INFORMATION BULLETIN

“The Romanians of Salem, Ohio: 1900-2000,” organized and edited by Rosemarie (Sulea) Cardoso, 2007.

This book was received as a gift from V. Rev. Fr. And Mrs. Leonte Cepacia and was included into the Heritage Center’s library.

An the subtitle very clearly indi­cates, the book is “an informal history written by the first and second Roma­nian-American generation.”

In other words, it is the result of a collective act of creation, and in more than one way, it is the collective as­sertion of an identity, or rather, the collective effort to keep a heritage alive. More than that, the book shows what that community is: part of the Ameri­can nation preserving a special iden­tity, a distinct heritage. A community that has no doubt regarding its iden­tity, no doubt regarding the fact that it is part of the American nation, a com­munity that makes America more di­verse, more beautiful and more pow­erful .

The book presents the city of Sa­lem, Ohio, its Romanian-American community and the historical evolu­tion ofthat community. Here the origi­nality of the editor was very remark­able.

It is not a dry and boring mention­ing of years and events, but the lives of Romanian-American families and individuals presented create a sense of participation to the reader. The events become personal and unique, and to­gether and in connection present life as it was.

The very numerous photos and docu­ments included in the text help a lot to better understand the community’s life in all its complexity.

The artistic and graphic presenta­tion is superb, and the book is a real success.

ALEXANDRU NEMOIANU