Saturday, May 31, 2025 • 11 am to 1 pm
A Treasure Trove of Letters Tells an Authentic Story of Migration
When Amy Fradel read the hundreds of letters that her Slovenian grandmother in Pennsylvania had saved for over 50 years, she discovered a powerful and intimate story about her family’s immigration in 1913 and the people who had stayed behind in Primorska. How ordinary people living in cataclysmic times met daily challenges with courage and dignity was a story she knew needed to be told.
Intimate family letters reveal a captivating story about Slovenian migration to America and those who stayed in their ancestral home. The letters that Mary Fradel of Pennsylvania and her brother exchanged show how their lives were shaped by world events. The struggle to succeed in America or survive in the old country highlights the little-known history of Primorska, the land near the sea, from the end of the Austrian Empire to its repressive occupation by Italy, a civil war, and its role in Yugoslavian history. This powerful story flows like a novel and will resonate with anyone with immigrant ancestry.
Join us as we welcome author Amy Fradel as she discusses her book, "Four Acres under Slavnik: A Slovenian Migration Story". This is a free event and free parking will be available in the libraries Murdock Street parking lot.
