[Bond]

When I was young I remember reading a book or maybe even a series of books about an Italian or Jewish (not sure) immigrant family in New York circa the Great Depression. It was a book along the lines of Little Women, Little Men, or the Joy Luck Club in that it explored the ordinary lives and tribulations of a young kid(s) as he/she grew up in the midst of poverty from a particular ethnic perspective. I remember there was one scene where they celebrated July Fourth with fireworks and how that simple celebration captured was filled with special significance. If I was to guess I would say it was written some time between the 1940s and the 1970s. It was blunt about hardships but also had an enduring and abiding faith and patriotism about it. Anyone have an idea what the book or books could be?

[Chekhov]

I'm pretty sure the book you want is A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. It was written in 1943, I believe. Note that the family is not Jewish: they're Irish, and it's mentioned several times that they live in a heavily Jewish neighbourhood.