Lost in the Empire City

Avi. Lost in the Empire City 

October 29, 2024 by Quill Tree Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Santo Alfonsi, born in 1896 or 1897, lives in extreme poverty in Baracca, Campania, Italy with his mother, siblings, and grandfather. His father travels to the US because there are so few resources for the family, as many men in that time and place did. Things are dire, and Santo occasionally resorts to stealing apples from the padrone's orchard because the family is so hungry. He has no opportunity for education, but does at least  have sympathy from the local Catholic church. When the his grandfather died of cholera, and his older sister succumbs to malaria soon after, things look bleak. When the father sends four tickets to the US in 1911, the family walks a good distance from their home to Naples to board the Fulda. It's a perilous and unpleasant journey, and Santo goes to work in the kitchens, earning a little food in exchange for washing dishes and peeling vegetables. When they arrive at Ellis Island, the family is on high alert; they have been told time and again that if their health isn't good, they may be sent back to Italy. Santo manages to hide the limp he has from a badly healed leg wound, and makes it through. He waits, and his mother, sister Francesca, and brother Tullio never get off. He ends up in New York City hungry and despondent. Willie, a slightly older boy, finds him and offers to get him food. He also offers to make him part of his gang, known as the Downtown Dukes, along with Toby, Anton, and Louie. The boys steal food, small items from street vendors, and occasionally larger items like watches, and Willie gives them a cut. It's a hard life, but Santo sees no other way forward, as he despairs of ever finding any of his family again. When a heist goes awry, Willie turns Santo over to the police, who in turn turn him over to Mr. Ashbury. Mr. Ashbury takes him home, feeds him, has the maid, Nora, clean him up, and offers him a deal. Santo can live in the attic and steal for Mr. Ashbury, or he can be turned over to the police. Mrs. Ashbury knows what her husband is up to and doesn't like it, and Nora warns Santo that Mr. Ashbury is involved with Sargeant Becker, a corrupt cop for whom Willie has worked. Santo is to get into houses through the coal chute and open the door for Mr. Ashbury, who then steals paintings and other valuables when families are away from their homes for extended periods. There are some close calls with domestic staff being unexpectedly at home, and one day Santo runs into none of their than his sister Francesca. They arrange to talk, and she tells the tale of how the mother had an eye condition that delayed her entry until after treatment, and that she was sent to be trained as a domestic so that she could earn her living. She doesn't know where Tullio is. Mrs. Ashbury has taken a liking to Santo, and when she finds that he has snuck out, tells him that she will help both him and his sister. When Santo is caught in a house and recognized, he goes back to his gang to try to warn them, but Willie sees him and gives chase. Santo gets away when Willie falls and crushes both of his legs. Before he can get to the person whom Mrs. Ashbury has contacted, he sees his brother Tullio shining shoes on the street, and finds out that his mother is also living in the city. He goes to live with them, and gets a job making wheels for automobiles. He even managed to send Tullio to public school. Things turn out fairly happily, but the family never again see the father. 

Strengths: Whew. I started this book a little apprehensively, because it had 123 chapters. Never fear: some of these chapters are just one paragraph, and Avi employs the James Patterson cliffhanger style of narration by ending many of these short chapters with teasers. This is a perfect format for reluctant readers, and really sped the book along. The bare and dire details about how hard life was for Santo are ones that I would like all of my students to read. Yes, things can be hard today, but it is rare that teenagers go days without eating and have to resort to petty thievery for mere survival in my community. Avi has been writing for over fifty years, but has managed to tell this newest story in a way that modern readers will still find engaging. There is a nice historical note at the back about Sgt. Becker, the only actual person described in this fictional tale. 
Weaknesses: Santo finding his brother and his sister by happenstance is rather coincidental, but at least he never did find his father. The ending is perhaps happier than reality, but satisfying nonetheless. 
What I really think: One of my favorite historical immigration tales is Napoli's 2005 The King of Mulberry Street, and this is an even more exciting tale. Santo would have been about the age of my grandmother, and it's hard enough for me to imagine the trauma that so many in her generation had to endure. Young readers should know about this period of history, and Lost in the Empire City is a great choice for making this an engaging topic.