[This is further testimony about sexual harassment and abuse in steerage class, taken from testimony given by a female government inspector, disguised as an immigrant aboard ship, reporting in 1909 to the Dillingham Immigration Commission.] “There was an outside main deck and an upper-deck on which the steerage were allowed. These were each about 40 feet wide … More True Immigrant Tales: Sexual Abuse in Steerage
In an interview last week, the reporter asked me if the events of the 1890s described in my novel, Guardians of the Gate, can in any way relate to current issues on immigration. The simple answer was “yes,” and some of the details are the topic of this week’s blog. Americans in the 1890s saw … More The Relevance of 1890s Immigration to Today
Ellis Island today bears little resemblance to the Ellis Island of the 1890s, which is the primary setting for the historical novel, Guardians of the Gate and its sequel, Defenders of Freedom. First, the island back then was much smaller, about one third its present size. In 1899, construction began of Island No. 2 with landfill from … More Ellis Island: Then and Now
As its title implies, Guardians of the Gate is primarily about the people who worked at Ellis Island and the numerous situations they faced while working on the island. I’ve been asked, though, why I didn’t write this historical novel from the perspective of the immigrants instead. Certainly, the millions of immigrants who came through … More Ellis Island Employees Instead of Immigrants
Our Private Self and Our Public Self We’re not all phonies or hypocrites. It’s just that we do not reveal to others a certain part of ourselves—our fears and insecurities, our feelings and desires, our hurts and memories, our real thoughts. We put on a social mask, or many masks, depending on the situation. We … More Our Private Self and Our Public Self
Vince Parrillo 