Faces of America

Gr 9 Up—As our national debate about today's immigration dilemma continues to grab headlines, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has crafted an impressive historical examination of the immigrant experiences in the families of 12 diverse and famous Americans. The four segments detail the backgrounds of poet Elizabeth Alexander, Chef Mario Batali, writers Louise Erdrich and Malcom Gladwell, Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi, television host/physician Dr. Mehmet Oz, Her Majesty Queen Noor, as well as entertainers Stephen Colbert, Eva Longoria, Yo-Yo Ma, Mike Nichols, and Meryl Streep. Gates, while at times a somewhat overbearing and smug host, shares the vast amount of fascinating genealogical research his staff has compiled with each subject. The fourth segment explains the methods utilized in the research. Viewers will be moved by the individual examples of how immigration has shaped our country. The program features an amazing variety of vintage still photographs, live footage, copies of original documentation, and brilliant graphic presentations. Its overall organization, however, seems a bit disjointed as the producers attempt to link sections of each person's family history based on somewhat vague common topics. As a result, each subject's story is scattered among the program's first three hours. The series development was underwritten by a number of philanthropic organizations as well as Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson, which are allowed brief commercials at the beginning of each segment. This useful, timely, entertaining, and informative film would be a good addition to school media collections and might spark viewers' interest in learning more about their own ancestors.—Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL