Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In the early 1900s, the Mafia controls much of Sicily, the government is corrupt, and taxes are exorbitant. As a result of the terrible conditions and the limits of their crops, Tomas and Katerina Tomaso are forced to send their three grown sons and their grandchildren to live in America. It is a heart-breaking split: grandparents forced to say goodbye to grandchildren knowing they will likely never see them again. Parents and sons splitting from each other. Paolo and Gianna, their two young children and the two younger brothers endure a painful farewell to the people, the farm and the life they love. They arrive in Chicago on Christmas Day at the dawning of the Roaring Twenties. The sprawling, dirty, smelly city is not like anything they could have imagined or dreamed. The family moves into a fourth floor apartment in a run-down tenement building in the Little Italy section of town. The streets are run by mobsters, politicians and crooked cops, not much different from their homeland. The family soon learns that they are now in the lower class. The two-century family history of hard work and honesty in the Old Country does not matter here. They endure prejudice in the workplace, in the lack of social services and in the absence of police protection. Jobs were hard to find, especially for Italians and even worse for Sicilians. Poverty and discrimination humble them all. Life was tough, but they learned to be tougher. Slowly, the family overcomes obstacles and adjusts to their new homeland. TThe children grow and become Americans. The family was finally settled and content when a terrible and unforgiveable act of violence - committed against them by their Italian countrymen - struck the family, hard. Paolo and Gianna's dreams and hopes for their future and for their children hang in the balance as they decide on the course of action that will define them as people and determine their futures. Plots and tensions simmer and boil over in a shocking conclusion early one morning on Cambridge Street.
Synopsis
Times were tough. They had to be tougher.Young wife and mother Gianna longs to stay on the farm she loves but Sicily is a poor and corrupt place. With no future for their children, she accepts husband Paolo's decision to immigrate to America. Their lives will never be the same.Gianna, Paolo and his brothers Leonardo and Renzo arrive in freezing, squalid Chicago on Christmas Day, 1917 and quickly learn that they are not wanted in their new land. They move into a fourth floor tenement apartment on Cambridge Street in the heart of Little Sicily, known as Little Hell. It is an accurate name for the slum neighborhood.Gangsters - men like crime boss Don Malo Tancredi - with the help of dirty cops and crooked politicians - run the people and businesses here, just like back home. Survival is a day-to-day struggle for the family but this is now their world and they are determined that their children will be Americans. However, the obstacles to the peaceful life they seek are formidable.When an act of terrible violence is committed against them, Paolo publicly swears revenge. Boss Malo Tancredi will not tolerate disrespect and sends Gazzo, Lupo and Santo to kill Paolo. With Paolo's death at the hands of gangsters imminent and certain, he and Gianna stand together - and alone - against the monsters that wait outside to slaughter him. They have one chance at survival.Paolo's life and the destiny of their family hang in the balance. "Cambridge Street is a gritty and compelling novel." Austin-McCauley Publishers, London, England."Be prepared to laugh and to cry because you'll see what the characters see and feelwhat they feel. It's a great read." C.S. Antioch, IL."I just finished reading Cambridge Street, tears streaming. I loved it." J.P. Denver, CO "A wonderful book. I will save it for my grandson to read." T.R. Torino, Italy"I read Cambridge Street twice and loved it both times." T.W. Chicago, Illinois
Synopsis
Times were tough. To survive in this ugly new world, they had to be tougher.Gianna, Paolo and his two brothers arrive in freezing, squalid Chicago on Christmas Day, 1917. They quickly learn that they are not welcome or wanted in their new homeland. The family moves into a tenement building on Cambridge Street in Little Sicily, also known as Little Hell. It's an accurate name for the slum neighborhood. Their lives will never be the same.Neighborhood crime boss Don Malo Tancredi, with the help of dirty cops and crooked politicians - runs the people and businesses in Little Sicily with an iron fist. His sadistic enforcers, men like Gazzo D'Napoli, Santo and Lupo, keep everyone in line.Wages for backbreaking labor are barely enough to pay rent and feed the growing family. Survival is a day-to-day struggle but this is now their world and they are determined that their children will be Americans. When an act of terrible and unforgiveable violence is committed against them, Paolo publicly swears revenge. Malo Tancredi will not tolerate disrespect and sends killers to murder Paolo publicly as an example to the rest of the neighborhood.With the young father's violent death at the hands of gangsters imminent and certain, he and Gianna stand together - and alone - against the monsters that wait to slaughter him. Paolo's life and the future of their family hang in the balance.
Synopsis
The world was changing. A war raged in Europe and soon the Spanish flu would ravage the planet, ultimately killing 50 million, including 650,000 Americans. People around the world were hungry; many sought new lives and new beginnings as the Great Migration continued. It is a planet in turmoil. Even given world events, the Tomaso family is happy and content, living just outside Palermo on a sweet-smelling citrus farm in the rolling hills of Sicily. The clan had farmed the area for two centuries but now, with taxes out of control, an incompetent government and crime rampant, their happiness was shattered. They realized that to survive, the family is forced to split. The three brothers must leave the land and the people they love and immigrate to America. In a heart-breaking sequence of events, grandparents say good bye to their grandchildren, knowing they will likely never see them again. Reluctantly, sadly, tragically, the brothers board a ship bound for America. On a freezing Christmas Eve, they arrive in their new home: a fourth floor apartment in a tenement building on Cambridge Street in Chicago's Little Sicily. The squalid neighborhood is also known as Little Hell, a well-deserved nickname hung on the district by the newspapers. The family quickly learns that they are not welcome or wanted in their new homeland. They are now in the lower class with no money, no language skills and with little opportunity. To make matters even worse, crooked politicians, dirty cops and violent gangsters run the streets and the businesses here, just like at home. Paolo, the oldest, gets a job as a laborer in the Halsted Street slaughter house, where he does backbreaking work twelve hours a day, six days a week for just enough money to pay the rent and put food on the table. His wife, Gianna, takes care of their two kids, Luca and Isabella. The youngest of the brothers, the always sweet and smiling Leonardo, known affectionately as Nardo, finds work as a busboy and dishwasher. Middle brother Renzo, more of a con-man and never much of a worker back in Sicily, seeks more of an easy path. Iron-fisted crime boss Don Malo Tancredi and his five brothers run Little Sicily. In the beginning, as small operators, they forced local merchants to pay protection, ran gambling dens, operated two dozen brothels and stole whatever and whenever they could. However, in 1920, Prohibition makes the manufacture or distribution of drinking alcohol illegal and creates a business opportunity that makes the brothers wealthy, as it does for other gangs in Chicago and around the country. Life moves along and years roll by unnoticed. Paolo and Gianna add daughters Rosa, Sofia and finally Katerina to the family. Nardo meets and falls madly in love with Francesca. Renzo and his pal Mario find a way to make a lot of money quickly, but it's foolhardy, at best. Through a series of unfortunate events, the brothers incur the terrible and vicious wrath of crime boss Malo Tancredi, who decides that Paolo should be killed as an example of his power and absolute control of the neighborhood. "These are my streets," Tancredi says. "MINE AND I WANT THAT PEASANT DEAD " He sends his three murderers, Gazzo, Lupo and Santo, to Cambridge Street to kill Paolo in full public view. An angry mob forms to take on the hitmen but they are held at bay by a machine gun wielding Santo. Chicago police commander Johnson, who has been on Tancredi's payroll for years, arrives to move the killing along. He orders Gazzo, "I don't care if you have to go up there and drag him out. Get it done "All avenues of escape are closed. There is no help. Paolo and Gianna stand alone against Tancredi's violent killers, who wait outside to slaughter the young farmer. All hope seems lost for the couple who must somehow survive knowing that their actions will determine the fate and futures of their five children.
Synopsis
Cambridge Street copyright 2017 and 2021Crime, high taxes and poverty force Gianna, Paolo and his two brothers to leave Sicily. They arrive in freezing, squalid Chicago at the dawning of the Roaring Twenties and quickly learn that they are not wanted in their new homeland. The family moves into a fourth floor apartment in a tenement building on Cambridge Street in Little Sicily, also known as Little Hell. It's an accurate name for the slum neighborhood. Slaughterhouse wages, even after working twelve hours a day, barely cover the rent and feed the growing family. Survival is a day-to-day struggle but they are determined that their children will be Americans. Neighborhood crime boss Malo Tancredi, with the help of dirty cops and crooked politicians, runs the people and businesses in Little Sicily with an iron fist. His brutal enforcers, men like Gazzo D'Napoli, Santo and Lupo, keep everyone in line.When an act of terrible and unforgiveable violence is committed against his family, Paolo swears revenge. Don Tancredi will not - cannot - tolerate disrespect and sends killers to murder Paolo publicly as an example to the rest of the neighborhood. With the young father's violent death at the hands of gangsters imminent and certain, Paolo and Gianna stand together - and alone - against the monsters that wait outside their door to slaughter him. Their actions will determine who they are as people and decide the futures of their children.REVIEW: "Decker's prolific story telling tugs at the heartstrings with his descriptions of love, honor, and dignity within Italian family lives, as well as shocking the reader with the realities of political and law enforcement corruption, racism, and the vicious, psychopathic doings by Mafia mob bosses and their henchmen killers. For people of Italian heritage, and people of other heritages, Decker's novel is a 'must read' page-turner, and once readers start reading, they won't be able to put it down until reaching the climatic ending." Review submitted by, Author Bud Monaco, and Publisher of Sopro Books. Contact author Steven Decker@
[email protected]Synopsis
Cambridge Street Copyright 2017 and 2021.
Forced to leave Sicily, the Tomaso family arrives in freezing, squalid Chicago at the dawning of the Roaring 20s. Home is now a 4th floor apartment in a tenement building on Cambridge Street in Little Sicily, known locally as Little Hell. Slaughterhouse wages, even after working twelve hours a day, barely pay the rent and feed the family. Survival is a day-to-day struggle but they are determined that their children will become Americans.
The neighborhood crime boss runs the people and businesses in the neighborhood with an iron fist. His brutal enforcers keep everyone in line. When an act of unforgiveable violence is committed against his family, Paolo Tomaso swears revenge. The Don will not - cannot - tolerate disrespect and sends killers to murder Paolo publicly as an example.
With the young father's violent death imminent and certain, Paolo and Gianna stand together - and alone - against the monsters that wait outside their door. Their actions will determine who they are as people and decide the futures of their children.
REVIEW: "Decker's prolific story telling tugs at the heartstrings with his descriptions of love, honor, and dignity within Italian family lives, as well as shocking the reader with the realities of political and law enforcement corruption, racism, and the vicious, psychopathic doings by mob bosses and their henchmen. Decker's novel is a must read page-turner and once readers start, they won't be able to put it down until reaching the climatic ending."
Review by, Author Bud Monaco, and Publisher of Sopro Books.
Review for the Italian American Heritage Foundation Newsletter
I highly recommend this novel but the recommendation comes with a caveat. Many of us whose parentage hails from the south of Italy and whose ancestors arrived in America before the Second World War have a tendency to romanticize the old country. This book shatters that impression of sweetness and beauty. The book might startle you with its explicit scenes of violence.
Decker's descriptions of the life in Sicily and Naples is far from lovely. Actually, it's quite horrifying. The extreme poverty, mafia rule, unpoliced violence, ongoing vendetta, the absence of schools and medical care all combined to make life there impossibly challenging.
The Tomaso family, however, will endear itself to you. The love the family holds for one another and for their faith balances the surrounding evil but certainly does not sugar coat it. The family had to leave Sicily. Their lives depended upon it. They ended up in Chicago's Little Sicily, known locally as Little Hell.
Sadly, here they found gangsters working hand-in-hand with crooked cops, they found deep-seated prejudice against them, more vendetta and people being gunned down in the street with no police interventions. This was Chicago of the Roaring 20's, Al Capone's Chicago. The Tomaso family landed in an ugly place indeed.
The family once again finds themselves in survival mode. They realize that here, unlike in Italy, if they can get through this transition, there is a future for their children. It's all about sacrificing so their children can have an education and a future. There are schools for all and doctors when they need them. There is light at the end of the tunnel.