Ellis Island : coming to the Land of Liberty

Great book about how people traveled from foreign lands to the United States. The pictures of the artifacts and the portraits of the immigrants are awesome. Learning the processes each immigrant had to go through to be able to stay is interesting as well. Great book!

This book seems like it's geared towards older children and/or adults, because the actual literature is very mature. I liked that it had really old pictures from when the immigrants first came to America as well as newer pictures from the Ellis Island museum.

This book is a good encapsulation of the history of Ellis Island, and a recounting of some of the trials and troubles that immigrants throughout that history have been escaping – and some they have come running to. The book is full of quotes and stories from immigrants, immigration agents, and

Show More

others. These quotes speak to the hardships of the Atlantic voyage, and the hard work of entering and becoming successful in America – such as one Italian immigrant’s musing that the streets in American were not paved at all, let alone with gold, and that he was expected to pave them (44). The historical narrative is accompanied by a wealth of beautiful contemporary and historical photography, historical documents, and artist renderings which really breathe some life into the text. The text is well researched, and contains a good suggested reading section at the end. I can see this book being particularly useful in middle school social studies rooms, but it would not be at all out of place in a high school history class as a tool to spark a discussion about, say, the history of immigration and the ways the immigrant experiences mentioned in the book relate to contemporary immigration issues. Were I to come across a copy of this book, I would include it in my classroom library.

Show Less