Vita

“A vibrant, richly detailed novel about the Italian immigration to America a century ago.” —Elle

In April 1903, the steamship Republic spills more than two thousand immigrants onto Ellis Island. Among them are Diamante, age twelve, and Vita, nine, sent by their poor families in southern Italy to make their way in America. Amid the chaos and splendor of New York, the misery and criminality of Little Italy, and the shady tenants of Vita’s father’s decrepit Prince Street boarding house, Diamante and Vita struggle to survive, to create a new life, and to become American. From journeys west in search of work to journeys back to Italy in search of their roots, to Vita’s son’s encounter with his mother’s home town while serving as an army captain in World War II, Vita touches on every aspect of the heartbreaking and inspiring immigrant story.

The award-winning Italian author Melania G. Mazzucco weaves her own family history into a great American novel of the immigrant experience. A sweeping tale of discovery, love, and loss, Vita is a passionate blend of biography and autobiography, of fantasy and fiction.

“Vita has the suspense of a thriller, the breadth and force of a family saga, and the complex depth of a dynamic meditation on the immigrant experience.” —The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Mazzucco’s novel is about life in all its fullness and complexity, with all its anxieties and hopes and passions and betrayals . . . She succinctly captures the essence of [the great Italian immigration], which involved not only heartache but also hope.” —Newsday