TO AMERICA

by Eleanor B. Tripp ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 1969

To America... ""From Authority: Norwich, England, 1630's""; ""From Freedom: the African Gold Coast, 1731."" The themes of the first two sections, startling as stated and especially in juxtaposition, reflect the tenor of this study--a free-wheeling examination of what we were and why we came which puts each people in its place and reveals (among several surprises) more similarity between African villagers and impoverished Irish in circumstances and life style than between the latter and the dissident English two centuries before. Also detailed is the fabric of life and factors of change in 1848 Berlin, in a Chinese village of the 1860's, in rural Sweden of the 1880's, in a Sicilian hamlet between 1900 and 1927, in a ghetto community in Russia from 1900 to 1914, on a Mexican hacienda in the 1920's. Each represents both a significant group of immigrants and a characteristic context of emigration; and the detail, which at first seems excessive, serves as a constant and a standard of comparison. An absorbing book, original in concept, fluently followed through, which carries its considerable scholarship lightly and makes vivid use of quotes (the author has specialized in the subject). Unfortunately, the major maps will be on the endpapers, there will be no index, and the table of contents will not be broken down as per the text--all of which are flaws but not fatal.

Pub Date: March 5, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & World

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION