Journeys: An American Story

This excellent collection of 72 essays, compiled by Tisch and Skafidas, cochair and vice president of Loews Corporation, respectively, pays homage to the American immigrant experience. Written by a diverse group of immigrants and their descendants, the pieces recall fleeing war, persecution, and poverty for opportunity and freedom in America; in stories that are peppered with harrowing journeys, multigenerational family lore, extraordinary firsts, and much gratitude. Tisch and Skafidas acknowledge that although “every story brings... a tale that helped make this country great,” not all immigrants arrived voluntarily. “In my family’s stories... I knew of no Lady Liberty opening her golden door beside Ellis Island. My American ancestry came up from slavery,” notes Sen. Cory Booker in his contribution. U.S. secretary of transportation Elaine Chao was only eight years old when a 37-day sea journey on a cargo ship brought her and her family to America from Taiwan. Florida congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress, describes her family’s experiences fleeing communism in 1979. Historian Eugene Dattel’s intimate story of his East European Jewish family’s life in Mississippi is a familiar tale for many Jews in the South. These trailblazers, and their forebears, sing of the quintessential American dream in a chorus of voices. [em](July) [/em]

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the number of essays included in the collection.