Finding Salvadora

The Great Depression was over, and Roosevelt promised a New Deal after the country had struggled through two wars. Families had been split apart and while patriotism was at a new high, so was suspicion about those who were different and might not fit in.But Mark and Eileen found a way to move up in the world and live in a nice new house, never neglecting to take care of friends and neighbors in need. Despite their success, they all worried about the intelligent, talented and ever-restless Barbara. She was obsessed with an Italian boy, Frank, who ran with a wild group of friends and lived on the other side of the tracks. Eileen still saw him as an immigrant outsider with a family heritage she didn’t particularly want passed on to her grandchildren.There was an immediate cultural clash when the teenagers suddenly married. Barbara immediately embraced the aroma of Dora’s fresh, aromatic ’gravy’ made with tomatoes, garlic and herbs from their own garden, and carduni gathered from the hillsides. Francesco offered his homemade red wine served in jelly jars, but Eileen was appalled by their potbelly stove, wringer washer, and chicken coop out back. Frank was determined to show everyone that he could better himself, seeking to quickly move his family into ever more prestigious neighborhoods, which meant he needed to fit into places where he would sometimes deny his heritage and sometimes use it to his advantage. Barbara and their children struggled to live in that confusing world. Doted upon by both Mark and Eileen and their Italian grandparents, and lovingly immersed in both cultures, the children were called by two completely different names. Don let it slide, but Sallie was left wondering why.