At the Edge of a Dream: The Story of Jewish Immigrants on New York's Lower East Side 1880-1920

by Lawrence J. Epstein

This beautiful book tells the nostalgic tale of how millions of Jewish immigrants entered America through the portal of the Lower East Side. There in New York City they struggled and ultimately flourished in a neighborhood that was the center of Jewish work, family, and culture. For more than fifty years, the Lower East Side spawned newly-mined Americans, including entertainment icons like George Burns and Ira Gershwin, gangsters like Meyer Lansky, and an extraordinary array of people who would go on to transform American society.

Genres: History, American History

299 pages, Hardcover

First published August 17, 2007

Reviews

[Laura]

A very good book with outstanding resource materials.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid grounding with some great photographs but sometimes dry prose. Provides a vast amount of information in a concise manner.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely fascinating history of the Jewish immigrants and their lives in New York City. It begins with what their lives were like in Eastern Europe and the vast changes they experienced when they settled in New York City. Highly recommended.