Synopses & Reviews
Angel Island, off the coast of California, was the port of entry for Asian immigrants to the United States between 1892 and 1940. Following the passage of legislation requiring the screening of immigrants, "the other Ellis Island" processed around one million people from Japan, China, and Korea. Drawingand#160;from memoirs,and#160;diaries, letters, and the "wall poems" discovered at the facility long after it closed, the nonfiction master Russell Freedman describes the people who came, and why; the screening process; detention and deportation; changes in immigration policy; and the eventual renaissance of Angel Island as a historic site open to visitors. Includes archival photos, source notes, bibliography, and index.
Review
"Equally evocative and informative, this is an excellent choice for middle school libraries."
—School Library Journal, starred review
"Carefully researched and clearly written."
—Booklist, starred review
Review
* andquot;Equally evocative and informative, this is an excellent choice for middle school libraries.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal, starred review
and#160;
* andquot;Carefully researched and clearly written.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist, starred review
and#160;
andquot;This is a clearly written account of a lesser-known side of American immigration history that may add to readersand#39; understanding of current political debate.andquot;
andmdash;Horn Book
and#160;
* andquot;As immigration continues to be a major issue in America, this introduction to the Angel Island experience is overdue and, most of all, welcome.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus, starred review
and#160;
* andquot;A thorough narrative, with personal vignettes and bandw archival photos. . . . Making this poignant account even more so are translated poems interspersed throughout, written by despairing detainees on barrack walls.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly, starred review
and#160;
andquot;Most spreads feature one or more photographs, slightly oversized text, and generous margins, making this an appealing selection for readers who find nonfiction daunting.andquot;
andmdash;The Bulletin
and#160;
andquot;Freedmanandrsquo;s book uses clear narrative language to pay tribute to the thousands of souls who passed through this prisonlike entryway, [Angel Island].andquot;
andmdash;VOYA
Review
"In his signature lucid style, Freedman offers a photo-essay that examines World War I. . .An important addition to history curriculum."--
Booklist, starred review "Elegantly written and filled with vivid, powerful photographs, this masterful work demands a spot in every collection."--
School Library Journal,and#160;starred review"Freedman once again demonstrates his incomparable mastery of presenting complex, sweeping historical subjects in an engaging, dynamic narrative."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"[Freedman's] dramatic, often heart-wrenching narrative ends with a brief description of the rise of Hitler, leading to the reopening of hostilities in 1939. Although his focus is the war in Europe, and the book is unusually evenhanded in assessing the faults and virtues of the combatant countries, Freedman touches on fighting elsewhere in the world."--Horn Book, starred review"It was the war that world leaders didn't want to fight, and the war that didn't quite end, and here Freedman narrates its story with a steady eye on the wasteful atrocity that ushered in modern warfare. . . . Freedman's timely organization of chronological events and topical issues is masterful, and the allegretto pacing of his narration seems deceptively effortless."--The Bulletin, starred review
"This gritty, well-sourced account of WWI offers a compelling and often horrific look at the conflict. Freedman (Washington at Valley Forge) hooks readers with his fluid style and a detail-rich story of Archduke Ferdinand's assassination and the political powder keg that existed at the time in Europe...Readers' conclusions will likely mirror that of a French soldier writing in his diary just before he was killed: "Humanity is mad!... What scenes of horror and carnage!"--Publishers Weekly, starred reviewand#160;
Review
andquot;The generously sized period photos and Bial's museum shots tell a vivid and poignant tale for even those who cannot yet read the words. If one cannot get to the museum itself, this book is the next best thing.andquot;--School Library Journal
andquot;With the handsome treatment readers have come to expect, Bial presents the history of the New York Harbor immigration station . . . Illustrated with the authorandrsquo;s photographs of the current museum as well as archival images, the account is further enriched by frequent quotes from those who passed through its doors.andquot;--Kirkus Reviews
andquot;. . . plentiful historical photographs speak volumes, and Bialandrsquo;s contemporary shots provide a worthy guide for those who cannot visit the restored buildings and exhibits in person.andquot;--Booklist
andquot;As Bial's appended andquot;Children's Booksandquot; bibliography attests, there is plenty of material on Ellis Island available to young reader. Bial stakes a claim, though, to some of the most browsable, engaging photographs, which accompany his essay on the function of the island and the experiences of some of the immigrants who passed through, or were turned back, at the examination center.andquot;--Bulletin
Synopsis
An account of "the other Ellis Island"and#8212;Angel Island, California, the entry point for one million Asian immigrants in the early 20th century.
Synopsis
In this clear and authoritative account, Russell Freedman illuminates for young readers the complex and rarely discussed subject of World War I, showing the ways in which the seeds of a second world war were sown in the first.
Synopsis
Nonfiction master Russell Freedman illuminates for young readers the complex and rarely discussed subject of World War I. The tangled relationships and alliances of many nations, the introduction of modern weaponry, and top-level military decisions that resulted in thousands upon thousands of casualties all contributed to the "great war," which people hoped and believed would be the only conflict of its kind. In this clear and authoritative account, the Newbery Medal-winning author shows the ways in which the seeds of a second world war were sown in the first. Numerous archival photographs give the often disturbing subject matter a moving visual counterpart. Includes source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
Synopsis
Ellis Island, Americaand#8217;s most famous location in its history of immigration, was once a landfill in the upper bay of New York Harbor. Since its opening on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island has come to symbolize the waves of immigrants from a list of countries that seems endless. Although there were other immigration stations along the United Statesand#8217; shores between 1892 and 1924, half of the newcomers to the United States came through Ellis Island. Once a popular spot with picnickers, Ellis Island was purchased by a farmer in 1794. The government reclaimed the island and Ellis Island became the foremost station in immigration services. It was enlarged to six acres, and nearly twelve million people passed through its doors until it closed in 1954.
This is the story not only of the many Americans who first came to this country through Ellis Island but of Ellis Island itself.
About the Author
Russell Freedman received the Newbery Medal for Lincoln: A Photobiography. He is also the recipient of three Newbery Honors, a National Humanities Medal, the Sibert Medal, the Orbis Pictus Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and was selected to give the 2006 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Mr. Freedman lives in New York City and travels widely to research his books.