Newark, Italy + Me

"Newark, Italy and me" got 5 Awards on Film Freeway and 4 stars on Amazon in PRIMO magazine.NEWS PROVIDED BY ArtsPRunlimited, Inc Daniel P Quinn in a recent talk at the Fair Lawn Library To know Newark is to love Newark via the heartfelt tribute Daniel P Quinn has made in “Newark, Italy + Me” with 5 stars on Amazon (Lulu.com. " To know Newark is to love Newark. That might be one way to sum up the heartfelt tribute Daniel P Quinn has made to his beloved city in his new insightful book, “Newark, Italy + Me.”” — PRIMO magazine. WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, EINPresswire.com/ -- NEWARK, ITALY + ME By Daniel P Quinn Available at Amazon.com To know Newark is to love Newark. That might be one way to sum up the heartfelt tribute Daniel P Quinn has made to his beloved city in his new insightful book, “Newark, Italy + Me.” Newark remains the largest city in New Jersey with a population of about 312,000. The city is most famous, today, perhaps, because of the large airport named after her. Newark was a key enclave for many Italian immigrants after disembarkment from Ellis Island. The city was a manufacturing hub and the author’s maternal side, the Caruso's, came to work in the factories there. The author sees himself, “As an Irish-Italian I am a bridge between both cultures.” While working in Italy at LaScala, “a stagehand asked me if I was ‘Irish’. Startled, I said I was Irish American and Italo-American never realizing I could be looked upon as Irish.” Quinn is not unlike other longtime residents of Newark. He retains great pride in the city while acknowledging its slow resurrection from the terrible 1967 riots. He laments the fate of a minor league baseball stadium, built 20 years ago, in the hopes of rebounding downtown. “The almost new Bears Stadum is due for demolition! Newark keeps coming back and going sideways as well.” Such are the ups and downs of many old cities in America. Right when you think the path ahead is to embrace a bright future, a change in municipal leadership arises to set things back many years. Quinn loves Newark not just for a sentimental attachment to his hometown. The city is rich in history and culture. He shares with readers how the city was founded when the “Puritans arrived first to found Newark...after the great 1666 fire in London...Newark was named Newark-on-Trent in England.” Quinn knows the background of city streets, wards and key landmarks. He conveys how ethnic neighborhoods may change over time in Newark. He writes: “St. Lucy’s Church has sponsored the Feast of St. Gerard in October every year since the 1890s. They have done so through the rise, fall and demolition of the Italian neighborhood. More recently, St. Lucy’s also saw the rise and fall of the adjacent Columbus homes (1950-2000). Now run by the Comboni Fathers (who left Montclair for Newark) are welcoming a new generation of Hispanic and Haitian immigrants.” The author’s tone, no doubt, is one of support for Newark’s ultimate rebound. As he mixes poems and essays, he is rooting for Newark to reclaim its unofficial title as America’s most dynamic city. “Newark, Italy + Me” is a tribute worthy of reading for all Italian Americans of New Jersey and of all over America. PRIMO Magazine review on Amazon.com