Edges, both jagged and sharp, spring from the tension of living and maturing between two conflicting factors: cultural assimilation – on the one hand suppressing ethnic identity in the public square – and on the other, developing a personal identity which internalized that heritage. Edge upon edge, these elements represent the conflicts for Italian immigrants within the melting pot of L’america. This collection of memoirs and reflections, poetry and prose, takes the reader through one man’s experiences as a first born Italian in America and an American in Italy. Italian-Americans will recognize the challenges of assimilation in “Edge City”. Readers of all ethnicities will gain a new understanding of the Italian culture in America.