Pascal D’Angelo came to the United States from Italy as a teenager in 1910. He stuck close to other Italian immigrants in New York City and worked—when he could find work--at the menial jobs where so many immigrants were underpaid, ill-treated, and exploited. Safety and survival were real concerns. So, too, was earning enough money both to support himself and to send back to his family in Italy. Pascal refused to be beaten by these challenges: he had a passion for life and learning. He taught himself to read and write English word-by-word, and in so doing found a means of expression that sustained him: poetry. Pascal eventually had several of his poems in English--about his experience as an immigrant and laborer, about his memories of his life in Italy--published in the United States. What author Jim Murphy understands and conveys in this intriguing biography is that Pascal’s life is at once singular and part of a larger story. Murphy quotes extensively from Pascal’s autobiography as he tells the tale of one remarkable man’s life and about the struggles of immigrants–especially Italian immigrants–early in this century. (Ages 11-14)

In this inspiring biography, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy tells the unique story of Pascal D'Angelo, who came to America in 1910 at the age of sixteen. Like so many immigrants from southern Italy and other parts of Europe, he took on the only job available to him, that of a manual laborer building roads and railways. Though his life was difficult, Pascal remained optimistic and never lost his sense of wonder at the world around him. He yearned for an outlet to express his passion, and so, remarkably, he taught himself English from newspapers and poetry books, in the process becoming a respected poet himself.

Augmented with parallel references to other immigrant stories and accompanied by moving archival photographs, this story of one man's life and noteworthy accomplishments is also a universal story shared by all American immigrants who helped build our nation. Source notes, bibliography, index.