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From immigrants to Americans : the rise and fall of fitting in
by Jacob L. Vigdor
New Book Shelf JV6450 .V54 2009

With the quadrupling of the immigrant population of the U.S. since the 1970s, with fears of Americans losing jobs, there has been much debate and study about changes in traditional ideas about the immigrant experience and the impact on American society. Jacob Vigdor's new book offers a detailed analysis of immigration to the U.S. from 1850 to 2007.

Although the modern American immigrant compares favorably to those of prior generations—more English speaking and higher skills—there is still a major division between those who come seeking assimilation and those who come seeking work, the latter more likely to be undocumented. The author analyzes the economic and political factors that have encouraged immigration and how immigration policies have influenced decisions by immigrants to assimilate or not. This is a fascinating look at immigration as Americans continue to ponder the relative merits of the melting pot versus the salad bowl.
Reviewed by Vernon Ford, Booklist 2/15/2010.

Check out From immigrants to Americans : the rise and fall of fitting in by Jacob Vigdor, available now in the library on the New Book Shelf JV6450 .V54 2009.