The Newest Americans: I-L, Indians to Laotians - Hardcover

Sandy Pobst

9780313325564: The Newest Americans: I-L, Indians to Laotians

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313325561 ISBN 13: 9780313325564

Publisher: Greenwood, 2003

The third volume of The Newest Americans explains why many of the recent immigrants from India have decided to become American citizens rather than returning to their home country. Students will learn about early immigrants from Iran and Iraq, and how their experiences differ from those of more recent immigrants. Also covered are the reasons immigrants from Jamaica and Kenya are often surprised and dismayed when they encounter prejudice from Americans of all backgrounds, and ways by which both Korean immigrants and Laotian refugees work to maintain their cultural identity and traditions, even as their children embrace the new American culture.

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Book Description:

Written at the 6th- through 8th-grade reading level, this series explores the special struggles and concerns of immigrant groups in the United States.

From Booklist:

This set looks at 34 national groups that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration, represent the largest number of immigrants to the U.S. since 1965. An introduction (reprinted in each volume) provides historical background; a time line of pertinent legislation; definitions of refugees, asylees, illegal immigrants, and naturalized citizens; and a discussion of American attitudes toward immigration. Following this introductory material are individual chapters arranged alphabetically according to parent nation. Chapters average 18 pages and follow a common format. Roughly half the material is devoted to each country's political, historical, and cultural foundations; remaining portions deal with immigrants' new lives in America and coping with changing social, family, work, school, religious, and dietary norms. Several special features, such as biographical "spotlights," boxed inserts, and full-page treatments on religions--Islam, Buddhism, etc.--appear throughout, as do occasional black-and-white photos, charts, and graphs. Volume-specific bibliographies (including print and electronic sources), glossaries, and indexes are also included.

Eleven of the 34 groups originate in the Western hemisphere, 10 in Asia, 7 in Africa, and 3 apiece in Europe and the Middle East. There are no surprises--anyone who follows world events could identify many of these populations. Nor is there anything particularly compelling about the background information, which reiterates standard material found in basic social studies references. What is unique are the individualized studies of assimilation attempts into mainstream American culture and the particular difficulties each group faces. Cultural differences regarding basic social functions such as body language, invitations, eating habits, eye contact, and giving and receiving compliments are explained, as are resulting sources of friction or perceived rudeness.

This is more accessible than recent adult offerings (American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation [Macmillan, 1997]; Encyclopedia of American Immigration [Sharpe, 2001]) and narrower in scope but much more detailed than American Immigration: A Student Companion (Oxford, 2001). The Newest Americans will be helpful as schools expand their curricula to reflect a global perspective and add units on character development and citizenship. Recommended for school and public libraries serving students in grades 6 through 12. RBB
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