11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great History, July 10, 2009
Professor Cannato has created a remarkable work of history. It is beautifully written and superbly researched. Cannato reshapes your views on Ellis Island without preaching or taking a one-sided view of history. The reader is never overwhelemd yet the depth of research is remarkable; stories of individuals (their triumphs and tragedies) adds to the cogent research.I enjoyed the chapter structure; wonderful, grabber introductions, fascianting, detailed body of work, and conclusions that help the reader wrap up the main points. Informative, well-written, and a myth buster....This is the way history ought to be written. Bravo.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The story of our ancestors, June 29, 2009
Like many in this country I am the descendant of folks who crossed the ocean in steerage, and then made it safely through Ellis Island, which is the subject of this excellent book. When I read of all the requirements that were put onto those hoping to enter this country, I am extremely grateful that I am here today and not planting potatoes somewhere in Poland.
The book goes through the entire history of Ellis Island, from its first incarnation as a place to hang criminals, through its various stages of immigration reception, through the many changes and renovations made to it, and finally to the tourist attraction (and national treasure) that it is today.
I had occasion to take my wife, two of my chilren, and my two granddaughters to Ellis Island a few years ago, and I was in awe of the place, and couldn't believe what my forebearers had to go through so that I could be there observing. Using the computers there, we were able to find my father's father, and my wife's mother's father, and learned how and when they arrived on our shores.
The book says that names weren't changed by officials there, but I tend to disagree. My grandfather's name was Appolinarious (sp?), but it was changed to Paul at Ellis Island. It's easier to say, because in Polish his name is pronounced much differently than it is written above.
We should all take some time out to see this place, and then stop to admire and thank our ancestors for having the courage to come to a new land and raise their families.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting view of what people went through to become American's, August 20, 2009
Vincent Cannato does a wonderful job of demystifying Ellis Island and in American Passage does a wonderful job of showing how Ellis Island was a metaphor for the battle regarding what constituted America's immigration policy and what resulted in the restrictive policies of the post WW I era.
Cannato shows that the vast number of immigrants of the Ellis Island era, while not from the preferred parts of Europe like earlier immigrants, were by and large hardworking individuals who sought to have their own little piece of the American dream. The great struggle regarding which group should be admitted and which group should not is mapped out in epic detail. He also does a wonderful job at demonstrating the internal political struggles that beset Ellis Island during its peak years of operation.
Cannato also shows that not all the immigrants who came into the country during this period were of ideal motives. Where the book tends to drag is that it draws too much from leaders and senators and does not offer a balanced view by showing successful immigrants. However that does not stop this from being a very interesting story and an interesting read.
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