New York Times bestselling author Steven V. Roberts follows the stories of thirteen families in this poignant, eye-opening look at immigration in America today.
America is a nation of immigrants. But what does it mean to be an immigrant in the United States today? In some ways, the experience has never changed—all newcomers feel the pain of separation. In other ways, it has changed drastically—families maintain strong business ties to their home countries and speak daily with their relatives on cell phones.
Attitudes about the great melting pot have taken a sharp turn toward insularity in recent years. The 9/11 attacks and recent waves of undocumented workers seem to have eroded America's long-standing belief in the value of immigration. Yet the families in this book conclusively demonstrate that critics are wrong, and that in the age of Barack Obama, the son of an immigrant from Kenya, newcomers "from every end of this earth" continue to renew America's greatness, every day, with their courage and character.
Having shared his own family's story in My Fathers' Houses, distinguished journalist Steven V. Roberts now profiles immigrants from China and Afghanistan, Mexico and Sierra Leone, who have journeyed to our shores in pursuit of the same dream that propelled his own grandparents to leave Russia and Poland a century ago. He combines compelling interviews and meticulous research to produce an engaging, wonderfully clear, and accessible narrative that explores each family's original yet deeply resonant story.
As the political debate rages on, Roberts offers an essential and timely look at today's immigrant accounts, and sheds light on the enormous contributions these individuals continue to make to the fabric and future of America.
As Roberts (My Fathers' Houses) recognizes, no single story—or even collection of stories—can tell a reader the entire immigrant experience. The 13 families highlighted in this book, however, voice a diverse group of immigrant experiences, which will be enlightening for readers who want to learn more about the human side of what is often a highly polarizing issue. Their stories range from an escape from Vietnam to a choice to attend graduate school in the United States. Each family's account is fairly short, contributing to the book's readability but at the same time requiring Roberts to summarize years of people's lives and at times simplify the complex histories of their countries of origin. Numerous rich quotes from each family allow them to speak for themselves, and their inclusion is one of the highlights of the book. VERDICT This will appeal to general readers, particularly those who enjoy family histories, biographies, and memoirs as well as anyone interested in immigration.—Madeline Mundt, Univ. of Nevada, Reno Libs.
[Page 72]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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