Author: Sam Gosda

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Riches to Rags

Sam Gosda

Response 4 of 5: The Man in the Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado

The Man in the Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado is a story of her family starting from the moment her parents met. The tale is mainly focused on her father and his experience of going from a thriving bachelor in Cairo to a patriarch of a refugee family in New York City. The family had a number of struggles in Cairo, as the story begins in the middle of World War II, but the event that was the hardest on Lagnado’s father was their emigration into the United States. Once a womanizing businessman living a lavish life, Leon Lagnado had a difficult time coping with being an impoverished, infirm father in New York. It was refreshing to learn about these events in history from the very personal standpoint of a family. As you read you don’t notice that you are learning historical facts intermittently with personal ones about the Lagnado life. Continue reading “Riches to Rags”

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Homosexual Enclaves

Sam Gosda

Response 3 of 5: Gay New York by George Chauncy

George Chauncy uses his book, Gay New York, to write about the gay population of New York city in  late 19th century into the early 20th century. He discusses how the gay community is effected in different areas of the city as well as different events that occurred at the time. He also touches on the subsets of different types of gay communities. While Chauncy can be over-explanatory at times, he does a great job showing contrasting sides of homosexual life in the city.

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Emotions of the Election

Sam Gosda

Response 2 of 5: Trump May Have America, But the City is Still Ours

In this relatable article author David Wallace-Wells depicts the effects of the 2017 presidential election on New York City. He accurately describes the worries of the city and the nation. In the article, New York City is described as an asylum in both the context of a safe-haven and a mental institution. I could not in a million years think of a better word to describe it. Historical as well as current events were used to back up the description of the city and the grief being felt by its inhabitants upon the election of Donald Trump. Wallace-Wells used language that made me want to read more. I related to what was being written and the rhetoric made me agree with every point being made. The city would be both a moving force in the resistance against Trump as well as the reason a white supremacist could be elected into office in the first place. 

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Story of American Food Culture

Sam Gosda

Response 1 of 5: Introduction: Food in Multi-ethnic Literatures

Food is arguably the biggest center of culture, society, and community. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in America have always been times to gather and connect with those around you.  Author of “Introduction: Food in Multi-Ethnic Literatures”,  Wenying Zu, argues that meals are also a way to connect to one’s ethnic past. She supports this thought with many references to other authors and their works. Together they form a picture of the American immigrant experience through food from being forced to assimilate to even the meals of America to pushing back to keep the foods of their homeland. While Zu is wordy at times, the amount of evidence she accumulates in indisputable.  Continue reading “Story of American Food Culture”