Synopsis
Native Americans may technically have "immigrated" to North America across the Bering land bridge thousands of years ago. However, they are not really an immigrant group in the traditional sense. Native Americans were here long before a European ever set foot in North America. They are included in this series because the impact that European immigration had on their cultures and their way of life is striking and profound. In their quest for more and more land, European immigrants pushed Native Americans off their ancestral lands and forced them onto reservations.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-7–Each of these books has an identical preface that states in part, “the pride that Americans have in their ethnic roots is one of the abiding strengths of both the United States and Canada.” After that, Bowen and Temple present brief personalized accounts and continue with straightforward and readable overviews about the relevant group’s immigration history, arranged in short chapters such as “Before European Dominance” and “The Subarctic People” in Native Americans, and “The First Wave” and “Life as a Peddler” in Arab Americans. Native Americans stands out as an odd title in the series. Though it is true that Native Americans have been affected by immigration, they are not a traditional immigrant group. Also, the book itself spreads too thin as it covers the history of dozens of tribes. Though the book has readable text and engaging pictures, it does not offer sufficient information for reports, and the most recent title in the list for further reading was published in 1997. Both titles provide succinct coverage over a broad time period, so readers seeking details about a specific region or era will need additional resources.–Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library