered candystore owner who comes to grief when he tries to arrange a marriage for a long-lost relative; Sadie, the whimsical bag-lady who somewhat improbably pines to settle down; Pally, the tormented boxer who destroys his sister's happiness; Mattie, the optimistic good samaritan desperately trying to extricate himself from the coils of an ancient family vendetta; Sammy T., the undertaker with "connections"; Old Man Conforti, the dying pigeon racer; the Del Lagos, the world's most hopeless streetcorner doo-wop group-and many more. In good Italian fashion, these stories deal with sin and redemption, but with plentiful helpings of good music and delicious food.

About the Author

Michael Angrosino was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Since 1972 he has lived in Tampa, where he is professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida. He is the author of numerous scholarly books and articles as well as ?Opportunity House,? a work of fiction, and several poems.