Immigration Books

As someone else who has had to move several times due to the father's job I can relate on many levels with this book, my moves were every three years within the USA and not as diverse as the author's moves to other countries nor as dramatic as the military plane ride. ALAS, my family only travelled by station wagon. Fran Kramer's family had a 'you have to read this book' experience in post war Japan. The beauty of Japan and the Japanese people are stunning in the words of Fran Kramer.

A charming story of the daughter of an American Army officer living in post WWII Japan. For children it offers the classic tales of adjusting to a new home, pets, problems at school with teachers and bullies, and one attempt at playing hooky. On an adult level it reveals the complex differences between Japanese and American traditions, along with the universal undercurrent of curiosity and love among fellow human beings regardless of culture. If you a planning a trip to Japan or moving your family to any foreign country, The Traveling Sketch Book is a must read.

The book does an excellent job of showing the human side of the underground world of millions people in the United States.

A few weeks ago, I took Amtrak from San Jose, California to Los Angeles. While looking out the window at the strawberry farms in the Central Valley, I saw the migrant farm workers hunched over or kneeling in the hot sun as they picked strawberries. As a child and teenager, going strawberry picking at the pick-it-yourself farms in Watsonville, near Santa Cruz, was always a fun trip for me and I looked forward to going. For these workers, the strawberries were their sustenance, not a weekend family outing. Despite my yearly trips to the farm country, I never knew much about how these farm workers lived until I read their personal accounts in the book, Underground America.

Reading the stories of undocumented migrants in the book, Underground America, gave me a glimpse into the lives of not just the migrant farm workers harvesting the Golden State's crops, but into the difficulties of many people living illegally in the United States. The book gives a human face to the statistics we see on TV about illegal immigration. I was familiar with the harsh living conditions and migration patterns of undocumented Latin Americans in the US, but I was quite shocked at the stories of the African, South Asian, Chinese and Iranians in the book. One woman from South Africa came to the United States to work as a missionary and ended up cleaning and cooking in the dirty house of the pastor's daughter. She came to do the work of the Lord and was instead used for cheap labor. In order to pay for her family member's HIV treatments, she had to stay in the US and work as a nanny and housekeeper.

The conditions described in the detention facilities for illegal immigrants seem to parallel those in maximum security prisons. Why do we treat the people who do the jobs that few legal residents would ever want to do with such disgust? There was a striking story of a Mexican woman who came to the US with her two children. Her eldest son Victor became a transgender woman named Vica. She got AIDS. Vica was caught in an immigration raid and taken to a detention facility where the doctors refused to give her her needed AIDS medicines. She died chained to a bed.

These stories make take away the hidden nature of the underground in the United States. The strawberries have a story to them, and it's not sweet. The illegals are not criminals. We are profiting from their work and we have to face the reality of the way our economy works in the United States. We must be aware of the immigration struggle and the implications of our laws and government in order to create a just society.

Orner and his team of interviewers slice through all the political rhetoric and get at what really matters--the people--by letting "illegals" from all walks tell their stories. Reading these narratives, your heart will break and your blood will boil. With immigration sure to be a hot button debate this fall in the general election, any person who wants to speak intelligently to the issue owes it to themselves to read this book. In the tradition of Studs Terkel's Division Street USA and other great oral histories, this is a great and important book.

Great selection of articles supporting immigration reform from some of the most insightful columnists on the issue like Peter Brimelow, Paul Craig Roberts, Steve Sailer and Sam Francis. All of these are taken from the indispensible VDARE.com website.

Criticizing mass immigration has become a taboo issue for both the Left and Right, but these writers do not shy away from it. They do not confine their critique to illegal immigration or the more politically correct "numbers" argument (though they do not ignore either aspect.) Instead, they also address the important demographic, cultural, and other politically incorrect aspects that mass immigration will have on America.

If you are concerned about the future of America, read this book.

This collection of essays from vdare.com, a website that is dedicated to the preservation of our way of life in America, is an indispensible guide for all Americans. Using the forces of logic and lucid and accurate detail as their weapons, this book will make you remember that there is a best America, and reading it will help you play a role in keeping the country great. Any alexa.com search of vdare will reveal that this collection of authors is very popular, with links all over the web, including even city websites like http://www.hudsonfla.com/resinews.htm.

I lived through all the periods of Vietnamese history mentioned in the book. I witnessed (as a child) the 1954 exodus from the North, the 1975 event leading to the concentration camps, the exodus of the boat people from Vietnam and their life outside of Vietnam. It's quite an extraordinary and pleasant experience for me to read "The Vietnamese Boat People". It's like being led on an instructive tour to your own hometown, guided by a scholarly (and surgeon) friend who writes English in a way very few of us can, to revisit familiar places that you thought you have always known so well, only to find out that there are a lot of new things and perspectives about your own past and your country's past. With the book,my own eclectic, personal pieces of memory seem to find their place in the jigsaw puzzle. It may help former refugees like myself, and hopefully our English speaking progeny, find a sense of meaning and purpose from our turbulent and traumatic past. For some of us, this may also provide some relief from lingering guilts and regrets about our past lost cause, and maybe, a sense of closure necessary to start a new chapter for our life and for our former country that still stays behind in every way.

This is a clear, readable, and concise book about Vietnamese refugees. There have been a large number of books on this subject, but this is one of the better and more complete ones I have encountered.

The author begins with a subject neglected by many authors -- a description of the refugee flight that came about as a result of the French defeat and the Communist takeover of North Vietnam in 1954. About one million people fled North Vietnam at that time. He then jumps forward 20 years to an account of the many different phases of the 1975-1992 humanitarian crisis -- and crisis it was -- beginning as a consequence of the defeat of the U.S.-supported South Vietnamese government in 1975. Throughout the narrative, he mixes in the personal stories of individuals escaping from Communism, their life in the refugee camps, and their later experiences in the United States. Finally, he describes the refugee policies of the countries who hosted and helped -- sometimes reluctantly -- Vietnamese refugees: the United States, Thailand, Malaysia, France, Canada, Australia, and others.

The author draws most of his material from previously published books, but his insights often have a interesting twist of their own, perhaps because the author himself is Vietnamese, experienced some of the events he describes, and reflects the view -- very anti-communist -- of many in the American Vietnamese community.

Smallchief

Eight-year-old Beto is an immigrant Everyboy, tempest toss'd onto our shores after civil war and a fire rob his Salvadoran parents of jobs and a home. But his papa doesn't get a visa, and must remain behind while Beto's mama works in a sweatshop and Beto dreams of a reunion. Hard work and hope keep this family going until Beto gets his wish, and therein lies a message that transcends the story no matter how many times and in how many ways it's told. Lainez avoids politically correct sandtraps to make clear that Beto's suffering isn't a Latino thing, and therefore his hard-earned triumph is one we can all share.

review written by Anne Boles Levy

Three cheers for Rene Colato Laínez's skillfully written "Waiting for Papa/Esperando a Papa!" The El Salvadoran author's real-life story mirrors the experiences of immigrant children, and these pages reveal hardships as well as hope, separation and the resilience of love.
Beto was only 5 when he and his mother fled El Salvador during the war that destroyed their home. Vowing to join them as soon as he could, Beto's father says goodbye at the airport. That day, Beto recalls that his "heart broke in two pieces. One piece went to the United States and the other stayed with Papa." The rest of the story recounts Beto's efforts to bring his father to the United States. Latino characters add authenticity throughout the book, as Ms. Parrales, a teacher, and Mr. Gonzalez from the Voice of the Immigrant radio program join forces to help Beto. The illustrations are genuine and graphically trace the story line. This book is truly a must for all English as a Second Language classrooms.

review written by Yvonne Murray

Walk in my Shoes is about a Pakistani refugee family who arrive in Australia after going through a circuitous, arduous and dangerous journey. When they arrive they are full of hope and believe they are finally safe. However, the family is immediately placed in a detention centre out in the desert where they linger for almost two years before being released. The loss of hope, the anguish and pain this family suffers while they try to prove to the Australian government that they are indeed refugees is excrutiating.

The reading age of this book is 9-12 years but is suitable for all age groups and I would recommend it as essential reading not only for school children but for all Australians. It is difficult not to feel deep compassion for those people who have suffered so terribly in their own countries and have come to Australia (even if they have by-passed the legal channels).
It gives another perspective to the refugee debate quite differnet from the government's stance and is likely to produce a public outcry about the way refugees are being treated in Australia. Indeed as the protagonist of the novel points out - why if we weren't refugees would we come to Australia on such dangerous unseaworthy boats? Terrorists are never going to travel this way.

Amazing.
Walk In My Shoes is a touching novel about a girl and her family that lived in Pakistan and have immigrated to Australia. Australia is everything they have ever dreamed of. But after two years in refugee camp, and many unwelcome surprises, it seems they have lost hope.
Touching, amazing and the true side of what is actually happening to Pakistani refugees in Australia. Walk In My Shoes really makes you feel as if you are walking in the shoes of an Pakistani refugee.

This would be a fine book even if it were only a well-executed example of those "learn about a culture" books. But it is much more. The book teaches -- without the heavy-handed EXPLANATIONS that so often destroy the flow and writing and make the whole thing seem so artificial -- about Jewish values and the complexities of social responsibility, justice and dignity, without ever TELLING them to the reader. The author lets the story speak for itself, and the message comes through all the more clearly, not less, for her forbearance. Just terrific. Worth the price for the kids on your list (and I don't think it's only appropriate for under-eights).

This is an oustanding book for children. My daughter received it as a gift, and it is one of those rare books that adults feel delivers a powerful message, but children love anyway! The book gives an interesting look at an immigrant Jewish community without ever being pedagogical, and, even better, teaches a wonderful philosophy of social justice and "charity" without being in the least preachy and (even rarer) without stating in words the point the story has just made. You will love this one

I recently got this book for my daughter as an educational tool. The book touched closely my own experiences when I arrived to this country many years ago at the age of 14.

I too came from a warm climate and found myself in the northeast of the US, where the weather, language and customs were much different than my own. Mr. Figueredo was able to accurately describe the many fears and insecurities that an impressionable child goes through when leaving the familiar for the unknown.

I recommend this book as a teaching tool for tolerance and acceptance of those who are different than us. I was very fortunate that I found many new friends in this country who also came from different backgrounds and embraced me as their own. Books like this one go a long way in creating understanding among people.

This book was great. My mom asked me to read it because she was giving it to my little cousins and I really liked it. It told about a boy who was feeling both scared and excited - they are feelings I have too. I'd be scared if I had to leave my country forever and not even know what the people were saying when I got to the new place. It would be scarey to have a Mom who is sick and a Dad who has to get a new job. It would also be frightening to think about a new school where you wouldn't know anybody AND you wouldn't even know what they were saying to you or about you. I remember when a boy named Sasha came to our class and he was from Russia and did not know any English. I had heard there were other languages but I didn't know what that could do to a person until I saw what Sasha went through. I think a new adventure is only exciting when you don't have to worry, but Danilito and Shasha had to worry. In the book Danilito was lucky though because he had his mom and dad and his uncle to help him. I think Danilito and Shasha are a lot alike. Danilito may be scared today but just like Sasha, once he learns the new language he will become very happy and his scared feelings will become feelings about excitement about his new adventures in a new home. After all, he already had a happy experience that he didn't need a language for - the snow! It made things new seem good and exciting. I think this author must like little kids because he knew how they feel inside.

Michael Corso III

I first saw Mr. Viorst on PBS an an expert on Middle East affairs and was impressed by his keen insights. Considering that he is a Jewish writer living in the United States, he has established a highly independent and well-founded perspective on the state of Israel and its relationships with both the Arab world and the United States. After reading all of Henry Kissinger's writings on the Arab-Israel struggle, I found this book a wonderful counterpoint to the cold war outlook on Mideast politics taken by so many American administrations. I would compare it to David Shipler's perspective in his book on Arab and Jew; Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land. Perhaps with the end of the cold war, Mr. Viorst's perspective on the Arab-Israeli struggle will begin to find more resonance in the capitols of the western world. I would highly recommend this book to any serious student of Mid-East politics and history. In a time when we are fighting a battle against Osama bin Laden, Mr. Viorst illuminates the reasons why American policy in the Middle East may have, purposefully or inadvertently, helped to inflame so many Arabs while bringing no lasting peace to the region.

He also does an excellent job, through the political history of Israel since its inception, sorting out the movements, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Zionist and Revisionist, etc. that have pushed and pulled Israel in conflicting directions over the past 50 years. For that alone, this book should be compulsory reading for any student of Israeli political history. While it was written in the late 1980's, it still shines a light on the events which have since transpired.

"His Dominion" And The "Yellow Peril": Protestant Missions to Chinese Immigrants In Canada 1859-1967 by Jiwu Wang is a scholarly history of the interaction between Chinese Immigrants with Canadian Protestant missionaries, particularly with the role religion played enabling Chinese Immigrants to retain their cultural identity in an era when they were regarded with suspicion or even open hostility - the "Yellow Peril". Although much has been written about the struggle to survive and prosper for Chinese immigrants in Canada, little has been written analyzing the fervent desire common among Protestant evangelicals to convert the Chinese to Christianity - a mission that was seen not only as necessary to save their souls, but urgent to protect and preserve the values of the dominant culture. Chapters chronicle both individual missionary efforts and the establishment of missions, and their repercussions, evenhandedly detailing both the missions' reactions to the Chinese immigrants and the immigrants' reactions to the Chinese. A welcome addition to history and religious history shelves.