What do you think?
Rate this book
Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924
In a stunning nonfiction debut, award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson focuses on five immigrants' stories to reveal the triumphs and hardships of early 1900s immigrant life in New York. Acclaimed author Hopkinson recounts the lives of five immigrants to New York's Lower East Side through oral histories and engaging narrative. We hear Romanian-born Marcus Ravage's disappointment when his aunt pushes him outside to peddle chocolates on the street. And about the pickle cart lady who stored her pickles in a rat-infested basement. We read Rose Cohen's terrifying account of living through the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, and of Pauline Newman's struggles to learn English. But through it all, each one of these kids keeps working, keeps hoping, to achieve their own American dream.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2003
17 people are currently reading
658 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Hopkinson
107 books371 followersI write nonfiction and historical fiction, picture books, and Golden Books. I speak at school, libraries, and conferences. I also love to garden and offer manuscript critiques. (Deborahhopkinson@yahoo.com)
NEW books in 2024 include DETERMINED DREAMER: THE STORY OF MARIE CURIE, illus by Jen Hill, ON A SUMMER NIGHT, illus by Kenard Pak, TRIM HELPS OUT and TRIM SAILS the STORM, illus by Kristy Caldwell, EVIDENCE! illustrated by Nik Henderson, and a nonfiction work called THEY SAVED THE STALLIONS. I'm delighted to say that Trim Helps Out, Trim Sails the Storm, On a Summer Night and Evidence! are all Junior Library Guild selections.
I live and work in Oregon and travel all over to speak to young readers and writers.
NEW books in 2024 include DETERMINED DREAMER: THE STORY OF MARIE CURIE, illus by Jen Hill, ON A SUMMER NIGHT, illus by Kenard Pak, TRIM HELPS OUT and TRIM SAILS the STORM, illus by Kristy Caldwell, EVIDENCE! illustrated by Nik Henderson, and a nonfiction work called THEY SAVED THE STALLIONS. I'm delighted to say that Trim Helps Out, Trim Sails the Storm, On a Summer Night and Evidence! are all Junior Library Guild selections.
I live and work in Oregon and travel all over to speak to young readers and writers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 14, 2019
3.5 stars
A book of wonderful pictures to help tell the story of life in the New York tenements around 1900. Life on the streets, in apartments, as boarders and new arrivals from Ellis Island. Most speaking other languages, out in the cold, all alone with no other family, unaware of how to survive in this new world in New Yorks lower east side.
This book touches on the Triange Waist Company fire and shirtwaist strike. It also gives a timeline from 1860, with the Italian immigration, to 1925 when Ellis Island closed.
A book of wonderful pictures to help tell the story of life in the New York tenements around 1900. Life on the streets, in apartments, as boarders and new arrivals from Ellis Island. Most speaking other languages, out in the cold, all alone with no other family, unaware of how to survive in this new world in New Yorks lower east side.
This book touches on the Triange Waist Company fire and shirtwaist strike. It also gives a timeline from 1860, with the Italian immigration, to 1925 when Ellis Island closed.
April 6, 2017
Life in the Tenements of NY follows the lives of 5 immigrant kids and their families as they try to assimilate, learn the language, become accustomed to the severe living conditions and deal with their older parents and all the road blocks to making it - not only in America but in one of the toughest cities in the world.
As a genealogist, the social history is invaluable, the photographs add enormously to the story and to understanding the minutiae of daily life and allow us to enter their world and get a peek at life in a tenement during the turn of the century.
As a genealogist, the social history is invaluable, the photographs add enormously to the story and to understanding the minutiae of daily life and allow us to enter their world and get a peek at life in a tenement during the turn of the century.
August 26, 2020
Hopkinson presents the true stories of five young immigrants who live in New York City's Lower East Side. She reveals their struggles working for long hours and living in crowded quarters. Determined to succeed, they long to better themselves through education. Thorough research and extensive back matter plus historic photos (many show children) add more information in this award-winning book (including the National Council of Teachers of English's Orbis Pictus Honor). I recommend this well-written book for middle graders!
February 16, 2026
I’ve always been interested in the Lower East Side of NYC after reading the All of a Kind Family series. I knew that those books were an idealized portrayal of life in the tenements, but it was still fascinating. Shutting Out the Sky fills in the cracks admirably as it follows five young immigrants as they arrive in and adjust to America. I especially appreciated the many pictures! While the content is clean enough for any age to read, the comprehension level is probably middle school and up. 8+
October 5, 2019
A look into the lives of immigrants who came to New York City and the lives they lived. It had multiple stories with various views and it really gave you an idea of the daily lives. Excited to visit some of these places in New York City.
February 5, 2021
I actually read We Must Not Forget, but it's not listed on Goodreads. It is short, well researched personal stories about the Holocaust. It was very informative, easy to follow, and would be great for high schoolers. Everyone should read it!
June 13, 2018
Good book.
March 22, 2019
This is a great resource about immigration! It’s easily accessible for kids and I love the personal stories that weave together throughout the book.
Recommend for 4-8th graders!
Recommend for 4-8th graders!
October 5, 2019
Its a great book for students to learn about immigrants that had to suffer during that time
July 23, 2020
An excellent and well put together little book, a great resource for young adults
March 1, 2023
It amazes me all the time at how some people have to live in order to survive. I often wonder how I would have reacted to similar circumstances.
March 27, 2023
A interesting description of immigrant 's life and the problems they overcame.
Want to Read
April 4, 2023good
Read
July 31, 2013Hopkinson, D. (2003). Shutting Out the Sky: life in the tenements of New York, 1880-1924. Orchard Bks.
Orchard Bks. 0-439-37590-8, $17.95
Review Source: School Library Journal; December 2003, Vol. 49 Issue 12, p169-169, 1p
SOL Correlation: : From the US History 1885- Present and World History Standards:
• USII.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life changed after the Civil War by e) describing the impact of the Progressive Movement on child labor, working conditions, the rise of organized labor, women’s suffrage, and the temperance movement
• USII.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the social, economic, and technological changes of the early twentieth century by a) explaining how developments in factory and labor productivity, transportation (including the use of the automobile), communication, and rural electrification changed American life and standard of living
• WHII.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of the Industrial Revolution during the nineteenth century by c) describing the evolution of the nature of work and the labor force, including its effects on families, the status of women and children, the slave trade, and the labor union movement;
Review: This book combines stories from immigrants in New York City in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Through stories and pictures, a picture of life in the sweatshops and tenements is painted for the reader. The book presents life for poor immigrants as hard. While the information is factual and unbiased, it is one sided in that in only show the life of the poor immigrants in the tenement buildings.The book has stories from immigrants and photographs, primarily from the Museum of New York and the New York Public Library. The author made visits to New York over a three year period to listen to oral history recordings and to select photographs. The book is relevant to the US History and World History standards. It would fill a hole in resources concerning child labor, working conditions, living conditions, and the rise of industry. The book is written at a 4.9 reading level (Guided Reading Level T). The lower reading level makes the content more accessible. Particularly sensitive students make not be able to emotionally access the living an d working conditions presented in the book. The hardships faced by the poor immigrants is treated with respect, yet presented very factually. The scope is limited to New York City and the turn of the century The book is wonderfully written, using the voices of 5 immigrants, and is interspersed with eye opening pictures, which make this book valuable to the collection. While it is not a primary source document, it does include personal stories and quotes to help see and hear the stories from the people who lived it.
Audience: This is a book that tells how the other half of society lived in New York City in the last 1800s and early 1900s. I would recommend this book to students who enjoyed Washington Square and/or are interested in information about life at the turn of the century.
Orchard Bks. 0-439-37590-8, $17.95
Review Source: School Library Journal; December 2003, Vol. 49 Issue 12, p169-169, 1p
SOL Correlation: : From the US History 1885- Present and World History Standards:
• USII.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life changed after the Civil War by e) describing the impact of the Progressive Movement on child labor, working conditions, the rise of organized labor, women’s suffrage, and the temperance movement
• USII.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the social, economic, and technological changes of the early twentieth century by a) explaining how developments in factory and labor productivity, transportation (including the use of the automobile), communication, and rural electrification changed American life and standard of living
• WHII.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of the Industrial Revolution during the nineteenth century by c) describing the evolution of the nature of work and the labor force, including its effects on families, the status of women and children, the slave trade, and the labor union movement;
Review: This book combines stories from immigrants in New York City in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Through stories and pictures, a picture of life in the sweatshops and tenements is painted for the reader. The book presents life for poor immigrants as hard. While the information is factual and unbiased, it is one sided in that in only show the life of the poor immigrants in the tenement buildings.The book has stories from immigrants and photographs, primarily from the Museum of New York and the New York Public Library. The author made visits to New York over a three year period to listen to oral history recordings and to select photographs. The book is relevant to the US History and World History standards. It would fill a hole in resources concerning child labor, working conditions, living conditions, and the rise of industry. The book is written at a 4.9 reading level (Guided Reading Level T). The lower reading level makes the content more accessible. Particularly sensitive students make not be able to emotionally access the living an d working conditions presented in the book. The hardships faced by the poor immigrants is treated with respect, yet presented very factually. The scope is limited to New York City and the turn of the century The book is wonderfully written, using the voices of 5 immigrants, and is interspersed with eye opening pictures, which make this book valuable to the collection. While it is not a primary source document, it does include personal stories and quotes to help see and hear the stories from the people who lived it.
Audience: This is a book that tells how the other half of society lived in New York City in the last 1800s and early 1900s. I would recommend this book to students who enjoyed Washington Square and/or are interested in information about life at the turn of the century.
November 18, 2014
Shutting Out the Sky by Deborah Hopkins is a historical non-fiction book telling the stories of five teenage European immigrants living in the crowded tenements of the Lower East Side in New York City. This book tells their stories on how these five European immigrants first lived in the cramped tenements of New York, and what they did to survive. The book went through all five of the immigrants' stories in the book, went through how life was in these spaces and the Lower East Side of New York, the immigrants' journeys to the U.S and what sacrifices these immigrants had to make. The pictures, timelines, and graphs in this book help tell the story of the immigrants' life in the tenements.
In the book, it switches off between the stories of the immigrants so you can fully understand all of them. It reads like a normal book and the book is in third person. It should be read from cover to cover.
Overall, I would give this book five giant, shining stars. I'm doing this because this book really captures the world of tenements in the Lower East Side. It really makes you feel like you are there, in the early 1900s in New York. This book has tons of interesting facts while at the same time telling an intriguing and interesting story. I went to the tenement museum in New York a few years ago, and I learned more in this book than I did at the tenement museum. Did you know that many immigrants had never heard of an eggplant ever in their life and called them "Blue Tomatoes"? I bet you didn't!
This book not only focuses on what living in these tiny apartments was like, but also life on the streets, like what these immigrants had to do to survive and make a living. It goes really deep in what jobs children had, and how much work immigrant families had to do in order to put food on their tables. It gives pictures, timelines and graphs to make you understand how much hard work these families had to do. Did you know? Many Italian immigrant families made artificial flowers for hats in their tenements to make money? Every single person, including children only three or four, were involved in making the flowers.
The author of this book, Deborah Hopkins, is not biased in any way, shape, or form. She provides good, equal information about the immigrants' life. But I do have a few criticisms. First, out of the five immigrant's stories she told, four were Eastern European Jews and one was Italian. I do not have anything against Eastern European Jews or Jews in general, it's just that Ms. Hopkins should have balanced the variety of the immigrants. Maybe two or three from Eastern Europe, and then a few from Ireland, China, or other places around the world immigrating to America.
Overall, this book is amazing. I would definitely reread it. This book made me get interested in tenements in New York, and I plan to read more books on the topic. I would recommend this book to anyone who like historical American non-fiction and anyone in general who likes non-fiction.
In the book, it switches off between the stories of the immigrants so you can fully understand all of them. It reads like a normal book and the book is in third person. It should be read from cover to cover.
Overall, I would give this book five giant, shining stars. I'm doing this because this book really captures the world of tenements in the Lower East Side. It really makes you feel like you are there, in the early 1900s in New York. This book has tons of interesting facts while at the same time telling an intriguing and interesting story. I went to the tenement museum in New York a few years ago, and I learned more in this book than I did at the tenement museum. Did you know that many immigrants had never heard of an eggplant ever in their life and called them "Blue Tomatoes"? I bet you didn't!
This book not only focuses on what living in these tiny apartments was like, but also life on the streets, like what these immigrants had to do to survive and make a living. It goes really deep in what jobs children had, and how much work immigrant families had to do in order to put food on their tables. It gives pictures, timelines and graphs to make you understand how much hard work these families had to do. Did you know? Many Italian immigrant families made artificial flowers for hats in their tenements to make money? Every single person, including children only three or four, were involved in making the flowers.
The author of this book, Deborah Hopkins, is not biased in any way, shape, or form. She provides good, equal information about the immigrants' life. But I do have a few criticisms. First, out of the five immigrant's stories she told, four were Eastern European Jews and one was Italian. I do not have anything against Eastern European Jews or Jews in general, it's just that Ms. Hopkins should have balanced the variety of the immigrants. Maybe two or three from Eastern Europe, and then a few from Ireland, China, or other places around the world immigrating to America.
Overall, this book is amazing. I would definitely reread it. This book made me get interested in tenements in New York, and I plan to read more books on the topic. I would recommend this book to anyone who like historical American non-fiction and anyone in general who likes non-fiction.
July 17, 2014
Were you like me in expecting this book to be written for adults and not middle schoolers? I suspect I am not the only one...
For a book aimed at this audience though, I thought it was pretty smart. It gives the basics and the central historical events - such as Riis' How the Other Half Lives and how it opened up a public discourse on the tenements, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and how it started another discussion on workers rights and safety in the workplace, as well as changes in US immigration policy - wrapped up in a narrative surrounding the daily lives of 5 children (or adolescents, really) who lived in New York's Lower East Side between 1880 and 1920. These vignette's on the children's lives are a bit of mash, as they deal with particular issues, like having to earn a wage, living conditions, departure from one's homeland, arrival in New York, and going to school (or not, as the case may be) rather than presenting the chronology of events in each child's life. Overall, it does not give a lot of detailed information, but there is enough so that, combined with the evocative photographs, the readers gets a strong sense of the difficulties of growing up in the Lower East Side during this huge wave of immigrants struggling to build a better life for themselves.
The five adolescents that Hopkinson follows in her narrative are actual people who have written autobiographies about their experiences growing up in this neighborhood during this era. This helps her establish authority in presenting each child's perspective, but also gives a bit of an overly optimistic slant to the narrative (I suspect). After all the ones who wrote autobiographies of their life experience are the ones who managed to get enough education to pull themselves up a rung or two on the ladder of American wealth. But what proportion of tenement dwellers actually managed to do this during this period (before attendance at school became mandatory and was actually enforced, and before all the other welfare programs and social/ economic policies were established to protect these people from exploitative landlords and employers)?
Moving on now to Anbinder's Five Points .
For a book aimed at this audience though, I thought it was pretty smart. It gives the basics and the central historical events - such as Riis' How the Other Half Lives and how it opened up a public discourse on the tenements, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and how it started another discussion on workers rights and safety in the workplace, as well as changes in US immigration policy - wrapped up in a narrative surrounding the daily lives of 5 children (or adolescents, really) who lived in New York's Lower East Side between 1880 and 1920. These vignette's on the children's lives are a bit of mash, as they deal with particular issues, like having to earn a wage, living conditions, departure from one's homeland, arrival in New York, and going to school (or not, as the case may be) rather than presenting the chronology of events in each child's life. Overall, it does not give a lot of detailed information, but there is enough so that, combined with the evocative photographs, the readers gets a strong sense of the difficulties of growing up in the Lower East Side during this huge wave of immigrants struggling to build a better life for themselves.
The five adolescents that Hopkinson follows in her narrative are actual people who have written autobiographies about their experiences growing up in this neighborhood during this era. This helps her establish authority in presenting each child's perspective, but also gives a bit of an overly optimistic slant to the narrative (I suspect). After all the ones who wrote autobiographies of their life experience are the ones who managed to get enough education to pull themselves up a rung or two on the ladder of American wealth. But what proportion of tenement dwellers actually managed to do this during this period (before attendance at school became mandatory and was actually enforced, and before all the other welfare programs and social/ economic policies were established to protect these people from exploitative landlords and employers)?
Moving on now to Anbinder's Five Points .
February 4, 2016
Although it covers a period in U.S. history that began more than 125 years ago, Shutting Out the Sky deals with an issue straight from today’s headlines: immigration. The book documents the decades of peak immigration from 1880-1924, when more than 23 million people came to America. The problems and issues that surrounded immigration then are still relevant today. So, too, are the desperate circumstances of the immigrants and their determination to prevail.
Hopkinson organizes the book around the stories of five immigrants who came to the United States as children or young adults. Each lends a voice to various aspects of immigrant life, including tenement housing, working condictions, clothing, food, leisure, language, and education.
By focusing on these young immigrants, Hopkinson brings history alive for today’s young readers. The text is written in a simple and straightforward style that will be accessible to most stuents. Numerous period photographs — including some from reformers Lewis Hine and Jacob Riis — reinforce Hopkinson’s text and help readers visualize unfamiliar concepts.
The book is a role model for scholarship. It includes a bibliography of recommended reading, endnotes that document Hopkinson’s sources, and a timeline of key immigration milestones.
In her final pages, Hopkinson notes, “Today’s immigrants have many of the same needs and challenges as those of the previous centuries. They also cherish the same dreams of an education and better future for their children.” She also encourages readers to find the immigration stories in their own families. Hopefully, Shutting Out the Sky can be a catalyst for greater understanding of the immigrant experience.
For another look at life in lower Manhattan during the 1880s, try the fiction title Bowery Girl.
Hopkinson organizes the book around the stories of five immigrants who came to the United States as children or young adults. Each lends a voice to various aspects of immigrant life, including tenement housing, working condictions, clothing, food, leisure, language, and education.
By focusing on these young immigrants, Hopkinson brings history alive for today’s young readers. The text is written in a simple and straightforward style that will be accessible to most stuents. Numerous period photographs — including some from reformers Lewis Hine and Jacob Riis — reinforce Hopkinson’s text and help readers visualize unfamiliar concepts.
The book is a role model for scholarship. It includes a bibliography of recommended reading, endnotes that document Hopkinson’s sources, and a timeline of key immigration milestones.
In her final pages, Hopkinson notes, “Today’s immigrants have many of the same needs and challenges as those of the previous centuries. They also cherish the same dreams of an education and better future for their children.” She also encourages readers to find the immigration stories in their own families. Hopefully, Shutting Out the Sky can be a catalyst for greater understanding of the immigrant experience.
For another look at life in lower Manhattan during the 1880s, try the fiction title Bowery Girl.
March 11, 2009
A brief look at what it was like for immigrants coming to the United States (particularly New York) in the late 19th and early 20th century. Hopkinson chose five children to follow, and weaves each story throughout the book. The book is divided into different sections, and each child contributes a little to each section: information on life before coming to America, what they experienced once they got here, how everyday life fell into a routine and what became of each child. Loaded with photographs, this book provides a good overview of what life was like in tenement houses/buildings without overburdening readers. Hopkinson covers a little bit of everything: the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, Jacob Riis’s book that exposes tenement conditions and some of the reforms that were discussed and passed. Overall, I found this book to be quite accessible for elementary students doing research, or anyone else who just wants to know a little piece of New York history (and thus United States history). I do wish she had just told each child’s story fully and individually, but this method works as well, and could be considered a plot device to keep readers to the end. She includes extensive bibliographies, extra resources and credits (yea!) at the end of the book, and encourages everyone to read more about immigrants and child labor.
October 10, 2012
The way the language is structured and the focus on the experience of immigrant children (and their families, though at least one of the stories is of a young man who immigrated to the United States on his own at the age of sixteen) makes it obvious that the author intended it for a younger audience, which I didn't realise when I ordered it.
That said, however, it's still a good read if you're interested in the immigrant experience in New York around the turn of the 20th century, which is why I bought it (my great-grandparents were those exact immigrants, Polish ones). In my opinion, the poignant and sometimes striking photographs are what really pull the book and its narratives together. My only complaint is that the book is fairly short; I wanted to know more, and although there is a good bibliography and a selected reading list, many of the books I was interested in seem to be out of print or hard to find. Still, happy to have this in my library.
That said, however, it's still a good read if you're interested in the immigrant experience in New York around the turn of the 20th century, which is why I bought it (my great-grandparents were those exact immigrants, Polish ones). In my opinion, the poignant and sometimes striking photographs are what really pull the book and its narratives together. My only complaint is that the book is fairly short; I wanted to know more, and although there is a good bibliography and a selected reading list, many of the books I was interested in seem to be out of print or hard to find. Still, happy to have this in my library.
March 26, 2014
Featuring many different "characters" Hopkinson's book looks to share and understand the tenement housing during 1880-1924 when an influx of immigrants changed the landscape of the city, settled in subpar housing, and took jobs for little pay. Similarly, it also showcases the individual struggles of certain ethnicities as they came over with no family in search of the American dream and found dark alleyways with crowded apartments, long work days and dangerous working conditions and a change in diet and culture as a result including garment wearing and goals.
This could be a nonfiction companion to the graphic novel The Arrival which wordlessly discusses the feelings of being an immigrant. This puts names, faces, and experiences with quotes and feelings-- some real emotion behind the experience.
This could be a nonfiction companion to the graphic novel The Arrival which wordlessly discusses the feelings of being an immigrant. This puts names, faces, and experiences with quotes and feelings-- some real emotion behind the experience.
April 27, 2008
Five young people come to America from various places abroad. All with the same dream, to find the streets of gold they have all heard about and have a better life. This book tells of the dreadful conditions they all find when they arrive. Unsanitary, unsafe, and unbelievably cruel are the living and working conditions they find in this land of plenty that they have fought so hard to get to. The lesson in this book matches all of our grand mothers' words. You can do anything if you work hard enough.
January 9, 2009
Ages 10 and up Children's Literature
An amazing insight of immigrant's lives in the tenements of Manhatten's Lower East Side during the 1880 - 1924 immigration. The stories of 5 immigrants chronologically walk the reader through their dreams and reality of coming to America. This book will quiet most readers who think their childhood was or is rough. An eye opener and a great piece on U.S history. I give this book a 4.5. For those who have been to the Lower East Side of Manhatten, you will now see it in a different light.
An amazing insight of immigrant's lives in the tenements of Manhatten's Lower East Side during the 1880 - 1924 immigration. The stories of 5 immigrants chronologically walk the reader through their dreams and reality of coming to America. This book will quiet most readers who think their childhood was or is rough. An eye opener and a great piece on U.S history. I give this book a 4.5. For those who have been to the Lower East Side of Manhatten, you will now see it in a different light.
December 30, 2012
A nice introduction on immigration and the history of child labor for upper elementary school aged children. Hopkinson features moving accounts of immigrant children from the turn of the 20th century, their struggles in assimilating to a new culture, to help their families survive, and what they made out of their lives. A good conversation starter for discussing current issues in immigration.
Upper elementary school.
Upper elementary school.
May 27, 2013
Crowded rooms, dirty streets, hungry families: this is what many people think of when tenements come to mind. Deborah Hopkinson writes about these living conditions and also of what life was like before the immigrants arrived at Ellis Island. She describes their families and struggles to survive as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.
This book follows the lives of specific individuals and what happened to them beyond the tenements.
This book follows the lives of specific individuals and what happened to them beyond the tenements.
February 10, 2010
Hopkinson creates an excellent balance between telling a story and imparting factual information. She personalizes the historical period by following a group of immigrants through common experiences. Hopkinson utilizes images well to enhance the text. Back matter includes chapter notes, bibliography, further reading, index. Great resource for a middle school library.
March 30, 2011
The real strength of this book lies in the beautifully laid-out contemporary photos: they do a phenomenal job of making the voices heard throughout the text completely real. Hopkinson tells readers what growing up in a tenement on the Lower East Side was like, primarily through the words of four people who later became successful in different fields & wrote memoirs.
June 9, 2015
Hopkinson's history of life in NYC tenements is short, but vivid. Invested in individual stories, she examines the experiences of a handful of young immigrants who arrived in NYC between 1880 and 1924. From there, she looks at their daily lives -- the places they lived and worked, the foods they ate, the games they played (if young children), and the hardships they faced and overcame.
August 2, 2007
I enjoyed the photos and the description of the lives of immigrants to NYC's Lower East Side from the point of view of children. One of my grandfathers came here alone at age 11 and I thought of him especially while I read this book.
March 20, 2011
307.76 Hopkinson
The story of 5 immigrants and their families as they adjust to life in the new world. The NYC tenement housing and how each immigrant overcame severe obstacles to make the US there home.
The story of 5 immigrants and their families as they adjust to life in the new world. The NYC tenement housing and how each immigrant overcame severe obstacles to make the US there home.
February 15, 2013
This was an interesting read, but it wasn't something that I'll rave about. It's nonfiction, which isn't my cup of tea, yet I was still intrigued and wanted to keep reading and finish the book. So that's something.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews