The neighborhood in Belleville where I grew up was full of Italians. Most of my friends, both male and female, were Italian. I am sure, for most second-generation Italian American children who grew up in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, there was a definite distinction between us and them. I was once told by a high school friend of mine named Alex there are two kinds of people, Italians and people who want to be Italian.

It was not until then I discovered my little town also had Irish, German and Polish people.