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Ellis Island
Ellis Island: A People's History | Malgorzata Szejnert
4 posts | 3 read | 3 to read
Sifting thousands of archival recordings and mountains of impounded correspondence of the experience of passing through Ellis Island and beyond (or being turned back from it), the great Polish reporter Malgorzata Szejnert has pieced together the dramatic experiences of Polish, Jewish, German and Italian emigrants. With her reporter’s passion and an inquisitive mind, she has also brought to life the Ellis Island station employees: the doctors, nurses, commissioners, interpreters, social care workers, even chaperons, illustrating her story for greater vividness with unique archival photographs.
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charl08
Ellis Island: A People's History | Malgorzata Szejnert
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Pickpick

Loved this book, a mix of oral histories from migrants and the memories of those who worked on the island.

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charl08
Ellis Island: A People's History | Malgorzata Szejnert
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"The British gave the most trouble..."

Karisa Just toured the immigration detention center at Angel Island where Asian immigrants were kept typically for 2-3 months but European immigrants 1-2 days. Poetry, mostly in Chinese, is carved on almost every wall from detainees. 2w
AlaMich @Karisa I went on a few school field trips to Angel Island (many, many years ago) and I don‘t think we were even told about its history. I just learned about the carvings from reading your post and doing a little googling. It‘s fascinating. 2w
charl08 @Karisa @alamich you might like this book. Lots of voices of "ordinary people" 2w
quietlycuriouskate Ugh, British entitlement syndrome (I'm British)! This paragraph strikes kind of ironic now, though, since "we" put paid to our freedom of movement in Europe with that bloody Brexit vote. 2w
charl08 @quietlycuriouskate I thought also of the attempts to control "our" borders: "we" can travel everywhere, but "the other" can't come here... 1w
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charl08
Ellis Island: A People's History | Malgorzata Szejnert
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.... they both look down on the crowd....

[H.G. Wells asks] "You don't think they'll swamp you?" I said. "Now look here," said the Commissioner, "I'm English-born Derbyshire. I came into America when I was a lad. I had fifteen dollars. And here I am! Well, do you expect me, now I'm here, to shut the door on any other poor chaps who want a start with hope in it, in the New World?

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