Welcoming Week (September 12-20,2020) is a time for us to “affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.” Find related JMRL programs here. Check out this selection of non-fiction for adults to learn more about the story of immigration in the United States. All descriptions from the catalog.
City of Dreams: the 400-year Epic History of Immigrant New York by Tyler Anbinder
A richly detailed history of immigration in New York shares the poignant stories of individuals ranging from bodybuilder Charles Atlas to couture artist Oscar de la Renta to trace the essential role of foreign-born innovators and revolutionaries in the city’s evolution.
America the Ingenious by Kevin Baker
Looks at the history of inventors and inventing in the United States, how conditions in the country fostered innovation, and how its numerous creations have changed the world.
Denied, Detained, Deported: Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigration by Ann Bausum
An award-winning author examines the history of American immigration–a critical topic in 21st century America–particularly those lesser-known stories of immigrants who were denied entrance into the States or detained for security reasons.
Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream by Joshua Davis
Relates how four undocumented Mexican immigrants in Arizona put together an underwater robot from scavenged parts and went on to win the National Underwater Robotics Competition at UC Santa Barbara.
A Nation of Nations: a Great American Immigration Story by Tom Gjelten
The dramatic and compelling story of the transformation of America during the last fifty years, told through a handful of families in one suburban county in Virginia that has been utterly changed by recent immigration.
This Land Is Our Land : An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta
Draws on the author’s firsthand experiences and years of reporting to examine the worldwide anti-immigrant backlash and to outline timely reasons for why the United States and the West would benefit from accepting more immigrants.