Review of Polish-American Folklore. By Deborah A. Silverman. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000.. xii + 236 pages. 27 illustrations. List of interviews, Notes, Works Cited, Index. Hard bound. ISBN 0-252-0256-9-5 $ 29.95.

Silverman says, on p. 3, that “[t]his book is intended to fill the gap in scholarship in the field of Polish-American folklore.” I believe it to be a successful attempt.

The chapters have titles such as “Polish-American Easter Celebrations” and “The Christmas Cycle and Minor Holidays.” Others include discussions of, for instance, wedding customs, narratives, folk medicine, and folk music.

Generally, the book seems to me to be a solid presentation which will be of value to those interested in American folklore in general and ethnic lore in particular. The research -- fieldwork conducted by the author herself -- supports Silverman’s argument that there is a viable and expansive Polish-American folklore that (1) has its roots in the old country and (2) has even thrived in the diasporic conditions which have tended to dissolve ethnic neighborhoods in the U. S.

If the book has weaknesses, I think they are these. The book needs a concluding chapter. That is not to say that Silverman’s conclusions aren’t fairly evident. They are. I, however, would be happier with a final, if brief, chapter that pulls it all together. Another weakness, I think, is that the chapters don’t convince me that I’m getting a comprehensive view of Polish-American folklore. Though Silverman says that her book is intended to fill a gap in the scholarship, I think I’m missing a lot. Surely, I feel, there’s more to it than the 180 pages discussed in this work. That is, the book doesn’t feel to me like it can stand alone.

But, maybe that’s just me. What is here is good. I enjoyed reading the book, I leanred from it, and I recommend it both to scholars and to lay readers.

Jim Vandergriff

Knox College

Galesburg, IL