Polonia, From the Beginning is Book Two of the Series, The Polish Americans. Poles who came to America were one of many groups who arrived on its shores with new hopes and dreams. The families who settled in Milwaukee around the turn of the 20th century were bound together by culture, religion and language. Stoically, they faced the new world. In the early years, the immigrant families remained close to the customs of their native lands. Often rejected for their foreignness, or the threat they represented to more established groups, the residents of Polonia slowly make their contribution to the often changing society. In their adopted country, the sons and daughters begin the process of Americanization. The next generation, who sometimes forget their Polish heritage, think of themselves, primarily, as Americans. Of those born in Poland, Peter and Ursula Zbikowski arrive with a son and a daughter. In America, they have six more children and grandchildren. The next to arrive, Albert and Sara Kubiak, also emigrated with two children and have a third in America. Their daughter, Irene, marries Peter and Ursula’s son Luke. The Modjeski family comes from another part of Poland. Here, the husband, Frank, came first. He then sent for his wife, Anna, and their daughter, Helen. In America, Anna gives birth to six more children, expanding as farm families did in Poland. The drama is narrated by Olivia, a member of the current generation and a descendant of all of them. She ties the stories of the;families together. Olivia is a gifted college student who interviews family members and looks at their historical papers and documents to fill in gaps in her knowledge of her ancestors. By understanding the trials of older generations, blood to her, she hopes to chase away the demons she faces in her own life. In this account of family life and relationships, the reader learns what matters most, regardless of the circumstances. The dramatic, funny, unforgettable circumstances. Whether the characters are born in Poland or in America, their experiences, their problems and resolutions, resonate in the lives of us all.
Investigating her family history helps a teenager heal after a brutal attack. Olivia, 17, becomes the victim of a rape by someone she knows on her way home from school. Unwilling to face her classmates, she turns to her extended family while she heals, listening to stones about their journeys from Poland in the late 19th century. Her grandmother's story touches her deeply. She hears about Albert and Sara, who leave for America just one step ahead of revenue agents; Peter and Ursula, who dream of a land without oppression; and Francis and Anna, who emigrate rather than endure rule by the Russians, even though Anna was forced to travel alone. Listening to their stories brings strength to Olivia, who learns of their courage in creating new lives. Set in the 1960s, the novel also highlights the history of Poland in the 1800s, when it existed mainly in the minds of its people because the country did not exist from 1795 to 1918. Without a homeland to call their own, immigrants to the United States had to claim Germany, Russia or Austria as their native country, and more than a million did so in that timeframe. Like Olivia's ancestors, they found community in neighborhoods and Roman Catholic churches that spoke their language and followed Polish customs. Journey to Polonia echoes the author's own family history of immigrants and will resonate with anyone who has taken a chance on a better way of life.
Investigating her family history helps a teenager heal after a brutal attack. Olivia, 17, becomes the victim of a rape by someone she knows on her way home from school. Unwilling to face her classmates, she turns to her extended family while she heals, listening to stones about their journeys from Poland in the late 19th century. Her grandmother's story touches her deeply. She hears about Albert and Sara, who leave for America just one step ahead of revenue agents; Peter and Ursula, who dream of a land without oppression; and Francis and Anna, who emigrate rather than endure rule by the Russians, even though Anna was forced to travel alone. Listening to their stories brings strength to Olivia, who learns of their courage in creating new lives. Set in the 1960s, the novel also highlights the history of Poland in the 1800s, when it existed mainly in the minds of its people because the country did not exist from 1795 to 1918. Without a homeland to call their own, immigrants to the United States had to claim Germany, Russia or Austria as their native country, and more than a million did so in that timeframe. Like Olivia's ancestors, they found community in neighborhoods and Roman Catholic churches that spoke their language and followed Polish customs. Journey to Polonia echoes the author's own family history of immigrants and will resonate with anyone who has taken a chance on a better way of life.
Polonia, From the Beginning is Book Two of the Series, The Polish Americans. Poles who came to America were one of many groups who arrived on its shores with new hopes and dreams. The families who settled in Milwaukee around the turn of the 20th century were bound together by culture, religion and language. Stoically, they faced the new world. In the early years, the immigrant families remained close to the customs of their native lands. Often rejected for their foreignness, or the threat they represented to more established groups, the residents of Polonia slowly make their contribution to the often changing society. In their adopted country, the sons and daughters begin the process of Americanization. The next generation, who sometimes forget their Polish heritage, think of themselves, primarily, as Americans. Of those born in Poland, Peter and Ursula Zbikowski arrive with a son and a daughter. In America, they have six more children and grandchildren. The next to arrive, Albert and Sara Kubiak, also emigrated with two children and have a third in America. Their daughter, Irene, marries Peter and Ursula’s son Luke. The Modjeski family comes from another part of Poland. Here, the husband, Frank, came first. He then sent for his wife, Anna, and their daughter, Helen. In America, Anna gives birth to six more children, expanding as farm families did in Poland. The drama is narrated by Olivia, a member of the current generation and a descendant of all of them. She ties the stories of the;families together. Olivia is a gifted college student who interviews family members and looks at their historical papers and documents to fill in gaps in her knowledge of her ancestors. By understanding the trials of older generations, blood to her, she hopes to chase away the demons she faces in her own life. In this account of family life and relationships, the reader learns what matters most, regardless of the circumstances. The dramatic, funny, unforgettable circumstances. Whether the characters are born in Poland or in America, their experiences, their problems and resolutions, resonate in the lives of us all.
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