U. S. immigration and migration almanac

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-Almanac opens with an overview of immigration to and migration patterns within the U.S. and current theories about Pre-Columbian migrations to North America. Separate, well-written chronological chapters cover from the early arrival of the Spanish and English to the more recent immigration of Latino and Caribbean groups. Discussions examine the factors that pushed people from their homelands and pulled them to the U.S.; objective analysis about assimilation; and information about the contributions, current numbers, and locations of each subpopulation. The author also details voluntary and forced internal migrations within the U.S. These readable volumes offer much more background than Sandy Pobst's The Newest Americans (Greenwood, 2003). Biographies profiles 50 men and women who either immigrated to this country or influenced the debate on the treatment of immigrants. The balanced profiles are separately authored, so readability varies; while admiring of their subjects, the contributors also discuss their weaknesses. Sidebars provide additional information or quotes. In Primary Sources, the 17 excerpts begin with Lord Baltimore's 1649 Declaration of Religious Tolerance and end with Pat Buchanan's views on immigration policies. The letters, articles, government documents, Supreme Court rulings, and the reflections of authors such as Willa Cather and Mark Twain offer a wide variety of viewpoints. Each entry begins with a lengthy introduction that places the piece in historical context. While some of the sources can be difficult or dry reading they do illustrate how the document changed policies or influenced public opinion. Average-quality black-and-white illustrations appear throughout the set. Almanac is particularly strong, but all of these titles make solid report material.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.