Cosco, Joseph P., Imagining Italians: The Clash of Romance and Race in American Perceptions, 1880-1910, State University of New York Press, 2003.

Cosco draws on history, literary criticism, and cultural studies to explore the effect of Italian Americans on national identity and vice versa, during the years of 1880—1990, a time when many Italians immigrated toAmerica.

DiStasi,Lawrence, ed., The Big Book of Italian American Culture, Sanniti Publications, 1996.

This book profiles the lives of many famous and ordinary Italian Americans, including a discussion of Baldasare Forestiere and his underground gardens.

Guglielmo, Jennifer, and Salvatore Salerno, eds., Are Italians White?: How Race Is Made inAmerica, Routledge, 2003.

This thought-provoking collection of original essays examines how and why the concept of whiteness became important to Italian Americans, as well as how various immigrants have dealt with racism in American society. The book also explores the contributions that Italian Americans have made...