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Rating: 
Summary: Passage to Heaven or Return to Hell
Review: Millions of immigrants traveled by sea to America in search of a better life than the one they left behind in their old country. They were escaping from poverty, famine, persecution, and conscription. They sought jobs, freedom, and adventure. In Island of Hope, Island of Tears by David M. Brownstone, Irene M. Franck, and Douglass Brownstone, the history of Ellis Island comes to life through stories told by immigrants and the workers in their own words. This book explores the reasons why people left their home countries and the special role that Ellis Island played in their journey. The authors attempt to answer many questions that surround the peak years of immigration. They approach the subject with facts and personal anecdotes from interviews with people who passed through Ellis Island. The results present a surprising variation in the recounting of tales. No two immigrants recollect an identical experience, even in the same family. Why did they leave? Stella Jedryka left Poland in fear of the Russian soldiers. "We couldn't stand the Russian people-soldiers. We were running away from them" (28). What countries did they come from? "I was born in what is now Czechoslovakia-it was Bohemia in those days" (34) stated Charles Bartunek about the area near Prague in 1913. What did they expect to find? Esther Almgren from Sweden said, "I figured you're going to be picking gold out of the mountains, everybody thought America had no work..." (102). Was America what they had hoped for? "Between 1908 and 1923, fifty or more people returned for every one hundred immigrants that arrived for many nationalities..." (57/58). Some people left in search of adventure and some out of fear. Most were in third-class steerage accommodations and were seasick after they left they port. Still others loved the trip and the food, mostly pickled herring. Some hauled prized possessions with them, like feather beds, while others wore only the clothes on their backs. Many came bearing gifts for relatives in the United States, anything from sausage to whiskey. There were immigrants who stole across guarded borders at night and a few who went in better accommodations on first or second class. Travelers were often promised a short comfortable trip by shipping lines but often found themselves for "two to four weeks in an unseaworthy bucket" (117). Teenagers fared the best, having an optimistic outlook and fewer family responsibilities to harden them, but the newcomers represented all ages. If you are one of the four out of ten Americans who can trace their family back to Ellis Island, you will enjoy this book and perhaps find a story that sounds like your own heritage. Brownstone and Franck illustrate the rough beginning for these important Americans who took risks and paved the way for many of us who enjoy our lives today.
Rating:
Summary: Passage to Heaven or Return to Hell
Review: Millions of immigrants traveled by sea to America in search of a better life than the one they left behind in their old country. They were escaping from poverty, famine, persecution, and conscription. They sought jobs, freedom, and adventure. In Island of Hope, Island of Tears by David M. Brownstone, Irene M. Franck, and Douglass Brownstone, the history of Ellis Island comes to life through stories told by immigrants and the workers in their own words. This book explores the reasons why people left their home countries and the special role that Ellis Island played in their journey. The authors attempt to answer many questions that surround the peak years of immigration. They approach the subject with facts and personal anecdotes from interviews with people who passed through Ellis Island. The results present a surprising variation in the recounting of tales. No two immigrants recollect an identical experience, even in the same family. Why did they leave? Stella Jedryka left Poland in fear of the Russian soldiers. "We couldn't stand the Russian people-soldiers. We were running away from them" (28). What countries did they come from? "I was born in what is now Czechoslovakia-it was Bohemia in those days" (34) stated Charles Bartunek about the area near Prague in 1913. What did they expect to find? Esther Almgren from Sweden said, "I figured you're going to be picking gold out of the mountains, everybody thought America had no work..." (102). Was America what they had hoped for? "Between 1908 and 1923, fifty or more people returned for every one hundred immigrants that arrived for many nationalities..." (57/58). Some people left in search of adventure and some out of fear. Most were in third-class steerage accommodations and were seasick after they left they port. Still others loved the trip and the food, mostly pickled herring. Some hauled prized possessions with them, like feather beds, while others wore only the clothes on their backs. Many came bearing gifts for relatives in the United States, anything from sausage to whiskey. There were immigrants who stole across guarded borders at night and a few who went in better accommodations on first or second class. Travelers were often promised a short comfortable trip by shipping lines but often found themselves for "two to four weeks in an unseaworthy bucket" (117). Teenagers fared the best, having an optimistic outlook and fewer family responsibilities to harden them, but the newcomers represented all ages. If you are one of the four out of ten Americans who can trace their family back to Ellis Island, you will enjoy this book and perhaps find a story that sounds like your own heritage. Brownstone and Franck illustrate the rough beginning for these important Americans who took risks and paved the way for many of us who enjoy our lives today.
Rating:
Summary: A candid look
Review: The period from roughly 1880 to 1925 witnessed the greatest movement of people from one continent to another. Millions upon millions, mostly from Russia and southern and eastern Europe hoped to make a new beginning in the only country that held out that hope: America. And millions of them entered the United States through Ellis Island. There have been hundreds of books on this subject but few very recount the exact words of those who experienced this exodus. "Island of Hope, Island of Tears"
by David M. Brownstone is one of the few to use these primary resources. Much of the material has been seen before, scattered across the pages of other books about the great immigration experience, but I can't think of any one book that put all of it together in one place. Part of what's unique about this book is its candor in revealing how many immigrants were mortally disappointed by the promise of America which never materialized. Another distinguishing feature is the presentation of just about every reason that these people fled their homes and what they expected to find here. Their responses are just as varied as the numbers of small towns from which they'd left. Lastly, of course, is the lucid descriptions of what these people endured during their voyages and the frightful experience and suspense that awaited them at Ellis Island, that old munitions dump by the Statue of Liberty. This is an endearing while also harsh look at an episode in American--and world--history that will doubtfully ever happen again.
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