to the Heart of Baltimore is an autobiography written by Michael Olesker, The story is intended for intermediate and advanced readers, Olesker tells the stories told to him by friends and family, who are immigrants to America, about the journeys they encountered to become American.
The story begins with early immigration in the's and how his greatgrandparents assimilated into American ways.
I classify this as an autobiography because the stories told are about his life and why he is the way he is.
He continues to discuss his parents generation and also includes multiple other stories told from people of different nationalities.
He relays the struggles and hardships with great heartwrenching stories and pictures, Since I have lived in Baltimore my whole life, I enjoy reading
about places such as fells point and the inner harbor back in those days.
I have a good understanding now of how certain places came to be and their history, It is amazing to learn about all the changes that have occurred here in the United States, especially in my hometown.
This book is appealing to young readers because it tells the true story of how families, the Olesker families in particular, were and still are able to become American, but still remain true to their culture.
The book can be used to instruct about sociology because lots of references are made to the study of the "melting pot" in our society.
I think children from Baltimore in particular will enjoy the book most, It is cool to know the history of a place where you go often, I will always think of the stories told by Olesker when visiting certain parts of Baltimore, Writing is incredibly boring, but I learned so much about Baltimore, In Journeys to the Heart of Baltimore, veteran journalist Michael Olesker writes of the American melting potparticularly Baltimore'sin all its rollicking, sentimental, goodnatured, and chaotic essence.
The stories come from neighborhood street corners and front stoops, playgrounds and school rooms, churches and synagogues, and families gathered around latenight kitchen tables.
"Think of this as a love letter across the generations," Olesker writes, The D'Alesandro political dynasty comes to life here, and so do the legendary Baltimore Colts Lenny Moore and Artie Donovan.
The old East Baltimore ethnic enclaves nurture youngsters named Barbara Mikulski and Ted Venetoulis, and out of West Baltimore comes the future AfroAmerican newspaper publisher Jake Oliver.
Journeys to the Heart of Baltimore is a delightful reminder of the nation's ethnic and racial mosaic, where a future mayor named Martin O'Malley and a future Baltimore County executive named Dutch Ruppersberger first learn about the melting pot.
Boys from Baltimore's Little Italy, like John Pica, go off to fight a war in Italy when they know their allegiance is being tested.
And a city struggles through racial convulsions, remembered by those such as John Steadman and Father Constantine Sitaris.
"We overlapor what's the point of America" Olesker writes, "We compromise, we shed the garments of the past, But we simultaneously strain to hold onto yesterdays, It is the hunger of memory, ".