The Tenement Saga: The Lower East Side and Early Jewish American Writers / Edition 1

by Sanford Sternlicht

Overview

The potato chip has been one of America's favorite snacks since its accidental origin in a nineteenth-century kitchen. Crunch A History of the Great American Potato Chip tells the story of this crispy, salty treat, from the early sales of locally made chips at corner groceries, county fairs, and cafes to the mass marketing and corporate consolidation of the modern snack food industry.

Crunch also uncovers a dark side of potato chip history, including a federal investigation of the snack food industry in the 1990s following widespread allegations of antitrust activity, illegal buyouts, and predatory pricing. In the wake of these "Great Potato Chip Wars," corporate snack divisions closed and dozens of family-owned companies went bankrupt. Yet, despite consolidation, many small chippers persist into the twenty-first century, as mom-and-pop companies and upstart "boutique" businesses serve both new consumers and markets with strong regional loyalties.

Illustrated with images of early snack food paraphernalia and clever packaging from the glory days of American advertising art, Crunch is an informative tour of large and small business in America and the vicissitudes of popular tastes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780299204846
Publisher:	University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date:	11/09/2004
Edition description:	1
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Sanford Sternlicht, author of many books, including Student Companion to Elie Wiesel and Chaim Potok: A Critical Companion, is professor of English at Syracuse University. This book draws upon Sternlicht’s popular talks and lessons to students on field trips to the Lower East Side, where they experience its sights, sounds, history, and monuments (such as the famous Katz’s Deli).

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
	Acknowledgments	xv
Part 1	The Lower East Side
	Cultural History and Topography	3
	Where Did They Come From?	3
	Immigrant Life	10
	The Immigrant Woman and the Family	14
	Education	17
	Work	21
	The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire and the Rise of Labor Laws	28
	The Public Forum: Jewish Newspapers and Periodicals	30
	Reading	32
	Religion and Secularism	34
	Prostitution	35
	Other Types of Crime	37
	The Impact of Historical Events	39
	The Yiddish Theater	44
	Other Forms of Recreation and Entertainment	48
	Food	50
	The Lower East Side Tenement Museum on Orchard Street	55
	Moving On	56
Part 2	Early Jewish American Writers
	The Writers	61
	Antecedents in American Literature	62
	Themes	62
	City Fiction	64
	Abraham Cahan	66
	Anzia Yezierska	82
	Rose Cohen	91
	Marcus Eli Ravage	95
	Samuel Ornitz	98
	Marie Ganz	103
	Ben Hecht	107
	Michael Gold	111
	Samson Raphaelson	118
	Marya Zaturenska	122
	Louis Zukofsky	124
	Sydney Taylor	127
	Henry Roth	130
	Harry Roskolenko	150
	Conclusion: A Group Picture from the Williamsburg Bridge	155
	Selected Bibliography	163
	Index	165

Editorial Reviews

"History, the Old Country, work, leisure and entertainment, politics, women and children, crime—these are some of the many aspects of Jewish immigrant life Sternlicht covers in his wide-ranging introduction to life on the Lower East Side."—Harvey Teres, author of Renewing the Left: Politics, Imagination, and the New York Intellectual

"‘Roots-gathering,’ Jewish style!"—Sanford Pinsker, author of The Schlemiel as Metaphor

From the Publisher