For many Italian American families, the story is told the same way: a grandfather comes to New York with one surname and leaves Ellis Island with another. Somewhere between the ship and the city, the name is shortened, misspelled, or made to sound more American, and from that point on, the family carries a slightly altered version of itself.
It is easy to understand why the story lasted as it did: it has drama, clarity, and just enough injustice to feel true; it also offers a single scene that seems to explain the larger upheaval of immigration.
