The Immigrant

The Immigrant covers the life of a young Balkan peasant boy, Traian, who came to America in 1909 with his mother, younger sister, and aunt. His father came a year before.

They arrived several years following a Romanian peasant revolt. After a year in America, Traian’s father saved enough money to bring the rest of his family over.

The narrative covers Traian’s journey to America on the Carpathia, vetting at Ellis Island, assimilation, his courtship with a young girl who was born in the same Romanian village, raising his family during the Great Depression, and seeking to live out the American Dream.

To bring the reader directly into the narrative, the story is laced together with historical facts, visual scene descriptions, dialogue, and the challenges of building a new life in America.

Get a rich picture of what American life was like in the early 1900s and a deeper appreciation for the immigrant experience with this detailed account.