The Black Madonna

"This whole country is nothing but a nation of immigrants, Jan. That's what makes this nation so great! Our forefathers got kicked out of every respectable country in the world!" Jan Sharanski never saw the humor in his wife's cynical joke. Born in America, she knew nothing but freedom. He, on the other hand, came from a world where freedom existed so long as no one asked any questions...and that was a major difference. Jan Sharanski, a partisan serving in the Polish underground during the Second World War, finds he must flee his native Poland for the United States in order to escape communist oppression. Arriving in Chicago, Jan settles in the city's Near-Westside Polish community. There, amidst the backdrop of the Cold War, the Chicago mafia, and the Daley political machine, he will build his life. In the process, Jan discovers that yes, America is the land of opportunity...but sadness and despair is also a part of that Great American Dream. Capturing the true essence of that American Dream falls to Jan's daughter, Drusilla. Putting her faith in "the Black Madonna," Drusilla sets out on her own personal quest to fulfill her father's ambitions. Steeling herself in the rough and tumble world on the mean streets of Chicago, Drusilla will discover the love, hurt, pain, and success first known by her father. In the process, Drusilla Sharanski discovers her own appreciation for what it is to truly be an American.