When he was young, Michael Powell saw a documentary about the evacuation of Hirta (St. Kilda), he always wanted to make a film about it.

What happens when the people of a lonely, windswept island can no longer survive as a community ? This story examines the hardships of such a life and the decisions they must make, whether to stay where their families have worked & died to establish this hard-working community or to leave and give the next generation a better chance.

This book documents how Powell & his film crew stayed on the Hebridean island of Foula to make this dramatic film.

This book is a great way to pass the time and learn about the history of the Jersey Shore. John Bailey Lloyd loaded his book with details and great pictures of the early days of Long Beach Island. It's an easy read and truly a relaxing book.

At four pages, eleven paragraphs (not incuding the introductory quote), thirty five sentences, and (sorry Georges) more words than I really wanted to count despite how cool it would have looked here, Ellis Island is a tome. It made me more intensely examine my own identity than all three hundred pages of What Color is Your Parachute even came close to doing. (Actually, I only read about four pages of that one too, but I could tell where it was going.) Ellis Island, however, was a complete surprise. The bit about what it means to be a Jew and the fact that that aspect of his identity is more concretely definied by its abscence than its presence, is profound. I mean, other people have said it, certainly, but this is, without a doubt, the clearest presentation I have encountered. I think it's particularly telling that he should set these musings in America, at Ellis Island. We, as Americans, particularly as white Americans, have a watered down and dissapated culture defined not by who we are, what we love, how we live etc., but what, ultimately, we are not. This small work was a four-page invitation to examine my relation to my roots, my country, and my culture. Ugh. I loved it.

Using this kids'book as a reader for adult literacy classes is
great! It reveals many things that most have not heard nor realized. I found it shocking the way that illnesses were tracked. A huge H written on ones' coat meant they were a heart patient, Sc meant scalp problems, etc. The most dreaded was a large X which indicated a mental patient. They were asked personal questions such as how much money they had and if they could read or had ever been in prison. Sometimes all but one member would be accepted and the family had to decide what to do.

Obviously, most came looking for a better life but the trip over the ocean was dangerous, long and uncomfortable, since there were three classes on the voyage and most immigrants could only afford the cheap, bottom of the boat cramped quarters. Many got ill and died. Varied languages caused further loneliness.

Families were often split up forever, it was not an easy thing to decide to come to America. Most would never be able to visit their motherland again..ever. Around 2% of the total were sent back home and this fear was with each immigrant that made it alive to Ellis Island.

They were told NOT to tell anyone they had a job waiting, for this was against the international laws and they would be punished. If all went well, their stay on Ellis Island was about 5 hours.

Since most immigrants were poor and had no money to get further than New York City, it quickly became a melting pot for Italians, Germans, Irish, Jewish and Polish. It was said one could tell where you were in the city just by opening your window at mealtime and smelling the spices and dishes from each country.

Learning English and integrating into American life came easier for children than adults. Most adults clumped together in small areas according to language and heritage, shopping at familiar stores and cooking and eating familiar foods.

Ellis Island was eventually shut down, then reopened and restored and is now a museum. For many, the most important letters they saw were those on the door that said "PUSH TO NEW YORK CITY" and they did.

Written from the perspective of a little girl, this story gives an excellent idea of what it was like for the immigrants who came to America during the years, 1892 to 1924. This is the story of six-year old Krysia Petrowski's voyage to America.

Krysia's father was already in America to make a new life for his family. When he had a job and a home, he sent for his wife, daughter and two sons. The decision to leave Poland, their homeland was difficult; leaving behind family and friends was not an easy thing to do. The children could only take necessary items and each child was allowed to bring just one toy. Their clothes, blankets, shoes and toys were knotted up in a sheet to be carried over the shoulder. Krysia had a problem choosing between her two beloved dolls. She took Basha because she was the smaller of the two dolls and would take up less space.

After leaving their village, it took the family four days of walking to arrive at the port where a large steamship was there to take them across the ocean. The difficult sea voyage involved poor sanitation, sickness and lack of decent food. After about fourteen days, the passengers finally view the Statue of Liberty and depart at Ellis Island on Christmas Eve.

On Ellis Island, the immigrants went through many inspections, which included medical examinations for each family member. The paperwork and examination usually took three to five hours to complete. Passing the examinations meant that the immigrants were allowed into the country. Those who did not have the proper papers or failed their medicals, were delayed for days or even months and could be sent back to their original countries.

This well written and carefully illustrated little book is ideal for children who are studying the history of America or the story of their own family.

I saw this and showed it to my 6yo daughter because of the cover - a young girl with the Statue of Liberty in the back. She was captivated and asked me to go back to reading it with her after having to stop for a while. Written in the doll's narrative, it's a very age-appropriate representation of some of the challenges and experiences of the immigrants to Ellis Island. Gently interspersed are themes of family and responsiblity.

The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook gives insight to the struggles of our ancestorial immigrants. Poingnat stories are revealed through their personal accounts as well as their recipes. It is a must read historical cookbook for those who wish to learn of our past.... and know how far we have come. (Thanksgiving Dinner has taken on a new meaning)

This book really helped me with a project I was doing forHistory it had a lot of information including dates and accurateinformation. I loved reading it and I learned a lot to futher my reaseach on Ellis Island. None of the parts were boring and is wasn't hard to read ( I'm a seventh grader)it worked perfectly with what I was doing! I think if anyone wanted a good book on Ellis Island this is it!

Leibowitz's work is unique among the recent works done on Palau in that he is not as condemning of the United States as his predecessors (Sue Roff, Ched Myers, Robert Aldirge, Roger Clark, John Hinck). In fact, he is critical of the "advocates" from the "left" and points out that Roff's work ". . . is [a] very selective, one-sided telling of the tale, omitting, for example, any mention of Salii's death . . ." Leibowitz's work is indeed valuable as it presents a different angle and does include some aspects of the "tale" which shed more light on the happenings of the 80's. Moreover, it is at least a bit more expansive in the sense that, unlike his literary predecessors, his work begins with Palau's earlier history and ends with the independence celebration. Of course, he has the advantage of time since independence celebration was held after Roff, Aldridge, Myers and others had published their works. But what of the United States role? For Leibowitz, the United States did fail in several ways including its delay of self-determination. However, the United States is not solely responsible for the troubles, he asserts, since the Palauans were in on the act as well. Palauans, Leibowitz argues contrarily to Aldridge and Myers "society of people" thesis, were competitive and self-confident people. They have a history of internal competition which explains much of the pro-Compact and pro-Constitution stances which the divergent camps took. Instead of a "society of people" theirs is more like a "society of competitors." Moreover, Leibowitz argues that the pro-Constitution group were not as potent in their opposition if it were not for the liberal press and the legal aid provided by outside groups such as Greenpeace. In other words, the water could have been calmer in the Palau if outside meddling by interest groups was limited. The anti-Compact Palauans, therefore, were merely pawns controlled for the most part by the motives of outside gr! oups from the left. As for American neglect, it is regretful, Leibowitz concedes, but the United States was not necessarily deliberate in its neglect since it "hated its own imperial role and seemed to take out its anger by providing stingy budgets for the islands." Leibowitz makes his case although he too is guilty of the same charge he makes, specifically that of the other writers' omission of other aspects of the "tale." For instance, he fails to explain his views on some specifics such as the shots fired at the home of a staunch anti-Compact legislator (Sen. Olikong) as well as the overprinted ballots. These are just a few and Leibowitz's work is hence sketchy at times, not to mention its unclear or unspecified documentation. His halfhearted defense and sometimes evident admiration for Salii might be explained by the fact that he was the president's attorney at a critical point in the "tale" and when he accounts for some of his tasks under Salii, he seems to be taking on the role of a lobbyist more so than an attorney. Furthermore, and ironically for a lawyer, he seems to disregard or at least treat lightly the leftist legal argument that the Compact was indeed undermining the struggle for self-determination which in turn violates U.S. responsibilities provided in the Trusteeship Agreement. Other omissions can be noted but engaging each would be too tedious and perhaps might be overstepping the constraints of a short review.

Maxine Schur's Enchanted Islands: Voices And Visions From The Caribbean is a beautifully organized and illustrated journal with a motif showcasing through paintings and quotations the joy and mystery of the Caribbean. Whether embarking upon a Caribbean cruise, or just armchair traveling with your own thoughts and observations, Enchanted Islands is an ideal, highly recommended repository for personal experiences, reflections, and memories.