The Garlic in the Melting Pot

From the streets of Brooklyn and the horse trails of Saratoga Springs, Lew tells of the life he led as an Italian-American, becoming more aware of how his ethnic group with its values of family and hard work, made him into the successful man he became. Most autobiographies seek to find the meaning of one life as it passes through time, touched by the past, making sense of where this life began as it moves towards its destiny. Lew Elia's story has much more depth. Lew narrates his story to study how he and his ancestors became part of the fabric of American life. Lew Elia's story was to be a narrative for his children only; we should be very thankful that he shared his tale with all of us so that we, too could study the impact that Italian immigrants made on America's development. They put much more than the garlic in the melting pot.