Although it was published by an academic press, "La Merica" does not read academically. In both the content and style of the writing, Michael La Sorte has taken years of research and made the immigrant experience accessible to the everyday reader by personalizing immigrant stories.
La Sorte first allows the immigrants to speak as individuals, and then provides the reader with insight into the larger context of the immigrant experience, offering history without jargon and story without interference. His chapter on "Italglish" is one of the most often quoted essays in the study of Italian-American dialect.
Illustrated with photos, "La Merica" has become a classic of Italian-American social history. La Sorte has created a book that appeals to Italian Americans as well as to the larger audience interested in learning more about the Italian immigrant experience.
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