The making of modern immigration : an encyclopedia of people and ideas /

This alphabetically arranged set provides a new perspective on the immigration debate in the US. The two volumes offer a combination of biography, policy, and topical content. The 45 essays vary in length from 10 to 20 pages; collectively the entries cover an extensive time period. Among the biographies, the volume includes immigration advocates such as the late Senator Edward Kennedy and migrant farmworker leader Cesar Chavez. Also included are controversial individuals such as political organizer Denis Kearney, who spearheaded the campaign leading to the creation of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. A wide variety of topics related to immigration, e.g., bilingualism and remittances, are also discussed. Additionally, historical essays, such as one titled "Immigration and the Nazi Era," and essays on contemporary issues, such as "9/11 Commission," are featured. The wide variety of essays emphasizes the relationship between people and ideas and the contextualization of the two in the development of the immigration debate. These well-organized, well-written volumes provide researchers with useful overviews on diverse immigration issues. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. S. E. Montgomery Rollins College

What the new or incumbent president will do to push new, comprehensive immigration legislation through Congress is bound to be one of the most fiercely debated issues of the upcoming 2012 national election. The Making of Modern Immigration, a 2-volume work organized around 48 essays on immigration in the U.S., will help cooler heads prevail, as it covers the topic of immigration from the beginning of our country's history. Both volumes contain signed, scholarly essays that encompass biographies (Jane Addams, Henry Ford, Oscar Handlin, Jacob Riis, Alan K. Simpson) and topics (U.S.-Mexico border violence; Yellow peril; Immigration and the Nazi era; Bilingualism; The 9/11 Commission). Each essay is approximately 10-26 pages in length, and each includes notes and extensive bibliographies. Noteworthy contributors include historians, economists, political scientists, theologians, librarians, and independent scholars and a few of them offer an international perspective. Special features include An Immigration Timeline of the United States as well as a 10-page selected bibliography. There are a number of good reference titles on immigration, including the 10-volume American Immigration (1999) and Encyclopedia of American Immigration (2001), both of which were Booklist Editors' Choice titles.And note the recent 3-volume Encyclopedia of American Immigration (2010), which is designed to answer student questions. It does make purchasing decisions difficult for libraries already owning any of these titles. That said, The Making of Modern Immigration fills a gap in the literature and is recommended for most public and academic libraries.--Carbone, Jerry Copyright 2010 Booklist

Hayes (archivist, Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province, Brooklyn, NY; A Catholic Brain Trust: The History of the Catholic Commission on Intellectual Affairs, 1945-1965) has collected some 45 factual and impartial essays on figures and topics that have played a significant role in U.S. immigration history, including Jane Addams and Hull House, the concept of assimilation, World War II-era immigration, the Red Scare, and the 9/11 Commission. The essays, easy to read and understand, are listed in alphabetical order by topic and person combined, so that, for example, the article "Lyman Beecher (1775-1863): The No Popery Crusade" is followed by "Bilingualism," which may make finding a specific topic or article a bit challenging. The pieces run about ten to 20 pages in length and include relevant photographs, discussions of immigration legislation, and a resource list. The second volume also features an immigration time line spanning 1502-2011 with the three largest periods of immigration in boldface, a thorough index, and a selected general bibliography for the entire text. VERDICT A good jumping-off point for college and adult users interested in immigration history.-Beth Bland, West Allis, WI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 9 Up-Hayes and contributors succeed in the goal outlined in the introduction: to make the "past intelligible and interesting to those who are searching for fresh insight and accurate information on the assembled subjects." The 45 lengthy entries, which are expansive in scope, solid in scholarship, and compelling in argument, demonstrate that since the beginning of our nation's history, many giants of the American intellectual and social milieu have stood on both sides of the debate. The individually signed pieces tackle movements ("Sanctuary Movement"), laws ("The Yellow Peril: The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) to the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924"), and controversial issues ("Immigration and Customs Enforcement"). Notable figures are given extensive coverage, too; a piece on Denis Kearney, for example, that details the Irishman's racist and nativist activities, follows one covering Thomas Jefferson (readers are informed that the man "flinched at the prospect of immigrants bringing in strange languages and stranger political principles"). Each essay is accompanied by copious source notes and an expansive bibliography. Excellent.--Brian Odom, Pelham Public Library, AL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.