When we were Strangers

                   Pamela Schoenwaldt

                           "S" Author

The obstacles and hardships of a young female immigrant in American in the 1880's

Irma leaves her home town of Opi, a very tiny town in Italy. She leaves for American with the hope of making money to send back to her dear Grandma.  Her greatest talent is needlework and hopes to find work as a dressmaker.

At times sad and depressing & yet hopeful and heartwarming as Irma finds her way in America. 

Irma's bravery and the hardships she endured were well described by the author. 

As on GoodReads::

"If you leave Opi, you'll die with strangers," Irma Vitale's mother always warned.

Even after her beloved mother's passing, 20-year-old Irma longs to stay in her Abruzzo mountain village, plying her needle. But too poor and plain to marry and subject to growing danger in her own home, she risks rough passage to America and workhouse servitude to achieve her dream of making dresses for gentlewomen.

In the raw immigrant quarters and with the help of an entrepreneurial Irish serving girl, ribbon-decked Polish ragman and austere Alsatian dressmaker, Irma begins to stitch together a new life . . . until her peace and self are shattered in the charred remains of the Great Chicago Fire. Enduring a painful recovery, Irma reaches deep within to find that she has even more to offer the world than her remarkable ability with a needle and thread.