Ellis Island Interviews [Paperback]

Peter Morton Coan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island processed 12 million immigrants. Produced in cooperation with the Ellis Island Research Foundation, Ellis Island Interviews collects the oral histories of more than 130 men and women from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. The stories of these last original surviving immigrants are enhanced by more than 60 photographs, many never before published.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Coan takes readers on an emotional tour of Ellis Island with this elaborate, readable collection of interviews. As he makes clear, from 1892 to 1924, Ellis Island was truly the ``golden door'' to America; later, quotas and legislation made US citizenship much more difficult to obtain. The voices captured in first-person narrations--bemused, feisty, poignant--express enthusiasm for their new country, but most are unafraid to look back. The book is divided into the geographical regions from which the interviewees emigrated: the United Kingdom, Northern, Eastern, and Western Europe, Scandinavia, and the Middle East. Each interview comes with an introduction revealing where the speaker settled, thus connecting the old stories to the present. A few famous subjects make appearances among the 130+ men and women included: Bob Hope explains how his first sight of the Statue of Liberty is linked to his theme song (``Thanks for the Memories'') and Otto Preminger is frank about his prospects had his film career succeeded in Germany--he would not have been able to escape Hitler. With so many stories, and so many voices, this is a fine collection of primary-source materials. (index, appendix, b&w photos, not seen) (Nonfiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

To tell their stories, Peter Morton Coan lets the immigrants speak for themselves...All their stories are compelling because they are true, and all are important because they tell our collective American story -- Continental Airlines Magazine, January, 1998

Well presented and expectedly poignant -- Publishers Weekly, October 6, 1997 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816035482
• ISBN-13: 978-0816035489
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, the author was adopted and raised by an affluent Jewish family in Manhattan. After graduating high school he befriended singer-songwriter Harry Chapin offering to write his biography and spent seven years traveling with Chapin and his band all the while attending college, the University at Buffalo where he graduated with honors in English and Psychology, and later Boston University where he earned an MS degree in Print and Broadcast Journalism. The former editor of World Tennis magazine and Boating Industry magazine, he has held senior marketing and communications positions as vice president of Fortune 500 companies: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup,TD Waterhouse and TD Ameritrade. He is married with two daughters, lives in Manhattan and is the principal owner of Coanbooks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truestories from immigrants are treasures for posterity, October 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ellis Island Interviews: In Their Own Words (Hardcover)

I picked this book up on a whim at the library and couldn't put it down. Since my ancestors passed through Ellis Island to come to America, this subject fascinated me. The stories in this book are memorable and give one the feeling of hope that America once symbolized for so many people looking for a better life. It doesn't paint a perfect picture of immigration, it tells the truth by using the immigrants own life stories. Well worth the read!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Historical Treasure Trove, January 7, 2001

By 

Xoe Li Lu "xoelilu" (Sea Girt, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ellis Island Interviews (Paperback)

The result of diligent research, intensive interviewing and careful editing, the "Ellis Island Interviews - In Their Own Words" is a historical treasure trove. In the tradition of Studs Turkel, editor Peter Morton Coan has compiled dozens of interviews depicting the Ellis Island immigration experience. In their own words, immigrants from all walks of life relate the stories of their passage, often providing information about the places they came from, what their trip to the United States was like, why the came, and where they went after leaving Ellis Island. Each story is different of course, but each has a common goal: the dream of a better life in America. Coan also includes interviews with Ellis Island employees and provides background information on U.S. immigration policies and Ellis Island operations to help orient the reader.

Coan's excellent research and editing of the interviews has yielded an invaluable resource of our country's immigration history. The stories are fascinating, and the guts and determination possessed by many of the immigrants are beyond admirable. Reading the "Ellis Island Interviews" is a touching and humbling experience - it will help you to better appreciate what those who came before you have endured. Ellis Island ceased to be an INS port in 1954, and almost all of those who came to the U.S. through Ellis Island are now very advanced in age - we have Coan to thank for preserving their stories for generations to come.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellis Island Interviews : In Their Own Words., May 16, 2000

By 

Gina Hinds - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ellis Island Interviews: In Their Own Words (Hardcover)

This is an incredible book for anyone interested in how their ancestors immigrated to America. It gives honest first hand accounts of people that are currently in their 80's - 100's. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about their roots.