The Soul of an Immigrant
Constantine Panunzio
Read by Sue Anderson
Constantine Panunzio (1884-1964) begins his autobiography by describing his childhood in Molfetta, Italy. At age 13, he left home as a sailor, landing in Boston in 1902. His trials finding work, learning English, and securing an education in the U.S. were many, but eventually, he became administrator of a social service agency in Boston. During WWI, he served as head of the YMCA on the Italian front. Concerned throughout his career with the treatment and assimilation of immigrants, Panuncio criticized the post world War I hysteria about alien radicals in his book The Deportation Cases of 1919-1920.
- Summary by Sue Anderson (8 hr 47 min)
Chapters
| Dedication and Foreword | 11:10 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| A Native of Ancient Apulia | 50:13 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| The Call of the Sea | 35:42 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| America | 24:51 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| In the American Storm | 59:28 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| I go to Jail | 29:02 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| I am Caught Again | 17:56 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| A Mysterious Event | 6:33 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| First Glimpses of the Real America | 13:44 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| "You Ought to go to School" | 12:01 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| My American Education and its Meaning | 37:45 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| I Suffer Serious Losses | 11:34 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| I Become Naturalized | 14:58 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| Stumbling Blocks to Assimilation | 20:28 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| My American "Big Brother" | 14:40 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| In An Immigrant Community | 34:50 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| Still More Obstacles to Assimilation | 17:56 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| I Go To Jail Once More | 23:13 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| My American Philosophy of Life | 38:57 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| Home! | 24:41 | Read by Sue Anderson |
| My Final Choice | 27:30 | Read by Sue Anderson |
Reviews
Fascinating!
Michele Fry
This autobiography reads like an adventure novel. Keeps you on your toes and thinking how hard life used to be, how easy most Americans have it now. Details of how an immigrant who doesn’t speak English or have any skills, survives by his wits, is eye opening. Reader does a good job unfolding this harrowing story, even does a bit of singing! I give 5 stars to author and reader because I never got tired of listening all the way to the end.
s black
Excellent story and a fascinating glimpse of the challenges faced by the author and other immigrants in the early 20th century. My own great grandfather arrived here from Taranto only 5 years after Mr. Panunzio, so the subject is of particular interest to me. Well read by the LibriVox volunteers.
A LibriVox Listener
Great... such a relative novel for 2019 and our immigration scene today
Awsome!
eva4eva
Great story!!! There is nothing like good non-fiction book.
the soul of an immigrant. enjoyed very much
kam.