Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920. By June Granatir Alexander. Westport, Conn.: 2007. 1 vol. 268 p. $49.95. ISBN 10: 0-313-33562-1; 13: 978-0-313-33562-4.

Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920 Credited with the "second wave" of immigrants to the U.S., this period brought more than 26,000,000 men, women and children not only from northern and western Europe, but from southern and eastern Europe, and these were considered less desirable. Many of these migrants followed family members or people they knew who had left their villages, finding a home with someone who expected them and who helped them find jobs, often in the same factory, mill, or mine. Prior to the opening of Ellis Island in 1892, entering the U.S. was less difficult. Covered here is the situation after that date. A 6-page chronology begins the book. Chapters which follow cover an overview of the period, immigrants in the American West, in the industrial workplace, Urban America, the ethnic communities which were established and the hostile world in which many found themselves. Black and white photographs and some periodical illustrations illustrate the text. A 4-page glossary and 12-page bibliography complete the book. Because we are still a nation of immigrants, comparing how people from other countries enter the U.S. today to the situation during this period of time would make a great exercise for U.S. history classes.