title: Across 7th Street
author: Amoruso, Marino
description: Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, NY, with its busy stores, esplanades and bus stops is the hub of this Brooklyn neighborhood. At the intersection of 7th Street, there is an invisible line, the cultural divide that separates the Orthodox Jews and the Italian-Americans who live there. ACROSS 7th STREET is a story of romance and coming of age, during 'the last era of innocence' in the early 1960's, just before world events erupted into turbulent times. The story is told by Vincent; a 20-year-old streetwise kid who grows into a man before our very eyes. Vincent and his father, an Italian stonemason, work for many of the Jewish families in the neighborhood. While on a job for Mr. Levy, an Orthodox Jewish businessman - Vincent meets his daughter Rachel. Their attraction to each other is undeniable but very complicated. Although they live a few blocks away from each other - they are divided by 7th Street. Rachel, 20 years old, is a smart and beautiful young woman who is still controlled by her stern father. Vincent begins to show her a world that is much bigger and more exciting than the rigid and smothering adult life that has already been planned by her Orthodox Jewish parents. ACROSS 7th STREET connects us to both the joy of new love and the pain of loss. Vincent's friends and family add humor, loyalty and compassion as Vincent falls in love with a young woman whose life couldn’t be any more different than his. ACROSS 7th STREET is truly an unforgettable story about the power of destiny and the surprising paths our lives often take. Vincent and Rachel’s plans and unforeseen circumstances take readers on a ride that seems familiar but changes course at the worst possible time. It is a heart-warming view of the NY Jewish and Italian-American cultures in the early 60’s and will spark nostalgic memories of those years. For young adult readers, ACROSS 7th STREET takes them into the world of their parents or grandparents with a love story that evolved during simpler times. Yet emotions of the heart are the same no matter what generation we come from.