Customer Reviews

How I Became an American

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"How I became an American" is a terrific read for anyone (adults included!) who is interested in a fascinating time in our nation's history-- early 20th Century immigration to America from Europe-- and who wants a readable and compelling account of what things were like for the millions of immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island around 1900. The "Bonferts" family, a German-speaking family from Romania, risks everything for the hope of a new and productive life in America. For the most part, they find it, but in doing so they learn that everything good also comes at a cost.

I had never known a lot about this time period but learned, even though this is "historical fiction," a LOT about immigrant populations, working conditions for immigrants (and others) at that time, and about how people lived back then. The protagonist ("Johnny", 11 years old) tells of his experiences firsthand in a way that is fun to read and compelling for young readers. I think that this book is a VERY relevant one for young people today, especially as the issue of immigration is still a huge one in our country, and one we are sometimes having difficulty grappling with these days. The translation from the German is beautifully done (it won a national award for this).

This novel would also be a great choice for language arts/American History classes for elem/middle school (4th-6th grade).

And the book is a FUN too.