This sixteen-volume series focuses on North AmericaÆs often covered immigrantsùMexicans and Japaneseùand other groups that have recently garnered attention, including Arabs and Cubans. Each book begins with a story about someone from the featured culture. For example, The African Americans begins with a narrative about William Wells Brown whereas The Arab Americans features a man who successfully traveled from Lebanon to Michigan. Individual volumes also share reasons why the group emigrated and what they accomplished once they became settled. Two books lay the groundwork for the series. The History of American Immigration describes the establishment of colonies, significance of immigration symbols (for example, the Statue of Liberty), and restrictions that the United States has placed on immigration throughout its history. Citizenship explains how an immigrant becomes a citizen and the benefits that make citizenship appealing. Entries such as these highlight one of the seriesÆ biggest challenges: adhering to a focus on North America rather than merely on the United States. More care might have also gone into the selection of the photos, as some could suggest stereotypes (e.g., a large Cuban family on a dilapidated porch with kids scantily clad in what look like dirty underwear). The chapters are short and easy to read, the sidebars are informative, and the chronology is helpful. A series that situates African Americans and Native Americans as North American immigrants might raise eyebrows, but the books make an honest attempt to tell the story of how North America became a cultural tapestry.ùKaaVonia Hinton-Johnson.

These books attempt to describe different groups' immigration experiences in addition to giving general information about the history of American immigration. Each volume includes personal stories to draw readers in, plus stock photographs. The broad subject matter limits depth; the premise for some volumes is questionable (were slaves really immigrants?). There are ten other spring 2009 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.