American Passage
The History of Ellis Island

This probably deserves more like 2 1/2 stars. I also feel bad because it is not that this is a bad or poorly written book, it's just that it was not what I was expecting. This is a scholarly and somewhat dry history of Ellis Island. Although it does include the stories of immigrants who went through......more

well Just when I was awarding three stars --it hit me about how much in depth research had to go into this book --and I added a star. This is certainly not a armchair read-- you lean back with and just enjoy but rather one that you sit up straight and learn. It is more of a textbook than anything el......more

A fantastic account of the history of Ellis island -right from its opening to its closure as immigration point and later development as historical centre. At times it becomes boring with too much emphasis on capturing the government record. More case histories could have given the book a humane face......more

An historical masterpiece. Much has been written about Ellis Island, and I have not read it all. But I cannot imagine how any historian could write a better account of Ellis Island. American Passage is not just about an immigrant receiving station in the New York harbor. On a much broader scale it i......more