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Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams

Book by Rich Cohen · 1 quotes · American Dream, Gangster, Immigration

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Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams Quotes

“The way the kids of immigrants heard about America, you would think it was not down the stairs and out the door but still across the ocean, a distant place where everything is promised and, for hard work, everything is given. From the day he left his parents' house, Abe [Reles] had to know his father was right, that America promises everything, but he also had to know his father was wrong--America gives nothing. Those things that are promised, they cannot be worked for but must be taken, conned away with good looks, obsequiousness, mimicry; or traded for with bit of your soul or the morals of the stories your parents told; or tricked away with lies; or wrested away with brute force.”

Immigration American Dream Gangster

Book:Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams

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