Fascinating reading for both browsers and those seeking a more thorough understanding of immigration.
As timely as the latest newspaper headline and political debate, Osborne’s latest nonfiction volume offers historical context for the issue of immigration.
“Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the British, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them.” Benjamin Franklin’s remark from 1751 sounds eerily familiar over 250 years later, as Americans still grapple with the challenges of immigration. The title, a play on the words of Woody Guthrie’s 1940 folk song, implies the issue: “Is it our land, the land of the people who already live here….Or is it our land, including the people who still come here for freedom and opportunity?” Osborne, a great-granddaughter of Italian immigrants, writes with an open-hearted belief in the United States’ legacy as a nation of immigrants but doesn’t overlook the challenges, past and present. Who should be allowed to enter the United States? How many? Should we build a wall? How do we prevent terrorism? Clear and accessible prose, a colorful design, and numerous quotations keep the volume personal and lively, never textbook-ish. Chapters are divided by waves of immigration, so the parallels among the generations of immigrants become clear.
Fascinating reading for both browsers and those seeking a more thorough understanding of immigration. (appendix, timeline, source notes, bibliography, credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1660-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
A refreshed version of a classic that doesn’t hold up to more recent works.
A new edition of late author Zinn’s 2007 work, which was adapted for young readers by Stefoff and based on Zinn’s groundbreaking 1980 original for adults.
This updated version, also adapted by Stefoff, a writer for children and teens, contains new material by journalist Morales. The work opens with the arrival of Christopher Columbus and concludes with a chapter by Morales on social and political issues from 2006 through the election of President Joe Biden seen through the lens of Latinx identity. Zinn’s work famously takes a radically different perspective from that of most mainstream history books, viewing conflicts as driven by rich people taking advantage of poorer ones. Zinn professed his own point of view as being “critical of war, racism, and economic injustice,” an approach that felt fresh among popular works of the time. Unfortunately, despite upgrades that include Morales’ perspective, “a couple of insights into Native American history,” and “a look at the Asian American activism that flourished alongside other social movements in the 1960s and 1970s,” the book feels dated. It entirely lacks footnotes, endnotes, or references, so readers cannot verify facts or further investigate material, and the black-and-white images lack credits. Although the work seeks to be inclusive, readers may wonder about the omission of many subjects relating to race, gender, and sexuality, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, Indian boarding schools, the Tulsa Race Massacre, Loving v. Virginia, the Stonewall Uprising, Roe v. Wade, Title IX, the AIDS crisis, and the struggle for marriage equality.
A refreshed version of a classic that doesn’t hold up to more recent works. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781644212516
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The author of Alexander the Great Rocks the World (2006) offers a lively, informative and aggressively informal portrait of Egypt’s last and most famous pharaoh. Shecter effectively makes the case that Cleopatra was a far more capable and powerful ruler than she has been depicted in art, film and literature. Ascending to the throne at 17, Cleopatra proved herself a brilliant negotiator who used her considerable intelligence and charisma to forge alliances that kept her in power and in control of her kingdom. Describing Julius Caesar as a “dude [with] a reputation for being a player” and calling Marc Antony a “Roman redneck” are examples of Shecter’s relentlessly flippant style, which seems more appropriate for a gossip magazine than a biography. Young readers are likely, however, to appreciate the irreverent approach and goofy puns. Attractively designed, the book is abundantly illustrated throughout with color representations of art works, maps and photographs of artifacts. (source notes, chronology, glossary, bibliography, index) (Biography. 11-15)
Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-718-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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