{"product_id":"della-and-dodi-in-america-a-story-of-italian-immigration-and-persecution-hardcover","title":"Della and Dodi in America: A Story of Italian Immigration and Persecution - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCheri Emahiser\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eKellin Bass\u003c\/b\u003e (Cover Design by), \u003cb\u003eJoshua James Amberson\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn from the whispers of a long-held \u003cstrong\u003efamily secret, \u003c\/strong\u003e this multifaceted narrative traces the extraordinary journey of Della Dodi, a dark-skinned, beautiful Italian immigrant with a sixth-grade education.\u003cstrong\u003e Blending memoir, fiction, genealogical research, and historical documentation\u003c\/strong\u003e, the story reveals the trials of a \u003cstrong\u003eyoung woman navigating injustice, courtroom trauma, \u003c\/strong\u003eand the aching \u003cstrong\u003eloss of her daughter\u003c\/strong\u003e-all while forging a life of meaning and dignity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt age 14, Della and her brother Sylvio (16), a gregarious and insightful young man, \u003cstrong\u003eescape virtual debt peonage on a Mississippi Delta cotton plantation \u003c\/strong\u003eafter their parents die of malaria. Their flight coincides with an attorney general's investigation into the inhumane treatment of Italian laborers. Eventually, the siblings reach Oregon, where \u003cstrong\u003eDella marries Victor Leon-a cruel, abusive man and suspected murderer.\u003c\/strong\u003e Fearing for her life, Della flees with her daughter Marie to the safety of Eddie Wood, Victor's gentle former business partner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Victor \u003cstrong\u003ekidnaps\u003c\/strong\u003e Marie, Della embarks on a \u003cstrong\u003esix-year custody battle \u003c\/strong\u003ethat unfolds in the courtroom of Oregon's Multnomah Circuit Judge Henry McGinn, a figure both revered and reviled. The legal saga introduces characters whose eccentricities rival those found in fiction, including George Dammeier, a wealthy man who offers Della visitation rights to see her daughter, only if she works as his housekeeper. Despite an \u003cstrong\u003eOregon Supreme Court\u003c\/strong\u003e ruling in her favor, Judge McGinn awards custody to the Dammeiers. Della never sees her daughter again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhotos, court records, and news articles reveal glimpses of Marie's later life as a \u003cstrong\u003eglamorous California socialite-known as Margaret-who married five times \u003c\/strong\u003eand lived to age 94. Della, however, never learned her daughter's fate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpanning generations, the manuscript includes memoir chapters that depict life in \u003cstrong\u003eOregon's Willamette Valley during the 1950s\u003c\/strong\u003e, where Della, now a widow druing the Great Depression, sells garden crops to support her daughters. These vignettes honor \u003cstrong\u003ethe resilience of migrant families\u003c\/strong\u003e and the quiet strength of women who endured.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA tribute to love, tenacity, and the human spirit, \u003cem\u003eDella and Dodi in America\u003c\/em\u003e will captivate readers who cherish \u003cstrong\u003ehistorical storytelling steeped in emotional depth, truth, and courage.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 254\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.63 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 12, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53756083732813,"sku":"9798349406768","price":42.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0927\/3304\/7117\/files\/1fa6V2F71X9798349406768.webp?v=1776722083","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.us\/products\/della-and-dodi-in-america-a-story-of-italian-immigration-and-persecution-hardcover","provider":"belfastbooks.us","version":"1.0","type":"link"}