My Life's Journey

Every immigrant has a story to tell. In this nostalgic look at his childhood and life in his hometown in Sicily during the 1950s and 1960s, Calogero recounts a bygone era of old traditions and small-town family values amidst the poverty of the region during the post-war era. In 1965, at the age of 16, Calogero decided to emigrate to Frankfurt, Germany in order to become a Gastarbeiter, or guest worker, to help support his parents and siblings. In Frankfurt, he first began to experience the outside world and a different way of life from that of his hometown. He eventually ends up in New York City and is able to live his American Dream. This is the story of how it all happened and how he never forgot the values and lessons that were taught to him by his parents, grandparents, and fellow paesanos.