The Imported Bridegroom, and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto

"The Imported Bridegroom, and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto" by Abraham Cahan is a group of stories from the late 1800s that shows the hard lives of Jewish newcomers in New York City. It looks at how they fit into a new culture, their sense of self, and the tough choices around love and family duties. We meet Flora Stroon, who wants more than her life in the ghetto can offer, but she might have to marry someone she doesn't want. She's reading Dickens and dreaming of marrying a fancy American man instead of one of the religious businessmen her father, Asriel Stroon, likes. Asriel has become more religious and wants to find Flora a husband who fits his old-fashioned beliefs. This causes a problem because Flora wants something different. When Asriel says he's going back to his hometown in Europe, Flora feels excited and worried. The beginning of the book shows the problems between generations and cultures in a Jewish immigrant family, especially when Flora's future gets mixed up with Shaya, a smart young religious student from the old country.