A Century of Immigration, 1820-1924

Drama of American History

by Christopher Collier, James Lincoln Collier

Discusses the economic, social, and religious reasons why immigrants, predominantly from northern Europe, and then from eastern and southern Europe, came to the United States. Considers incidents of prejudice experienced by these immigrants as well as contributions made by those of immigrant background.Discusses the economic, social, and religious reasons why immigrants came to the United States and considers incidents of prejudice experienced by these immigrants as well as contributions made by those of immigrant background.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

96 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Steve Scott]

Like other books in this series it’s an excellent primer for those learning about various topics of American history. I’m pretty well read in this area, and don’t learn much new, but I think they have a place-and an audience- in a public library.

However, the books are only about 90 pages long and the audiobooks just under two hours, so they lack nuance.

I also get a whiff of “American exceptionalism” emanating off of them, a patriotic air that seems to be cheerleading for the United States. While the books I’ve engaged so far deal with some of the stark tragedies and injustices of American history, the closing remarks seem a bit star spangled. It’s not too heavy handed, however.

[Dorothy Caimano]

Excellent overview of American immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries. It helped me understand some curious things I noticed as a child. For instance, why were some of my Italian relatives Protestant and others in the same family were Roman Catholic? And why did one side of my family recognize the value of education and the other side seemed to feel the children just needed to leave school and get a job as soon as possible? It is described as a book for young adults, but I felt it was just fine for a clear, general understanding of immigration at any age.

[Gulo]

I've read some pretty-in depth books on this topic and don’t know that I would’ve dipped into it again if it weren’t for an easy and free audiobook. Since there was not much depth to the book, the audio format on 2x speed was a perfect listen on my commute. Considering how inconsequential it was, I cannot recommend it in the written format except to high school students or below.

One I can much more readily recommend:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

My one takeaway quote:
“Even today, no other nation permits so many immigrants as the United States.” (arguable, depends on % or total #)
- C. Collier

[Melanie Parker]

Decent short overview of immigration to the US between 1820-1924. It’s not written for adults, but I think adults will definitely get something from it, especially if they don’t have a solid knowledge base in history.

I’d prefer to listen to the series in chronological order, but they don’t need to be. They can be read or listened to as standalone books since the authors give a quick summary of details that may be needed and have been covered in more depth in a different volume. My library only has one other book in the series at the moment, so I have to wait.

[Tim]

An adequate overview aimed at approximately fourth-graders. It has some interesting views and statistics.

[David Cortes]

I was hoping for a bit more info... but it's a massive amount of history. I did enjoy what I learned though.

[Ike Standifird]

Audible version. History told as it should be. Gave me some new insite to immigration to America.

[Sandy]

Very light coverage of this time period but understandable.

[RAW]

Listened on Hoopla. A great way to get an overview and. It bogged down by untold dates and names.