Synopses & Reviews
A twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Robert A. Orsiand#8217;s classic study of popular religion in Italian Harlem. In a new preface, Orsi discusses significant shifts in the field of religious history and calls for new ways of empirically studying divine presences in human life.
"The Madonna of 115th Street has over the last quarter century become a classic of American religious history.and#160;There are few books that I have enjoyed teaching more over the years and even fewer that have taught me as much about American Catholic history."and#8212;Leigh E. Schmidt, author of Hearing Things: Religion, Illusion, and the American Enlightenment
Review
"The Madonna of 115th Street has over the last quarter century become a classic of American religious history.andnbsp;There are few books that I have enjoyed teaching more over the years and even fewer that have taught me as much about American Catholic history."and#8212;Leigh E. Schmidt, author of Hearing Things: Religion, Illusion, and the American Enlightenment
Review
"Robert Orsi's Madonna is the rarest of the rare, a book that carries us across a threshold and in doing so transforms our understanding of religion."and#8212;David D. Hall, Harvard University
Review
"The Madonna of 115th Street defined a generation of scholarship in American religion.andnbsp;This new edition demonstrates how its East Harlem world continues to inspire scholars and readers far beyond its parish boundaries.and#8221;and#8212;Kathryn Lofton, Yale University
Review
"The Madonna of 115th Street has over the last quarter century become a classic of American religious history. There are few books that I have enjoyed teaching more over the years and even fewer that have taught me as much about American Catholic history."—Leigh E. Schmidt, author of Hearing Things: Religion, Illusion, and the American Enlightenment Leigh E. Schmidt
Synopsis
In a masterful evocation of Italian Harlem and the men and women who lived there, Robert Orsi examines how the annual festa of the Madonna of 115th Street both influenced and reflected the lives of the celebrants. His prize-winning book offers a new perspective on lived religion, the place of religion in the everyday lives of men, women, and children, the experiences of immigration and community formation, and American Catholicism. This edition includes a new introduction by the author that outlines both the changes that Italian Harlem has undergone in recent years and significant shifts in the field of religious history.
Reviews of the earlier edition:
"A richly tapestried portrait-narrative. . . . Orsi is to be commended for a truly significant contribution to the annals of American social history."--Francesco Cordasco, USA Today
"Orsi has fashioned an impressive fusion of the inner histories of immigrant social and religious life."--John W. Briggs, American Historical Review
Synopsis
"An impressive fusion of the inner histories of immigrant social and religious life." --John W. Briggs, American Historical Review "An in-depth historical study of the Italian-American community and its religion, without sentimentalizing values and perceptions."--Kirkus Reviews
In a masterful evocation of Italian Harlem and the men and women who lived there, Robert Orsi examines how the annual festa of the Madonna of 115th Street both influenced and reflected the lives of the celebrants. His prize-winning book offers a new perspective on lived religion, the place of religion in the everyday lives of men, women, and children, the experiences of immigration and community formation, and American Catholicism. This edition includes a new introduction by the author that outlines both the changes that Italian Harlem has undergone in recent years and significant shifts in the field of religious history.
About the Author
Robert A. Orsi is Professor of Religion, Northwestern University, and author of Thank You, St. Jude.