Maxwell Street

When I was a high school student taking a semester (or a year) of American History, we did a week or two on local History. For that class I wrote a research paper on Chicago's famous Maxwell Street (which, at the time, had disappeared only a few years prior). My history teacher sent that paper in to some contest, without informing me, and I won some prize. The prize wasn't monetary, it was more like something that I can put on my college application (I don't think I ever did).

Anyway, what's my point? Well, I don't think I won that contest because I was a great writer (though, without knowing the writing ability of my peers, I can't say for sure how to define mediocrity) . Instead, I think that I just really cared about the subject matter. My research on Maxwell street was my introduction to American Sociology. It was an example of how despite all the differences between American culture and the European/Italian culture I grew up in there were some really fundamental similarities. It's a lesson that has stayed with me for the rest of my life.

A few months ago, I learned of this movie and I really hope to get to see it soon.