If I'm making any mistake with this post, please excuse me: I'm new on this sub, and I want not to break the rules on purpose. If I'm doing something not allowed, please, I beg your pardon. Second, englis is not my first language. Third; I hope the post is not too overwhelming and long, but... I had this hyperfixation for quite a long, and I want to get these doubts out of my chest.

Giving you the basic background of my question, I'm writing a ghost novel that takes place in the 1930s, New York, and of course, I want to understand how the things worked on those times. I know the music (principally jazz, swing, etc) and a bit of the aesthetics (art déco), but my biggest query is to know: how the society of those times worked and how they looked?

I mean: I want to know how racist and xenophobic the new yorkers were with the italians, the LGBT+ people, black people, etc. I want to research and understand how the low neighborhoods looked like (Little Italy at being specific) and how their habitants interacted between eachother. My thoughts also focused on how to describe the art déco buildings and style (how to describe those arcs, patrons, stairs, walls and furnitures that mesmerized the people of the decade), how to show the reader the big depression and the prohibitionism influenced the views of a man from the working class; the fear of the italian mob caused on the people; the technology of phones (for example) and how they worked on the daily basis; I want to find the legends, the myths and show the american dream. As accurate as possible.

Of course, I tried to look for myself information and details that could help me on my process, using novels that took place on the date of the development of the plot or that were near to it, or novels that talked about the topics I needed for my research (Fer-de-lance, from Rex Stout, New York from Edward Rutherfurd, The Godfather from Mario Puzzo), but I'm afraid they weren't enough to help to quench my hunger of knowledge. So, here I am, resorting through your experience and your modesty that only redditors could have. I wish this is not too much to chew -not because I underestimate your capabilities as historians-, but these questions created by my need of doing a book full of life have been invading my mind for a lot of time, and sharing them can be found as extremely pesky. If you can give me any form of advice, however small it may be, I will appreciate it with complete honesty. Or even, where to start to search can also help me, I can cope with it very fine depending of your answers.

I must subsequently apologize if this post was exceedingly extense, and I do hope that you are not upset by my interrogations.