Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 (Dear America) (Hardcover)

by Kathryn Lasky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-8--Zipporah Feldman, a 12-year-old Jewish immigrant from Russia, uses diary entries to chronicle her family's activities as they acclimate to life on New York City's Lower East Side. The hopes and dreams of a young girl are beautifully portrayed through Lasky's eloquent and engaging narrative. Readers are quickly drawn into Zipporah's world of traditional Jewish ritual and celebrations and will identify with the girl's desires to aspire to greatness in her new home. She absorbs the freedom of America, wanting to share her enthusiasm with her parents, encouraging her father to pursue his love of music and trying to persuade her mother to shed some of her strict religious ways. The story's historical significance is evident in the Feldman's arrival at Ellis Island and the subsequent procedures immigrants had to endure, and in the description of the factory fire in which Zipporah's friend dies, which is based on the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory of 1911. Characters are portrayed as strong individuals, and their motives are believable. Readers learn in an epilogue that Zipporah pursued her love for the theater and eventually rose to stardom. Archival photos, accompanied by a recipe for hamantaschen and the traditional Jewish song to welcome the Sabbath, bring the reality of the novel to light. A story of hope and of love for one's country.

Janet Gillen, Great Neck Public Library, NY

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Twelve-year-old Zippy, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, keeps a diary account of the first eighteen months of her family's life on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1903-1904.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590029738
• ISBN-13: 978-0590029735
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,085 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The Dear America Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was another great Dear America book!, February 14, 1998

By A Customer

Dreams in the Golden Country was another great Dear America book. It is the diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish immigrant girl from Russia, in which she describes her family's first year and a half living on New York City's Lower East Side. Zipporah, or Zippy as she is called, dreams of being an actress in New York's Yiddish theater, and is overjoyed when she is given a job as a prop gir. But her newfound joy is overshadowed by the death of her baby brother when he is just a few days old. To make matters worse for her mother, Zippy's older sister, Miriam, recently ran off to marry a non-Jewish Irish boy, and her sister, Tovah, believes in women's rights and has organized a union, both of which Mrs. Feldman dissaproves of. Plus, one of Zippy's friends dies in a factory fire. Can Zippy really make a new life for herself in this so-called "golden country" that isn't so golden after all?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK EVER READ ABOUT A JEWISH CHILD!, May 24, 2000

By A Customer

I just finished this book and hope to read another Dear America book. I am about the same age as Zippy.I understood her pain about being ignored and was very suprised how good the book was. I read it, ONE, because I am jewish and TWO because I wondered what life was like in 1903-1905. I would read this book any time and suggest it to anyone. This book is definetly worth 400 stars!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Dear America book!, April 17, 2000

By A Customer

This is my pure favorite! I love the story of the Jewish emmigrants and this book does it's best to show the many hopes they held in America. I really loved the character Zipporah and the many other characters. Zipporah was full of hopes and dreams, as well as worries. The book was very good at depicting life in America and describing historical events. The storyline was purely amazing! There was tension and once in a while a surprise. There were times that made me cry and times that made me happy. The setting and details were also amzing! Kathryn Lasky is even more accurate than Kristiana Gregory(much more accurate believe me!) This book is very heartwarming and will take your breath away!