To the Discussion Leader Summary Thinking About the Book Student Activities Author Interview

To the Discussion Leader
The Viscardi elders had given up their homes in Sicily for the hope America promised. But New York provided problems rather than fulfillment of promises. So when they discovered handbills for the Idaho Territory, "where land is cheap and the soil is of the richest kind," they rushed to hear about the town of Opportunity, "land of plenty, freedom and economic potential." This was one of many experimental towns that arose during the late nineteenth century. William Keil, utopian dreamer, charismatic orator, and founder of Opportunity, enticed the Viscardis to give up their familiar surroundings and become pilgrims once more.

West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi provides parallel stories: Teresa Viscardi's evolving maturity reflects many aspects of America's development. Italian, Irish, German, Polish, Bohemian, and Sicilian families come together as a community to face delays and hardships. Teresa gradually becomes conscious of her identity as she recognizes her ability to survive and to protect herself and her family.

Teresa is no longer a child, just as the land she has crossed has evolved from its infancy. Teresa will become a teacher, ready to challenge young minds. And as the nineteenth century ends and the twentieth century begins, America emerges as a more mature country and a developing world power.

Summary
"The train car we are in is nothing but a big shoe box with 30 wood seats on each side of the center aisle... jammed with people-2 to a seat with little ones like Tomas on laps-all of us going to Opportunity." Moving West in 1883 is not as treacherous as it had been 100 years previously, but there are still dangers, disease, and discomfort. For Teresa, the most pressing problem is the disruption of her life-leaving behind her friends, her neighborhood, and her education-just because her Nanna and Uncle Eugenio decided to move the entire family to the Idaho Territory.

Illness, accidents and death take their toll on the travelers as they reach the end of the railroad line and continue toward the Idaho Territory by wagon train. Along the way a telegraph message announces the discovery of a silver vein over 20 miles wide. The wagons continue their westward journey-without the men, who are prospecting for silver-but within days tragedy strikes. The Viscardi wagons are forced to pull out of the procession because Aunt Marta, Rosario, and Ernesto fall prey to a mysterious disease. When Ernesto's condition becomes grave, Nanna and Teresa set off toward the Black Hills to find Poppa and Uncle Eugenio. Alone and searching for a trail, they come upon two rough-looking men who comment, "Seems like yer pretty much alone here, doesn't it?" Teresa, who has never fired a gun, raises her father's rifle and accidentally pulls the trigger. Teresa continues shooting until she disarms the men and they retreat. After recording these events in her diary, Teresa ends, "Mr. Anderson had once said we were 'pioneers in a great American adventure,' but I am not sure he meant an adventure that included fever and drownings and bandits."

Through all the sorrow, mistakes, and tragedy, Teresa's family pulls together and continues on toward their utopia. On Saturday, July 14, 1883, Teresa Angelino Viscardi is not the same fourteen-year-old girl who left New York just one hundred days earlier. "I think these past weeks and days have taught me that out here what you hope for is one thing and what happens is something else completely."

Thinking About the Book
1. Why do the Viscardi family give up their lives in New York and risk everything for a new life in the town of Opportunity?

2. Re-read the diary entries written by Teresa's sister, Netta. Do you think you'd like to be friends with Netta? Why or why not?

3. Teresa and her family use words in their native language, Italian, and yet we can understand them. What do the following words mean? How do you know?

4. Death is talked about frequently on the westward journey. How do you feel about Willie Keil's body leading the wagon train? Would you climb in like Netta and Edi did? How did the Indians really feel about Caterina's and Hildi's deaths? Do you think Teresa's idea for remembering Netta was a good one? How would you remember your best friend if she died?

5. How are Shep, Mr. Bulleau, Coyote Cal, and other crew members different from the Viscardis? Do the travelers really need these men? Support your position with passages from the book.

6. By the end of Teresa's diary both she and her father have changed a good deal. Discuss several ways that Teresa and Poppa have changed.

Student Activities
1. Discuss whether West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi could be turned into a good weekly television series. Why or why not?

2. Nanna expresses her opinions with sayings like "A cock who crows too loud in the morning will be in the pot at night." Make a list of Nanna's adages or sayings. Draw pictures of her sayings on posters and print the words on separate pieces of paper. Challenge others to match the words with the correct illustrations.

3. How do people from diverse cultural backgrounds treat each other on the long journey to the Idaho Territory? Compare and contrast the pioneers' attitudes toward the Lakota Sioux to the attitudes other people, such as the train conductors and people in the towns where the train stopped, had toward the Italians and Sicilians. Make a graphic organizer using passages from the book to show people's prejudices.

4. In the interview in this guide, author Jim Murphy recommends three other books to look at if you want to learn more about the immigrant experience. What did you learn from any of these books that you did not know after reading Teresa's diary?

5. Teresa frequently refers to the Shaker Almanac that the station porter gave her. What is an almanac? Who are the Shakers? Use your library or the Internet to find out more. This square is from an 1853 Shaker religious greeting that was hand-painted in watercolor. You can view it in the Library of Congress' American Memory Collection on the World Wide Web.

An Interview with Jim Murphy
Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D. & Linda M. Pavonetti, Ed.D.: Having twice won the Orbis Pictus Award, you are known as one of the best writers of nonfiction for children and young adults. How did you enjoy writing the fictional diary of Teresa Viscardi?

Jim Murphy: Doing Teresa's diary was a great deal of fun. First, I wanted to put in as much humor as possible. History often reads as a hard and grim experience. But people are remarkably resilient and funny, even when the going is very hard. Second, I decided to play with the diary form<>which is why I had Netta adding comments and why Teresa grumps about the "rules" for writing a diary. Finally, I tried to mentally take this trip with Teresa. Every morning I would ask myself: Okay, what happens next? This is a very different approach from what I do with my nonfiction. With nonfiction, I've done my research and know the sequence of events from start to finish before I put a word on paper.

RFA & LMP: Your mother's ancestors came to America from Sicily as the Viscardi family did. What insights did you glean about your own ancestors?

JM: I think my ancestors had to be enormously strong emotionally and very courageous. Think about leaving behind all of your friends and relatives, the neighborhood you've known all your life, and heading into an unknown future, one that comes with absolutely no guarantees. Even the quietest, most reserved individuals had to possess a fierce determination to survive and to better themselves.

RFA & LMP: The Viscardi family sacrificed much to be a part of the utopian community of Opportunity. What was the appeal of such communities in America during the 19th century?

JM: People sought out utopian communities for security. The industrial revolution was changing the face of America. Factories were replacing farms as the largest employer of people; people streamed to the cities to find work and also found poor housing and high crime rates; waves of new immigrants were pouring in and competing for jobs; there were no laws to protect workers or to make sure they received a fair wage. These and many other factors made people yearn for a slower pace, economic security, and peaceful coexistence.

RFA & LMP: If a young reader wanted to read one or two nonfiction books to go along with the diary, what titles would you suggest?

JM: La Storia by Jerre Mangione and Ben Morreale gives a great overview of the Italian-American experience. Women of the West by Cathy Luchetti and Carol Olwell talks about the experience of traveling and living in the untamed West and includes extensive quotes from actual diaries, journals, and letters. Finally, Robert Fogarty's All Things New takes a look at the more than 160 utopian societies that sprung up in America between 1860 and 1920. All three books have extensive bibliographies<>in case you want to do some detective work of your own.

RFA & LMP: Do you think today's girls have as much adventure in their lives as Teresa did?

JM: I don't think many of us face the same sort of physical adventures our ancestors did, at least not on a daily basis. That doesn't mean there aren't adventures to be had today. A move to a different town or school gives us new places to explore, new people to meet; a lost pet means we have to organize a careful search; baby-sitting requires looking out for dangers a young child can't foresee; a car crash or fire demands that we get help immediately.

RFA & LMP: What is one thing you hope young readers will take with them after reading West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi?

JM: That life is made up of many kinds of journeys. Some are physical, like moving from one home to another, but most are interior journeys of the heart or soul. The important thing is to face each with as positive an attitude as possible and to try to learn as much about yourself and others as you can along the way. Oh, yes, and have fun while you are experiencing all of these things.

Discussion Guide written by Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D., Professor of Literature for Children and Young Adults, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, and Linda M. Pavonetti, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Oakland University, Department of Reading and Language Arts, Rochester, Michigan.