 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | New York Times bestselling author Steven V. Roberts follows the stories of thirteen families in this poignant, eye-opening look at immigration in America today. America is a nation of immigrants. But what does it mean to be an immigrant in the United States today? In some ways, the experience has never changed—all newcomers feel the pain of separation. In other ways, it has changed drastically—families maintain strong business ties to their home countries and speak daily with their relatives on cell phones. Attitudes about the great melting pot have taken a sharp turn toward insularity in recent years. The 9/11 attacks and recent waves of undocumented workers seem to have eroded America's long-standing belief in the value of immigration. Yet the families in this book conclusively demonstrate that critics are wrong, and that in the age of Barack Obama, the son of an immigrant from Kenya, newcomers "from every end of this earth" continue to renew America's greatness, every day, with their courage and character. Having shared his own family's story in My Fathers' Houses, distinguished journalist Steven V. Roberts now profiles immigrants from China and Afghanistan, Mexico and Sierra Leone, who have journeyed to our shores in pursuit of the same dream that propelled his own grandparents to leave Russia and Poland a century ago. He combines compelling interviews and meticulous research to produce an engaging, wonderfully clear, and accessible narrative that explores each family's original yet deeply resonant story. As the political debate rages on, Roberts offers an essential and timely look at today's immigrant accounts, and sheds light on the enormous contributions these individuals continue to make to the fabric and future of America. |
Average Customer Rating:    We Are All Immigrants The variety of backgrounds and experiences of the 13 families added to my appreciation of my grandparents. Take a journey of courage with 13 families Steven V Roberts writes a poignant book of thirteen individuals/families who answer the questions of why they chose to immigrant and what is it like to be an immigrant in America today. As he says in the introduction "this book is about the doers, the risk-takers, the makers of things...."
I became interested in refugees while on a trip to Africa where I happened to read Angelina Jolie's: Notes from My Travels and Bill Bryson's African Diary. They got me thinking about what it must be like to totally displace yourself from everything you know and move to a strange country. Jolie speaks of her visits to refugee camps on behalf of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and Bryson with his usual humor talks about his experiences in Africa. So From Every End of This Earth: 13 Families and the New Lives They Made in America intrigued me with its variety and global view point.
The author's grandparents were all immigrants and as a child he would listen to the stories they would tell about their country of birth. His interest in ethnicity followed him throughout his career and this effort to quote the author "is a book about stories. It is not about policies or politics."
In the section on "Survivors" you'll meet people who lived in the countries of Viet Nam, Rwanda, and Sierra Leon where horrendous happenings claimed their families from dismemberment to rape to murder. In desperation they sought to immigrant to some place safe. You'll find inspiring stories of international entrepreneurs from China and India. You'll see drive and ambition to succeed in the section on Business Owners from Greece, El Salvador, Ukraine, Pakistan and Mexico. And you'll meet brave, determined women in the last section on women from Afghanistan, Greece, Israel and Burma.
Reading the book will give you a better understanding of choices immigrants make. For instance many thought they would go back to their homeland at some point, but ended up staying in the United States and marrying, having children. They send money back to their families and even the smallest amount by U.S. standards can make the difference in their homeland of starving or not starving.
Many feel immigrants drain the system of monies that would otherwise go to citizens. The book points out that immigrants have always heavily contributed to the American economy. A snapshot view of some of the contributions can been seen in the section on entrepreneurs. The chapters on Women show very determined individuals who want to provide for their families and contribute to their home. It will give you perspectives to think about that you may have not come across.
The thirteen stories are personal and show a personal journey that is also global in nature. As the author states immigration is "still one of the most challenging journeys any human being ever makes."
FOR THOSE WHO LIKED ' ENRIQUES JOURNEY' Steve is doing the Public radio book tour now. Like my title says...if you liked 'EJ' youll like this politically correct tome by New York Times bestselling author Steven V. Roberts.
Steve Roberts who is married to the dreaded Cokie Roberts of Public radio fame [so the NPR airwaves are fair game for this best selling author] is a professor at GWU and herein he offers 13 chapters of political correctness in his new book.
Just yesterday I was with a visitor from the UK who said `Id like to move to the USA but I cant! THERE ARE 6 NATIONS BARRED FROM THE GREENCARD LOTTERY AND UK IS ONE OF THEM!'
!I THINK THE QUOTE IN ANOTHER BOOK IS THE MOST TELLING. THAT QUOTE IS:
`AMERICA DOESN'T EXIST'
or something like that. The quote is attributed to Cokie Roberts. She of NPR fame is quoted in one of Pat Buchanan's books.
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