The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War Areeba Hasan David Laskin, The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War, New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010, 348 pp., introduction, acknowledgements, sources, and index Immigration stands as one of the most discussed and debated on topics in politics, media, and in the lives of everyday people. In The Long Way Home, David Laskin recounted the history of 12 immigrants who came to America for opportunity and made this country their own. He explored the golden age of influx of Italians, Poles, Slavs, and Jews. Utilizing government documents, family records, and memories, Laskin traced each of their stories including their lives in their native lands, their journey to America, their service in the U.S armed forces during WW1, and the lives of those who survived. Each individual Laskin focused on had unwavering loyalty. Their service was applaudable. While some died as martyrs, others were glorified with medals, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. While they initially struggled to fit in with the American society, Laskin highlighted how military service during the …show more content…
Laskin is an American writer of books on a range of topics including history, travel, weather, gardens and literary biography. Laskin also publishes travel articles and book reviews in the New York Times travel section, the Washington Post, and Seattle Metropolitan. A Harvard college graduate, Laskin established himself as well-informed author. He was an omniscient narrator whose job was merely to state the facts. These Jewish stories were heard by Laskin as he grew up from his immigrant Jewish grandparents. They told about their old country Russia that they left at the turn of the century. Laskin had access to first-hand information. His books focused on how ordinary people were swept up by historical
America is a land filled with immigrants coming from different corners of the worlds, all in hopes of finding a better life in the country. However, No one had an easy transition from his or her home country to this foreign land. Not every race thrived the same way—some were luckier than others, while some have faced enormous obstacles in settling down and being part of the American society. Many people have suffered
Many Americans know the journey of Christopher Columbus and Daniel Boone, but a smaller percentage of the population knows about other journeys their fellow Americans have taken. Our job at PBS is to “create content that educates, informs, and inspires (PBS mission statement).” By including different or lesser known journeys for our new series, we can inform and ignite a curiosity for American history that is not often talked about. Two journeys that should be included in this project is the plight of the Native Americans during the 19th century. These forced migrations are not frequently talked about for various different reasons, such as the history behind them or their controversy, but it is our job to present these without biases to inform our viewers.
Which Way Home is a documentary about the struggle of a group of young kids from Mexico and Central America to make it to the United States on a train called “The Beast.” This documentary, directed by Rebecca Cammisa, brings to attention a human face on the immigration issue. It shows life-threatening risks that are taken by child migrants so they could bring an end to their problems such as fear of life on the streets, lack of jobs and having a better education.
Pilcer, Sonia. "2G." Visions of America Personal Narratives from the Promised Land. Ed. Wesley Brown and Amy Ling. 4th ed. New York: Peresea Books, 1993. 201-206.
Rosales, F. Arturo. Lecture 2/14 Film The US-Mexican War Prelude. Weber, David J. - "The 'Path of the World'" Foreigners in Their Native Land: The Historical Roots of Mexican Americans.
In Gary Ferguson’s “The Carry Home”, he narrates his life with his wife Jane. He talks about their adventures in nature, her death, and the scattering of her ashes. Ferguson tells us how he deals with the grief of losing Jane. In the book “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed we hear about her life. Strayed writes about her childhood, her mother’s death, and her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed also tells us about how she deals with the grief of losing her mother. Although nature plays a huge role in both of their grieving processes, Ferguson and Strayed had two very different experiences with it. Ferguson uses his friends and community to help him. He has a strong support system around him. Strayed takes the opposite approach. She isolates herself from anyone
Jeffries, John. Wartime America: The World War II Home Front. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1996. Print. American Way.
Masoero, Francesca "MIA HEBIB, GROWING UP IN THE US BETWEEN WAR AND ART" Khiruna:Stories of people living abroad. http://www.khiruna.com/index.php?living-working-moving-and-travelling-to-north-america_25/mia-hebib-growing-up-in-the-usa-between-war-and-art_116/ (accessed December 5, 2013).
...n the trying time of the Great Migration. Students in particular can study this story and employ its principles to their other courses. Traditional character analysis would prove ineffective with this non-fiction because the people in this book are real; they are our ancestors. Isabel Wilkerson utilized varied scopes and extensive amounts of research to communicate a sense of reality that lifted the characters off the page. While she concentrated on three specifically, each of them served as an example of someone who left the south during different decades and with different inspirations. This unintentional mass migration has drastically changed and significantly improved society, our mindset, and our economics. This profound and influential book reveals history in addition to propelling the reader into a world that was once very different than the one we know today.
Hearing the term “Mayflower”, I often thought of Thanksgiving and Pilgrims, the traditional images that we were taught throughout our early years of education. It was not until reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s “Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War” that I was really taken in by the depths of the challenges as well as the complications of war that the Mayflower’s occupants faced. Pilbrick uses adequate descriptions in this book that makes it possible for the reader to envision what he is describing and take in the events creating better understanding of this journey. It not only gives us knowledge of the war, it takes us to the war and shows us first hand how it did take “courage” during this time
Imagine not knowing where you were born and where your family lives. Imagine living your whole life having memories of your past life and family, but not knowing what happened to them. And imagine if one click could change your whole life in many ways. These were the struggles and situations of Saroo, a young boy who lived in India and eventually got lost, and when growing up, was adopted by an Australian family. Many of the actions that Saroo made in his life influenced greatly on shaping his identity and future. If Saroo never went to the train station with Guddu, his future would have been completely different. Throughout Saroo Brierley’s Memoir, A Long Way Home, the author demonstrates that actions greatly impact one’s future by the use of vivid imagery and flashbacks.
"Immigrants and the American Dream." Society 33.n1 (Nov-Dec 1995):3(3). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale University. 26 Sep. 2006.
Before the turn of the 19th Century, foreigners immigrated into the United States of America in three major waves (Chudacoff, Smith, & Baldwin, 2015,p.101). The reasons for coming to America are immeasurable; nonetheless, it can be assumed that immigrants had become discontent with their homeland. Additionally, with their reasons came learned habits, behaviors, and cultures from their birth places, (Handlin, 1959,p.20). The immigrants heard of the American dream through information spread by word of mouth in casual conversations, seeing the idealized ship advertisement posters of gaiety on decks of immigrant ships, and by reading letters from relatives and friends already living in America. How did immigrants
Immigrants traveled hundreds of miles from their homes, only with what possessions they could carry, in order to obtain the rights and chase the promise that America had to offer. Mary Antin illustrates in The Promised Land how if given the chance, immigrants will represent the promises and virtues of American society. Antin shows that public education, freedom from religious persecution, and freedom of expression as a citizen are aspects of life Americans may take for granted but immigrants certainly do not.
Pratt, Mary Louise. “Narrating the anti-conquest”. Imperial Eyes. Travel Writing and Transculturation. London and New York: Routledge. p.38 – p.68.