Bert B. (sbbookswapper) reviewed Island of Hope, Island of Tears: The Story of Those Who Entered the New World Through Ellis Island -- in Their Own Words on + 3 more book reviews
This is a fascinating story of the immigrants who came through Ellis Island in the early twentieth century. Their stories begin in Europe as families, parts of families, or individuals seeking a better life and some leaving religious persecution. Some people already had family in the U.S. Sections of the book include: the implications of WW1 on these people and their ethnic groups, the experience onboard their ships reaching our shore, the process and problems of going through Ellis Island when they arrived, and the introduction of these newcomers to American customs and life. Vast portions of the book have extensive quotes from those people that arrived. I loved these details. And I applaud the authors for structuring the book around those quotes. When I was at Ellis Island in 2019 I found the name one of my ancestors listed on their large arrival wall. This book gave me a fantastic insight into what may have been their experience.
