The way of life and the attitudes expressed in The Bells of Bleecker Street are now quite dated. Joey and his friends are too innocent to be realistic by today's standards. Female characters appear only as generic representations of girlfriends, little sisters, and mothers.

The idea set forth in this story that only Italians live in Little Italy was no more true in 1949 than it is today. One must overlook these faults in order to appreciate Angelo's intentions for this work.

Some readers and parents may be disturbed by the book's emphasis on Catholicism, but Angelo concentrates on the role religion can play in an individual's sense of moral and social obligations rather than on dogma.

Although the novel's focus is social, the author is less concerned with cultural and sociological forces than he is with the thoughts and emotions of his characters as they try...