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Reference Reviews
Choice
Magazine
Reference Books Bulletin
Reference Reviews
Review from:
Reference Reviews, April 2002
This overview of the
migration to the United States is the product of the professional writing
team of Brownstone and Franck, who have produced more than 100 reference
titles together. Their latest compendium commences with a historical and
general statistical survey of American immigration and governmental
efforts to control the traffic. "The Journey" examines the personal
experiences encountered by millions of new settlers. Other introductory
sections briefly examine the effect of immigration on Native American
populations and establish a historical chronology of developments relevant
to immigration. The bulk of the guide is devoted to country-by-country
surveys of specific regions. Each chapter describes the experiences of
particular groups, factors affecting migration and settlement patterns in
the United States. Although the text may discuss trends during the
colonial period and early republic, the statistical data is usually
limited to dates between 1820 and 1996. The information is presented in
both tables and graphs, usually by decade, and with more detail after
1970. The sources for most tables are Historical Statistics of the United
States, Colonial Times to 1970 (GPO, 1975) and The Statistical Yearbook of
the Immigration and Naturalization Service (GPO, 1996).
Each chapter provides a
brief bibliography of Internet and print resources, including works for
young people and genealogical tools. A final section provides annual
statistics on immigrants from 1820 to 1998. Unfortunately, these are not
integrated into a single table because of source material differences, and
are instead divided into seven groups of tables. Strangely, this section
provides two extra years of country data (1997 and 1998) not given in the
sections for individual countries. Appendices provide summaries of
important legislation, estimates of illegal immigrants, a glossary and
tips on genealogical resources. Larger academic libraries that own the
source materials for this volume may prefer to do without this title.
For small collections without similar tools, this work does bring much
important information together in a convenient package.
Review from:
Choice
Magazine
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.” Emma Lazarus’s famous poem, “The New Colossus,” inscribed at the entrance to the Statue of Liberty, captures the essence of U.S. immigration policy for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Brownstone and Franck document the immigration process in a reference book that will be a valuable source for anyone interested in this topic. They begin with a substantive overview of the process, focusing in the following five sections on immigration from various continents and from individual countries. The volume concludes with a section on annual immigration statistics, six appendices, a glossary, and a detailed index. Laced into each section and chapter are an assortment of bibliographies, photographs, and drawings. Of greatest value are the 168 tables and 241 graphs that provide specific details of the immigration experience. Like Emma Lazarus’s poem, Facts About American Immigration reminds everyone what it means to be an American. Recommended for all libraries.—T.Walch, Hoover Presidential Library
Review
from: Reference Books Bulletin
Beginning with the earliest Americans,
who crossed the Bering Land Bridge to Alaska between 12,000 and 15,000
B.C.E., Facts about American Immigration focuses on who came and
from where, why they came, the nature of their journeys, where they
settled, and the many efforts to stop them. An overview, which includes
extensive statistical data, places the process of immigration in a wide
historical and global context. The main text delves into immigration
experiences, numbers, and motives by region of emigration including
Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. Each of these sections
contains a brief introduction to the region and a series of articles on
specific countries or groups of countries. Articles include tables and
graphs as well as lists of additional Internet and print resources.
"Annual Immigration Statistics," generated from U.S. government
records, are presented in a section of tables. Six appendixes provide
information on general immigration resources, legislation, estimates of
emigration and illegals, tips on genealogical research, and two guides on
using the National Archives and Records Administration. A detailed index
completes the volume.
Facts about
American Immigration will be useful in high-school and undergraduate
libraries as well. |
