Hope and Tears

Starred review from February 27, 2012
An estimated 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. Swain pairs captivating photographs with poems that give voice to some of those individuals, along with short, descriptive essays. One poem is written from the perspective of a Hungarian girl, who arrived at Ellis Island on Christmas Eve 1919 and met “Santa” for the first time. “Oh, how I wished for a teddy bear./ But Santa Claus didn’t speak Hungarian.” Other works convey the agony of being turned away for having trachoma, an eye disease, or for being deemed an “undesirable.” A rich pairing of fact and imagination that provides genuine insight into the immigrant experience. Ages 8–up.

May 1, 2012

Gr 4-8-The voices of the many immigrants who came through Ellis Island come to life as the author tells their stories through imagined letters, diary entries, poems, monologues, and dialogues. Through them readers experience the anticipation and hope of coming to a new country, the tears of families torn apart, and the fear of being turned away. Beginning from the earliest uses of the island by the Lenni Lenape Indians in the 1500s, through the peak of immigration in the early 1900s, to the restoration and opening of a museum in the present day, Swain tells the history of the place and introduces a cast of characters, some real, some imagined, whose stories were gleaned from her extensive research. Excellent-quality archival photos or reproductions accompany the entries. A bibliography includes books, articles, interviews, websites, and silent films. This is a welcome companion to other books about Ellis Island, offering a format that can be used for oral presentations, class projects, or simply to read for enjoyment.-Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
Readers are invited to recite the thoughts, fears and dreams of all those who came to Ellis Island as immigrants, workers and visitors. It was a place for Lenni Lenape Indians to fish for oysters, a site for hanging pirates, a fort and, most famously, the entry point for 12 million immigrants from Europe. Now it stands as a National Park Service Monument. Swain provides brief historical background for each period and creates short narratives to perform that are based on letters, diaries, oral histories and print resources. Annie Moore from Ireland was the first to be processed. Many more came from Greece, Hungary, Bohemia, Italy, Poland, Russia, Norway, France and Great Britain. They faced health inspectors, photographers, strange foods, dedicated nurses, helpful volunteers and, finally, if they were lucky, the welcome promised by the Statue of Liberty. All of these experiences are captured in monologues or short playlets introduced by short contextualizing notes. Even children of families who came through other entry points will find resonance here. Copiously illustrated with photographs, illustrations and maps, this is a solid resource in an attractive format for those studying immigration and working on oral-history projects. A poem in the voice of a National Park Service worker today says it best: "The sense that, / after all these years, / spirits live here, / along with all their hopes and tears." (source notes, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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April 15, 2012
Grades 5-8 Where are you from? Where are you going? In fictionalized monologues, dialogues, prose poems, letters, and mini plays, Swain creates a collection of personal coming-to-America stories, based on intensive research at the Ellis Island Museum archives. Drawing from oral histories, interviews, photos, and documents, Swain pairs the multiple voices with her own clear, factual commentary on the history as well as the connections to what is happening with immigration now. The mix of fiction and fact may confuse some readers, but Swain never oversimplifies while clearly distilling the personal histories, which are extended in powerful archival photos. The focus is on the big issues, but there is no abstraction; whether it is the horror of failing the trachoma test and being sent back, a boy's worries that his father won't know him when he arrives, or the German boy who was deported in 1945 as an enemy alien, the personal details create the drama. The thorough source notes, bibliography, websites, and articles will aid student research. Connect this with stories of Angel Island and of immigration now.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)