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Kicking off Italian Heritage Month, the North End Branch Library presented a special lecture and slide show on the Italian-American immigration experience. University of Oregon historian Vincenza Scarpaci is the author of The Journey of the Italians in America. In her book, the author takes a photographic approach towards unraveling the history and legacy of Italians and their presence in America. Examining more than four hundred unique photographs of Italian families, settlements, businesses, and celebrities, Scarpaci celebrates the ways in which this ethnic group has influenced many aspects of American life, including arts, agriculture, industry, religion, cuisine, sports, and politics. Beginning in the late 1870s, this work illustrates how the immigrants and their descendants faced the hardships, disappointments, achievements, and successes of this ongoing experience. For more on the book, The Journey of the Italians in America, see www.italianamericanjourney.com.