Strangers in Paradiso

The New Americans: A Saga of Immigration and Family

After being forced to kill in order to protect their widowed mother, three brothers escape Mafia-controlled Sicily to the New World.

Life for immigrants in America during the second decade of the 1900s is difficult and often harrowing, but that's the reality into which Peter, John, and Angelu Donatello are thrust when their ship docks in Philadelphia. As Peter tries to make his way in this new land through honest hard work, John's talents—many learned fighting in the Great War—lead him to the seamier, but potentially more profitable, underworld. And all the while, Angelu, the youngest brother and a true innocent, struggles to just find a place for himself in a world he can never truly understand.

Prohibition may make criminals of honest men, but it also allows poor immigrants to mingle with the upper classes; the Donatellos among them. Yet, despite war and crime, marriage and loneliness, honor and betrayal, the brothers, each in their own way, cling to their creed of Supra tuttu la famigghia: Family is all. 

Eventually, everything will lead them back to Sicily, to a confrontation with the forces that have shaped their lives, and to a heart-wrenching reconciliation.

Reminiscent of John Jakes' Bicentennial series, The New Americans by Tony and Ty Drago is a wonderfully moving saga. The genesis of the story is itself a tale: in his final weeks, Tony Drago tape-recorded what his son Ty thought were simple reminiscences. It was only in the years following Tony's death, after Ty became an established novelist, that he listened to the tapes and realized his father had left him, not a family history, but rather an emotional novel of immigration, rebirth, and growth. Milherst Publishing is honored to bring this story to the world.

The New Americans, by Tony & Ty Drago, will be released in six monthly installments, as both trade paperbacks and ebooks.

#1: Fuggitivi. February 3, 2026.
#2: Strangers in Paradiso. March 3, 2026.
#3: The Pursuit of Felicita. April 7, 2026.
#4: The Philly Crew. May 5, 2026.
#5: A Leaf in the Turning. June 2, 2026.
#6: The Prodigal Sons. July 7, 2025.

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Book #2: Strangers in Paradiso

In Philadelphia, as the Great War approaches, the Donatello brothers grow up, each in his own way.

While Peter begins learning English and works hard to provide for his brothers, good-natured Angelu struggles to fit in. At the same time, John goes his own way, taking what menial jobs he can get while forever looking for more promising opportunities. When a friend's draft notice arrives, John eagerly takes his place. On the French front lines, however, John witnesses first-hand the horror and reality of war. At the same time, he develops skills that will stand him in good stead in the coming years: skirting the law, making deals, and shooting whatever he's aiming at.