Author Pete Hamill is the child of immigrants from Northern Ireland whose parents arrived in New York City in the late 1920's. He was raised in Brooklyn in an ethnically diverse neighborhood among a variety of immigrant families. Immigration and New York City feature in many of his books including Snow in August
and Forever: A Novel
. I have enjoyed both of these books and was excited to see he would be speaking at the Tenement Museum on the topic of immigration and New York City in December.Hamill began the night by talking about why his parents came to New York and his experience growing up in Brooklyn in a working class, immigrant neighborhood. He spoke about the community of immigrants and how their differences in religion and culture mattered little- they were united as new arrivals to this country and did not toss ethnic slurs at each other as many of their parents had endured in the countries from which they emigrated.
His talk then moved into his experience living in Mexico and what it has taught him about the Mexican people. This exposure to the Mexican culture coupled with his own immigrant history has obviously influenced his point of view on the immigration debate that rages across the country. It was interesting to hear him link the current immigrant experience with that of those featured in the museum, his parents, my parents and the current immigrants from places such as Mexico, Eastern Europe and South America. Much of that debate hinges on the difference between legal and illegal immigration but I thought Hamill made good points about the humanity of these immigrants and their ability to contribute to our economy. Perhaps my favorite part of his talk was when he said "I hate the phrase the American Dream. A Dream is unwilled . . . . I prefer the American vision . . . you want to do something with the only life you have and you marshall education, will, ambition . . . everything you need to achieve this vision". I think this beautifully summarizes the American but also the immigrant experience.
It was a pleasure to hear the author speak - I felt as if I was sitting across the table from him at dinner. He has an easy way about him but speaks with a wealth of facts and authority on a subject he both knows a lot about but also cares about deeply. You can listen to the talk in its entirety on the Tenement Museum website in the Tenement Talks section.
JoAnn of Lakeside Musing also posted about a lecture by Pete Hamill which she attended and her reactions to his North River: A Novel
and the audiobook Downtown: My Manhattan
written and read by Hamill. 
by Sarah Blake takes place during WWII as London is getting blitzed and Jews are being moved on trains all throughout Europe. Frankie Bard is an American radio journalist living in London while reporting on the war. She is passionate about her chosen profession and aspires to report on stories that truly matter. She is deeply affected by the war that surrounds her and knows there are stories there that need to be told to those back home.
by Harriet Evans centers on Adam and Tess who grew up together in the small English town of Langford. They were very close growing up and everyone in the town imagined that they would become a couple as adults. As they moved into adolescence, they made good on those expectations and romance began between the two young residents of Langford. However, Tess ultimately flees Langford to pursue her education at University and settles into life in London while Adam stays in Langford and deals with the sudden death of his mother.
Last year, there was quite a bit written about author Jonathan Franzen, from the 
which had languished on my shelves for years (I had the Oprah hardback edition - it was that old!)
by Jane Green centers around the story of two sisters, Callie and Steffi, and a summer that will change both of their lives and those around them. Callie and Steffi and quite different from each other - Callie is a wife and a mother to two children while Steffi is a free -spirited chef who has bounced between jobs and relationships wantonly. Despite their differences, the love and affection they have for each other is obvious from the start. They are joined by a cast of characters which includes their friend Lila, the love interests of Lila and Steffi, Callie's husband and Callie and Steffi's parents. 
by Janice Y.K. Lee is set in Hong Kong in the 1950's. As the story opens, we meet the piano teacher - Claire Pendleton - who has recently moved to Hong Kong with her husband Martin. Looking for a way to keep busy and distract herself from her unhappy marriage, Claire begins providing private piano lessons to Locket Chen, daughter of Victor and Melody Chen. Claire begins an affair with the Chen's driver, Will Truesdale. Claire knows Will has a mysterious past but only learns the extent of it as his full story is unfolded.
by Chandra Hoffman
by Tishani Doshi
