Immigration

Gr 10 Up—This volume covers the topic from personal, historical, political, and international perspectives and tackles some incredibly controversial issues in the mix. However, for the most part, American-born Caucasians are represented as being racially unaware of issues that confront immigrant populations and native-born Americans of color. Kleyn occasionally acknowledges survey results as being inadequate to draw conclusions and then proceeds to draw generalizations from them. At one point, she indicates that Caucasians are the "perceived mold" of Americans (i.e., Americans of color are not perceived by their Caucasian counterparts as truly American). At another point, the author indicates that "marriage between a man and a woman and the woman's role in taking care of her husband" are core American values. There is certainly a portion of the population that believes these things, but it is in no way clear that they represent a majority. That said, this book represents an interesting counterpoint to anti-immigration rhetoric, and there is good information included. However, books that are billed as "Ultimate Teen Guides" typically have more interesting design elements and are written in a less-academic tone. There are better titles on this topic that do an excellent job of discussing immigration in the positive light it deserves, without the unnecessary bias. See "Focus On: Immigration" (School Library Journal, January 2011) for suggested titles.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH