Island of Hope, Island of Tears

by David M. Brownstone, Irene M. Franck, Douglass Brownstone

Between 1892 and the early 1950s, nearly 15 million people streamed through Ellis Island in search of a new life. Here are the stories of those extraordinary immigrants, largely in their own poignant words. Coming primarily from Southern and Eastern Europe, and from widely diverse backgrounds, the émigrés represented in this remarkable volume recount their adventures with dignity, wit, and unflagging honesty. Among the dozens of unforgettable narrators you'll meet are a Greek boy who, forced into the Turkish Army, escaped to the U.S. with the help of the Russian Orthodox Church; a young Polish girl who made the harrowing journey only to have to flee a "white slaver"; and a Czech woman who fooled doctors into letting her travel despite being eight months pregnant.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, New York, Reference, Memoir, Research

307 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this book, which relates immigrants’ experiences in their own words, for over a decade. If relating stories had been all this book said, it would have been excellent. However, the extra narration broke up the immigrants’ stories into topics which spread across multiple chapters, and the number of immigrants and fragmentation of their stories made them difficult to follow. The author’s introduction and conclusion seemed to support modern-day illegal immigration which sheds an interesting light on this book’s thesis and makes it a deceptive read for those who do not notice the author’s underlying agenda.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m so disappointed. I have been wanting to read this for a long time. It was referred to in some book I had read at some point.

I was interested in the stories of the immigrants, but the way the stories were told, broken up by topic and the individual stories scattered throughout was really tough to follow. I also did not appreciate how often the author felt the need to repeat certain messages over and over. I’m not sure I really learned anything new, and if I’m going to invest all that time reading, I’d like to take away something…

One thing I was super stunned by, there was an immigrant that talked of her time in Fitchburg, MA. That was pretty cool, as my dad worked in Fitchburg and wasn’t far from where I grew up.

[Parker Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very educational! I learned a lot about the struggles of immigrants. Personally, I found information about the journey over a bit boring. I found most interesting why immigrants came over. One fact that stuck out to me most was that in 1924, an act was passed that limited immigration to 2% of each nationality reported on the 1890 US Census. Glad I read!

[Natalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a first generation Italian/American. I am honored to know a man who is the poster child of the American dream, from speaking no English to 2 of the 3 prestigious awards started by Napoleon himself and professor emeritus. I wasn't sure I could be more proud of my father (who came over here BY HIMSELF at 13 years of age, though not through Ellis Island) but reading this gave me a new respect for all of those brave individuals who crossed the ocean to have a better life, including that scared 13-year-old boy. We often forget how good we have it here. Despite what goes on in the press, this is a great country that offers us so much. We are blessed.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am rating this book based on the stories of those presented in it, not on the editing of those stories into this book. I wish the editor had done a better job forming these stories into an easier book to read. I feel that more people would be drawn to read it and learn from it. I found the stories of the lives of the immigrants extremely powerful and compelling. I spent close to 2 months reading this book and metered my reading to a few pages a day so that I could internalize each person's words and experiences. Moving too quickly through the pages seemed to dim the impact of the immigrant's words and struggles.
I would recommend this book be read by anyone with family who have immigrated to the U.S. to escape brutality and/or to make a better lives for themselves and their families. I don't know anyone who doesn't fit that category.

[Virginia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up trying to read this. The accounts seemed very repetitive and not very critically analyzed.

It was interesting to hear the perspectives of those who made the decision to make the perilous journey to the US, but it seemed to me like this could have been better organized.

[Veronica F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, lots of stories from Poland and Czechoslovakia which is where my family emigrated from. It would have been nice to get more of their stories, but overall fun read with some new information that either I never learned in school or had forgotten.

[Marre Prestigiacomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, who married into a family that immigrated during this time it was a very consuming book. I'm not sure if you haven't lived or dealt with the life of an immigrant the book would hold the same interest.
The book is well written, covering the immigration from 1892 until 1954 when Ellis Island closed. There is history from the authors but the book is mostly the stories told by the immigrants themselves many years later. Those who came told their stories as to why they wanted to leave Europe and how difficult their lives were when going through Ellis Island. The struggles of language and lack of education and their individal survival is amazing.
My inlaws came from Palermo Sicily. Pop came first, then sent for Mom. Family joke is that my husband was born 9 months to day after Mom arrived. There was a lot of descrimination against the Southern immigrants as the were dark skinned. The first wave of established immigrants had come from the Northern, more Anglo Saxon countries who looked down on their dark skinned neighbors in Europe and didn't approve of these people immigranting. I have heard of some pretty awful discremination actions taken against my Sicilian family members of that era.

I could not help but think how little has changed. The color of a person's skin does not define who he is but sadly many do not agree with me and their actions show it even in the 2nd decade of the 21st century.

Ellis Island has become a tourist hot spot for those who want to vist it either for history or just courious. This book reflects a lot of history if this something you are interested in.

I personally enjoyed the book immensely!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author used interviews from immigrants to create the book. The immigrants were interviewed late in life, in most cases 50+ years after they arrived in America. Their stories of what life was like in the old world, what caused them to leave, the journey to America, and their Ellis Island experience were poignant. Even though it was first published nearly 40 years ago, it still contains valuable lessons. In my family, the most recent immigrant came in the 1880s. I have often thought about how difficult life had to be for them to come to a place that was nothing like what they knew, to leave everything they had known behind. To read the stories of these immigrants fleeing years of war, genocide, and poverty was heartbreaking. I will be passing this book on to the next generation when the time is right.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed like a good time to read immigrants stories of what made them leave home, how they got to America. and a bit of where they settled and why. David Brownstone had done a lot of research of stories from the late e1800's through 1950. But over and over was too much droning on. Here we are in 2022 with Ukraine people leaving by the thousands. Who ever thought we would see such huge immigration because of war in Europe once again?

[Amandallp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in the 80s, so it’s been almost 30 years since its publication. In terms of social justice, the editors would need to review and update some terminology for the next editions, if any. As for example:
- Consider the word “migrants” instead of “immigrants”. It implies that migration it’s a process, and it’s not directional to only one place.
- Swift from “developed countries” to simply “other countries”, as it implies that some countries are better or more desirable than others to live.
- I would erase the quote were the Polish man makes a racist comment about Native Americans, or if leave it contextualize it considering the lack of racial awareness of that particular migrant.
- I would also contextualize the quotes that have a clear colonialist approach.
- I would change the terminology “illegal” as it has huge pejorative connotations.
In spite of all this facts, I really recommend reading this book. The qualitative research behind the book it’s extraordinary. The quotes are so thoughtful, and the stories conveyed are so interesting and insightful. I believe this book makes you realize about the roots of the actual migration policies in America. In Ellis Island there were cages for migrants too.
The book also explores discrimination against women in Ellis Island, so in that sense the author did a great job reflecting on this social issue.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quote from the book,"From its construction in 1892 to the passing of restrictive immigration laws by Congress in 1921 and 1924, Ellis Island was the gateway where the lives of millions and their concept of America found both confirmation and betrayal."

The book has eight chapters. Each chapter walks you through the different stages of a person’s life pertaining to the getting ready, going to, arriving and life after arriving to Ellis Island. There is not a cohesive story-line that has a beginning and end, it is more of snippets of a person’s story and scattered among the chapters. I don't care for that but I did find the book fascinating. Some of the short stories are haunting, raw, heartbreaking and others beautiful and dreams come true.

Overall this book does not paint a pretty picture of the Ellis Island processing practice. Women complain about the medical screening process which had them stripping down waist up in front of others is one example.

[Jake Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of first-person immigrant narratives, and those excerpted stories are the value in the book. The authors almost categorically avoid the real difficult questions and implications of mass European immigration to North America, opting instead to tell a history of brave white immigrants written for white Americans to read and feel good about our ancestors scrappy roots. I’m glad I finished the book because the direct-quote interviews truly are a primary history of the time, but the construction of the book reads like the project of amateur ancestry buffs more than a thoughtful work of history.

[Sarah Coller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been on my TBR for awhile and I was looking forward to reading it but it soon became a disappointing bore. At first I loved reading the stories, but then they became repetitive. At first, the repetition was just the fact that most people coming from the same place to the same place had very similar stories. Later, the authors actually repeated the same person's stories --- the majority of the time using the same words. That became really irritating. Surely with all those people, they could have found a few more to flesh out the rest of the book without repeating the same information from the same people in the exact same way.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humbling. These modern day pilgrims paid such a great price to leave their homelands, to cross the Atlantic, often is terribly uncomfortable conditions, to brave the bureaucracy and uncertainties of Ellis Island, and finally to integrate into American culture and society. I admire these people so much. They had so much courage and faith! I never realized how hunger motivated many to emigrate to America.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I unfortunately wasn't able to finish the book because I had to return it to the library. But! If you are looking to write a paper on immigration/Ellis Island or just learn about it this would be the perfect book. I felt like it was a bit repative and the explanation points were kind of annoying. But still a good book. I'd like to finish it someday. (Left off page 132).

[Tammy Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the personal stories of the immigrants coming to America. So many brave young people sacrificed everything for a better life, and they came here legally and worked hard to build a new life. My great grandparents immigrated here from Poland, and this book gave me an idea of what that was like for them.

[Karen King · Rating 4 out of 5]

True story of the immigrants who traveled to America during the late 1800's - 1920's; stories of amazing courage, fear and hope. Gives the reader an amazing perspective of why people will leave their homeland to travel here.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actual recollections by immigrants were interesting and the tiny bit actually about how Ellis Island worked but the surrounding stuff was awful. It was constant repetitions of how extraordinary everyone was and how amazing and wonderful.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good historical books with actual accounts from immigrants into Ellis Island.

[Steve Courson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book filled with recollections from the immigrants. A reminder of how good we have it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a while for me to get into this book that quotes various immigrants. The photos are of random immigrants; they don't match with the people quoted or interviewed. Still, therje was some structure to the book geared around planning gounń




r and arriving at Ellis Island, and the aftermath. Glad i stuck with it, though the cummulative effect was that many went thru awful procedures before coming to America.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about immigration I have ever read.

[Tom Leland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who is in America thanks to immigrants who came across the Atlantic should read this book, or one like it. Amazing what they went through...a life lacking enough to leave in the first place; leaving their home and often, families...way of life. Financial hardship, lies, deceit, hassles, red tape, rejection. Those lucky enough to get aboard were virtually all to suffer 2+ weeks of seasickness and pickled herring. Then more hassles, missed connections, disillusionment, perhaps abuse/manipulation, endless tedium...and usually, starting life all over in a strange land. A bit repetitive, a bit simplistic, and seems a tad slapped together. But none of those things are too problematic--a great overall picture of the entire drama of immigrating to the U.S. between 1900 and 1930.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

My book group read this one. I enjoyed it, especially since my grandfather immigrated through Ellis Island in 1922 and I was better able to understand what he and others went through on their journey. The book is mostly first-person accounts of immigrants from all over Europe from the late 1800's through about 1930. Many original photos were included so that the reader could better visualize the circumstances. The writing style outside of the quotations seemed a little simplistic, rather like a middle school textbook, but the original accounts were quite interesting.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual accounts from those who immigrated to the United States via Ellis Island are fascinating and worthy of five stars on their own, but the authors' attempts to bridge the different stories and fill in the gaps leaves much to be desired. As a result, the book surges forward and then drags, making for a less than compelling read at times. Regardless, the history behind Ellis Island is fascinating, and I learned a lot from this book.

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of interviews from people who came through Ellis Island. While the book rambles along a bit, the interviews are somewhat interesting. It's the kind of book you read in a waiting room because you can start and stop about anyplace.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on southern and eastern immigrants who
were interviewed to write the book. They all came to America for
different reasons, and entered through Ellis Island. This was the
Second Wave to reach our country from Europe after the northern
europeans.

[Edy Gies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read before visiting Ellis Island. The writing left something to be desired, but the personal stories are very moving. Seeing Ellis Island for the first time, all I could think of was the stories I had read about in the book.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am interested in immigration - researching mine and Pat's family through ancestry.com. This book was interesting - but a little choppy. I pretty much learned that it was really tough being an immigrant!