Customer Reviews

Bridge to America: Based on a True Story

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4 star:		(1)
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Fivel and his family survive life in a Polish shtetl, waiting for the day Pa will send for them to come to America. After seven years, the money arrives and the family endures the difficult journey, ultimately reuniting with Pa and making a new life for themselves in Minnesota.

While somewhat fictionalized, the characters and events are based on the true story of Phil (Fivel) Myzel. The author has captured the realistic personalities of the family members, making the characters believable and lively. While the Myzel family experiences much that is typical of the era, the story also includes unusual incidents that make it uniquely interesting, such as when Benyomin escapes death at the hands of Cossacks because of his hat.

Rather than begin with arrival in America as so many immigration stories do, the first half of Bridge to America takes place in the old country. This sets the stage and helps readers understand who the characters are and what their life is like before they face enormous changes. It also helps readers perceive the sharp contrast between the shtetl and the new world.

Jewish content is expertly integrated into the narrative so that it is an essential but not overwhelming aspect of the tale. The Jewish experience of life in the early 20th century is accurately and sympathetically explored. In the final chapters of the book, Fivel/Phil struggles to embrace both his old and new identities, a poignant and relevant theme not often addressed in children's literature, but dealt with skillfully here.

The book is written with heartfelt respect and love for the characters and for the generation that braved the hardships of immigration. This attitude gives the story an inner glow and brings it to life. Glaser loves the people she writes about, and she makes readers love them too. This comes through even more strongly in the audio interview with both Glaser and Myzel, available on The Book of Life podcast's July episode at www.jewishbooks.blogspot.com.

Bridge to America was named a 2006 Notable Children's Book of Jewish Content by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Recommended for Grades 4-6.

Great story, intended for a younger audience but will captivate even adults if you enjoy biographies! This is the story of the real Fievel who came to America.

I had to read this for a book report and finished it in about a week. So I would recommend this book for almost anyone.

This is a cannot put it down book. The story told by Fivel a young Jewish boy in Poland. His father has went ahead to America to make a home for them. During this time the 5 children and Mother are in danger and starving all the time. They go through pogroms all the time by the Cossacks. It is a story based on actual facts.

Once they get on their way to America it is no easy trip, very scary and dangerous. Then you can arrive and be checked by a doctor only to be sent back since you are too sick. Most likely you will not survive the trip back, how heartbreaking. Just because you are not in America you now have a new set of problems you don't speak English.

In spite of all the hardships Fivel and his family do not give up. I highly recommend this book.

My students love this book, and I use it as a way of teaching the history of how difficult it was to be an immigrant to America.
The story covers the entire saga of a family thru the eyes of a little boy, Fivel, from his horrible experiences with starvation and Cossack raids in Poland , thru his difficult passage to America in steerage , to his processing thru Ellis Island, and his experiences trying to fit in to American life.
The main character is about the same age as my 4th graders so they relate to him well. This book makes that whole period of history come alive for them. I highly recommend this book!
Even for non-teachers it is a moving book well worth reading!