Annotated Bibliography
The Irish Immigration Experience
1. Coffey, Michael, ed. The Irish in America. Hyperion, New York: 1997.
This is a book written to accompany a PBS documentary that first aired in 1998. It describes the many contributions that Irish Americans have made to American society. This is useful because the author uses many quotes and essays written by both famous and not so famous Irish Americans.
2. Laxton, Edward. The Famine Ships: The Irish Exodus to America. Henry Holt and Company, New York: 1998.
This is a source that describes the experiences of Irish immigrants coming to America on overcrowded and dangerous sailing ships. It is very useful in understanding what these immigrants went through to get to America, and the optimism that they kept even through their hardships.
3. Miller, Kerby and Miller, Patricia Mulholland. Journey of Hope: The Story of Irish Immigration in America. Chronicle Books, San Francisco: 2001.
I chose this source because it is an “interactive history” book on the story of Irish immigration to America. I feel that it is a source that I could use as a teacher, but also a source that I could share with my students. Inside the book is not only a great resource for Irish immigration history, but fun “interactive” parts that kids would love. For example, you can open an envelope and read a real letter from an Irish immigrant that he wrote to his father back home. You can unfold an actual eviction notice given to a destitute Irish tenant in 1847. Inside another pocket are examples of prayer cards that Irish-American Catholics used. It’s a source that could be used by both adults and students studying Irish immigration history.
4. Moloney, Mick. Far From the Shamrock Shore. Crown Publishers, New York: 2002.
This is a book that I have owned for many years now. The author, Mick Moloney, holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania, and is an Irish musician. He has written a book on the Irish immigration experience told through Irish-American folk song lyrics. The book even comes with one of his CDs that accompanies the stories and history found in the book. This source is particularly useful because it helps the reader to get a true understanding of how Irish immigrants felt in their hearts.
5. Parker, Lewis K. Why Irish Immigrants Came to America. New York: PowerKids, 2003.
This is a fantastic resource for your students.
6. Wade, Lisa. "Sociological Images." Irish Apes: Tactics of De-Humanization. 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 08 Apr. 2012. <http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/01/28/irish-apes-tactics-of-de-humanization/>.
This is a website that was created to invoke “sociological imagination” for the reader. It has many contributors who provide sociological commentary and pictures designed to make the reader think about sociological topics in a critical way. This source was very useful in my paper as it provided a discussion and political cartoons about how Irish immigrants, like African Americans, were portrayed by society as ape-like in an effort to dehumanize and oppress them.
The Italian Immigration Experience
1. Clough, Shepard B. and Salvatore Saladino. A History of Modern Italy; Documents, Readings,
and Commentary. Columbia University Press, 1968. Print
This book is a great resource of primary sources involving the modern history of Italy. It includes letters,
political documents, and speeches from various figures of Italian History. It is useful as a means to
understand first person perspectives through crucial moments of history.
2. Library of Congress. The Library of Congress: Immigration. Web 25 April 2012
The Library of Congress' website is a great resource that can be used in the classroom with students of
varying grade levels. It is important as a means for students to interact with a reputable repository of
world history and information.
3. Parker, Lewis K. Why Italian Immigrants Came to America. New York: PowerKids, 2003.
4. Mangione, Jerre and Ben Morreale. La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American
Experience. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, Inc., 1992. Print
This book is an excellent resource for understanding the Italian-American experience across multiple
generations and eras. It is useful in that it offers perspective across major historical landscapes while
centering specifically the contributions of Italian-Americans.
5. Moquin, Wayne, Charles Van Doren and Francis A.J. Ianni. A Documentary History of the
Italian Americans. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1974. Print
Like A History of Modern Italy above, this book is full of first hand accounts of how Italian-Americans
played an important role in the shaping of America. It's importance is in the primary sources it provides
to offer the experiences and thoughts of people who lived through major historical events.
6. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs. U.S. Department of State. Web 3 December
2010. 12 May 2012
This government website offers the history of American Diplomacy across multiple historical events. It
was useful in writing this paper as it offered the perspective of the American government on Italian
unification, and how America positioned itself diplomatically with the new and unified Italy.
7. Puleo, Stephen. The Boston Italians. Boston: Beacon Press, 2007. Print
This book was useful for its localized interpretation of the Italian-American Immigration experience. It is
important in how it offers a perspective of how Italians integrated within American society close to our
homes.
8. Rolle, Andre. The Italian Americans: Troubled Roots. New York: The Free Press, 1980. Print
This book was a great resource for detailing the struggles that many Italian-Americans faced as they
tried to create a new life in America. It is useful as a means to understand, in greater detail, how ItalianAmericans faced difficulties in America
The Japanese Immigration Experience
Parker, Lewis K. Why Japanese Immigrants Came to America. New York: PowerKids, 2003.
The German Immigration Experience
Parker, Lewis K. Why German Immigrants Came to America. New York: PowerKids, 2003.