As the 20th century begins, 14-year-old Lucia and her mother, Teresa, enjoy a charmed life as servants in a Neapolitan villa, where Teresa soothes their mistress' headaches with her songs. But when Teresa's volatile temper puts them both in danger, they flee to America, settling in Cleveland. Teresa finds factory work alongside other immigrant women, but her beautiful voice soon earns her a place on the vaudeville stage. Lucia, clever and ambitious, studies hard and graduates from high school, dreaming of college. But labor unrest ripples through Cleveland's immigrant community, and Teresa is fighting her own inner demons. Lucia must find a way to care for her mother, pursue justice for her fellow workers and follow her own dreams.
Pamela Schoenewaldt's Swimming in the Moon is an evocative, compelling portrait of immigrant life in the early 1900s. The narrative touches on many issues of the day, including women's suffrage, harassment of female factory workers, mutual distrust among immigrant groups and the often brutal treatment of mental patients. Lucia, Teresa and their circle of female friends represent a wide variety of women's experiences, from independent small-business owners to women who gladly give up factory jobs for marriage and children. Lucia's struggle to balance her bold dreams with social realities, economic limits and her ever-increasing responsibility to her mother will sound achingly familiar to today's women. Intelligent, passionate and familiar, Lucia will inspire readers to cheer her on as she searches for fulfilling work, a happy family and lifelong love.--Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams