I found Sharman’s reading to be the most enjoyable so far. Each chapter was so distinct- a unique flavor, mood, and story. In all of Sharman’s narratives, there are switches between his subjects’ current life, family and their childhood and past.
Like Shirley mentioned, both Jose and Lucille’s accounts brought to light the effects of gentrification, and the lack of connection to new establishments felt by older immigrants. It was hard to read of Lucille’s struggle, but at the same time, amazing to read of such a strong woman. The most interesting part of her story was the description of the changes in her community, especially the cultural ones. It was shocking to hear that even the drug addicts in her time were polite, still retaining a traditional sense of respect.
Jose described the perpetual conflict brought upon by representational cultural icons! It was very interesting to read how the presence of one statue of Duke Ellington- or the renaming of one street to a Puerto Rican musician can cause so much unrest. I really got a feel for the unrest between cultures in East Harlem. Especially the sense of lose when their museum was moved to a more mainstream area. The idea of a single street as a division was brought up in Jose’s chapter and it was interesting to see a first-hand view of this in Thomas’ book.
Maria’s chapter was a roller-coaster ride, and Sharman really did her account justice. Like Lucille, Maria is such a strong woman: to brave such a nerve-wracking journey and make a life for herself. Her determination not to have children, and take a more masculine role as a provider for her family shows a breaking-away of her culture’s conventional gender roles. This an example of the necessary absorbing of American culture to make a living that some others had mentioned.
Lastly, Mohamed’s account gave me a feel for the fast-paced world of small business in the city. Like Maria, his stay in America payed off- he found the stability he needed and found himself stuck here. In fact, even Thomas’ mother reminisced about Puerto Rico…and while all logic dictates that she returned to a place she yearned for so much, America is a hard place to leave. Like William mentioned, Thomas wrote that the sense of community is so much stronger in America than it is anywhere else.
