Starred Review Called the "Ellis Island of the West," Angel Island, located in San Francisco Bay, was once the busiest immigration station on the West Coast. For generations of Asian immigrants, it was the first stop upon landing in America. As Freedman points out in this history of the island and Asian immigration up to 1940, it was the last stop as well for those who were denied entry, and many were forced to live in detention barracks for days or weeks, awaiting entrance interviews that would decide their fate. The detainees' feelings of hope, frustration, anger, and, in some cases, despair are preserved in the carved or painted rows of poems they left on the walls of their barracks. While many nationalities panese, Korean, Russian, and others ssed through Angel Island, the Chinese were subjected to special scrutiny, and for some, there was no hope of immigration, thanks to the harshly discriminatory Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Freedman chronicles all of this in his carefully researched and clearly written history, which is lavishly illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings. Appended are a selected bibliography and notes identifying the sources of all quoted material. Now a National Historic Landmark, Angel Island is a place where we can learn from the past, as is Freedman's important book.

Gr 5-8 For the 30 years it was in operation, from 1910–1940, Angel Island Immigration Station served as the first step for hundreds of thousands of people seeking a new home and a new life in the United States. It was a bleak, unwelcoming introduction to the new land, and for many immigrants, primarily those from China, it was also a detention center. Many Chinese were held there for weeks or months at a time while they endured lengthy interviews and invasive medical exams in order to prove that they could enter the U.S. Freedman's inimitable style and approach to nonfiction writing shines in this accessible, thoughtful history of Angel Island and its legacy in the American immigration narrative. Detailed descriptions of the island, the actual building, the events that took place there, and the people who passed through its doors are sprinkled with the emotional poems, quotes, and other writings that were discovered covering the walls of the areas where the detainees were housed. These words provide not only a unique perspective of the immigrants, but also a context for what was happening in the broader world, specifically the racist, xenophobic attitudes encountered by many new arrivals. Complemented by photographs, artwork, and primary sources, Freedman's writing offers up a strong, engaging introduction to the subject of a more diverse immigrant population and the obstacles that were put in its way. Equally evocative and informative, this is an excellent choice for middle school libraries.— Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

Freedman's slender volume on the history and importance of California's Angel Island Immigration Station--the portal for Asian immigration to the U.S.--covers a lot of ground. He weaves a clear and straightforward narrative history with abundant quotations, excerpts from diaries and wall poems, and archival photographs. This is a clearly written account of a lesser-known side of American immigration history. Bib., ind.

Freedman (Becoming Ben Franklin) details the fascinating and sometimes upsetting history of the -Ellis Island of the West- as he examines Asian immigration to the U.S. at the start of the 20th century. The many Chinese immigrants who disembarked at Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay between 1910 and 1940 usually found it more detention than welcoming center. A thorough narrative, with personal vignettes and b&w archival photos, describes the taxing sea voyage from Asia, long detentions at the island, and intolerant attitudes endemic in America. Owing to strict exclusion laws for the Chinese (and later other Asian groups), thousands waited in cramped barracks for medical tests and stringent interviews. (Freedman also includes resistance stories of immigrants already settled in the country to these prejudicial laws, e.g., returning laundry to customers folded but still dirty.) Making this poignant account even more so are translated poems interspersed throughout, written by despairing detainees on barrack walls: -Nights are long, the pillow cold; who can comfort my solitude?.... Shouldn-t I just return home and learn to plow the fields?- A selected bibliography and index are included. Ages 9-12. (Jan.)

While thousands of European immigrants were entering the United States through Ellis Island, thousands more immigrants from Asia and Eastern Europe were entering through Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. Closed in the 1940s and nearly destroyed in the 1970s, the community fought to preserve this reminder of their heritage. Freedman's book uses clear narrative language to pay tribute to the thousands of souls who passed through this prisonlike entryway.Starting with the importance of saving this landmark to those that passed through and their descendants, the story breaks away to briefly but efficiently cover the history of the island, its purpose, and the experience of the immigrants who passed through. There were prejudicial laws that limited America's accessibility, particularly to the Chineseand eventually Japanese and many Asiatic areas. The history of these groups and laws is also covered. Concluding with a reminder of cultural significance and a message akin to those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it, this is certainly a work welcome in any library. Accessible and well paced, it is sure to have students seeking additional resources to continue their exploration of the topic.Kristi Sadowski.