In stories that draw heavily on her own life, Anzia Yezierska portrays the immigrant´s struggle to become a "real" American, in such stories as "Yekl," "Hunger," "The Fat of the Land," and "How I Found America." Set mostly in New York´s Lower East Side, the stories brilliantly evoke the oppressive atmosphere of crowded streets and shabby tenements and lay bare the despair of families trapped in unspeakable poverty, working at demeaning jobs, and coping with the barely hidden prejudices of their new land.
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In stories that draw heavily on her own life, Anzia Yezierska (1880-1970) portrays the immigrant's struggle to become a "real" American. Set mostly on New York's Lower East Side, the stories brilliantly evoke crowded streets, shabby tenements, poverty, and ethnic prejudice. These stories are still relevant today, except the ethnic backgrounds are Latino and Asian.
