Ellis Island: Gateway to the New World

This books seems to have solid intentions, but I found it uneven in its presentation. It reads like a narrative essay not so much run amok, but a bit too pedestrian. With all the books out in the world on this topic, this one didn't have to be published. Of course, it can serve as a primer on the subject, and surely, there are other, less successful efforts, but I can't really recommend taking the time read this unless to serve as a point of comparison with other, sturdier publications.

Ellis Island, Gateway to the New World is a book that goes into detail about the millions of immigrants that entered the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The book describes the history of Ellis Island prior to its use as an entrance point of immigrants, and goes into detail about the entrance exams that immigrants needed to pass before they were allowed to enter the United States. This book is interesting because it describes the use of chalk to mark immigrants that might be sickly and need to return to their home countries. The book also talks about what would happen if one family member was sick or mentally handicapped - the family would need to make a decision that would impact the rest of their lives. Ellis Island, show more Gateway to the New World also goes into detail about why immigration began to decline after World War I, and talks about the restrictions that the United States began to implement once there were too many immigrants entering the country each year.

This book uses original pictures and also quotes actual immigrants, which help to provide a clearer picture about what these people faced as they tried to find the opportunity for a better life. This book is a great resource to any child or teacher looking for more information on Ellis Island and the hundreds of thousands of immigrants that entered the United States during in the first half of the twentieth century. show less

This book follows the ownership and use of Ellis Island from 1634 to 1986, focusing mainly on the period from 1892-1954 when immigration was high. History teachers can have students create a timeline of all of the uses of Ellis Island. This could also provide for an introduction to discuss why the federal government would need to have control over immigration rather than the state government. Students could also discuss and compare the immigration laws of today. English teachers could have students write an essay on the harsh treatment immigrants received as they entered Ellis Island. They could also write a diary pretending to be an immigrant and explain their experiences through the process of Ellis Island. Science teachers could have show more students look at some of the diseases mentioned in the book. They can discuss any misconceptions about the diseases and possible prevention and treatment of the disease. Students could also plan a field trip to Ellis Island, in which they would have to plan a budget and map out places to stay. They could also take a virtual tour of Ellis Island. While the sentence structure of the book is simple, the organization of the book is difficult to follow. The book keeps jumping back and forth through time, so it is hard to follow what the island is being used for and when. Also, the book does not contain a table of contents or bibliography and there is no information on the author, so it is difficult to tell if the information is accurate. The book does include an index, a map of New York harbor, and many black and white photographs. There is a small author's note that he has taken accounts from the Library of the American Museum of Immigration on Liberty Island, but he says that he uses pseudonyms so there is no way to really check the information. While this book was interesting, I would try to find another book that would be more reliable and easy to follow. show less

Ellis Island, gateway to the New World by Everett Fisher Leonard
Great book about the history of Ellis Island, who owned it when and what they used it for and how they gave it or sold it to others.
Talked of the immigration and how other countries had failed at their crops and wanted to try in the US, along with political and religious migrations.
Interesting to learn of all the diseases they were turned away from the US and also if you could not provide work for yourself. you were also sent back to your country.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).