Tenement Talks: Fish out of Agua

Courtesy of IndieBound.org

Join us tonight for Tenement Talks featuring Michele Carlo, author of Fish Out of Agua: My Life on Neither Side of the (Subway) Tracks. You might remember Michele as a regular from our “Lower East Side Stories” series, where she often told tales about growing up in New York.

Well, now Michele has an entire book of stories about her life in the city. She talks about her growing-up years in the Bronx and weaves in stories about her mother and grandparents, who immigrated from Puerto Rico and settled in an apartment on East 103rd Street in Spanish Harlem (El Barrio) during the Great Depression.

When Michele was a child, her abuela showed her a photo of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Young Michele was confused - these women, with their dark hair and skin, didn't look a thing like this red-headed, freckly child. Growing up, she faced  pressure from both sides - her aunts criticized her for being raised “white,” and her peers didn’t know what to make of her. This conflict - who am I? - is one many immigrants and their children face.

Michele's writing is full of energy, spunk, and truth—she tells it how it is. Several of our staff are already fans of her work and have been excitedly anticipating her visit.  Please join us tonight at 108 Orchard at Delancey and be sure to pick up a copy of her memoir! You'll support this great author and the Museum, too. Call 212-982-8420 if you'd like to order an autographed copy.

-posted by Devin