American Immigration: Our History, Our Stories

Gr 5-8--Krull explores the history of immigration in America and strives to offer a comprehensive view of an issue that continues to impact many young people. The text traces the country's complicated relationship with immigration and immigrants up to the current rulings of the Trump administration. Breaking chapters up with "Immigrant Story" and "Pro and Con" subsections, the narrative moves quickly. However, factual errors, misrepresentations, and oversimplifications prevent the book from achieving its full objective. For example, chapter 12 states "America won the (Mexican-American) War and promptly swallowed, or took over, present-day Texas." Texas was annexed by the U.S. in 1845 and became the 28th state before the war started the following year. The admittedly brief section regarding Andrew Jackson's treatment of Native people omits the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Throughout the text, and particularly beginning in chapter eight, the word "Muslim" is used as a term denoting both religious and ethnic identity. The interchanging usage of the word without proper explanation could confuse young readers. The text also lacks a substantive discussion of the role the U.S. played in creating the military and humanitarian crises that have driven and continue to drive waves of immigration from around the world. There is little to no mention of U.S. sanctions, coups, puppet governments, or many other destabilizing interventions. VERDICT An admirable attempt to address complicated and timely issues concerning immigration throughout U.S. history up to the present day, but the text is unfortunately marred by factual errors, misrepresentations, and oversimplifications.--Ted McCoy, Austin Public Library, Austin, TX

This volume tackles the seesaw history of U.S. immigration: "Debates over immigration have been noisy and emotional.... This book tries to explain why." Krull (The Only Woman in the Photo) begins by pointing out that the people often thought of as "settlers" were actually immigrants. From there, she traces continuous waves of immigration to the country--German groups in the 18th century, Chinese and Irish Catholics in the 19th century, and Cuban refugees in 1980, among others--tracking the oscillation of public opinion and government policy between acceptance and rejection. Key pieces of U.S. legislation, shaped by fear and inclusive idealism, are discussed, from the white-men-only 1790 Naturalization Law through the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act abolishing racial quotas, up to President Trump's family separation policy. Capsule biographies of U.S. immigrants (from Trump's grandfather to Larissa Martinez, an undocumented high school student) punctuate the chapters. Throughout, Krull's efforts are complicated by choices that range from problematic to debatable (an uncritically positive view of "assimilation," for example), dulling the luster of Krull's otherwise persuasive argument that "America came from nothing to be what it is today because of immigrants." Ages 8-12. (June)

"Krull's book presents the good, bad, and ugly truths about immigration and should be required reading for everyone." — Emily M. Schell, Executive Director, California Global Education Project, San Diego State University College of Education