My Future Is in America: Autobiographies of Eastern European Jewish Immigrants

Cohen, Jocelyn; Soyer, Daniel

ISBN 10: 0814740197 / ISBN 13: 9780814740194

Published by NYU Press (edition ), 2005

It's a preowned item in good condition and includes all the pages. It may have some general signs of wear and tear, such as markings, highlighting, slight damage to the cover, minimal wear to the binding, etc., but they will not affect the overall reading experience. Seller Inventory # 0814740197-11-1

Synopsis:

In 1942, YIVO held a contest for the best autobiography by a Jewish immigrant on the theme “Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America.” Chosen from over two hundred entries, and translated from Yiddish, the nine life stories in My Future Is in America provide a compelling portrait of American Jewish life in the immigrant generation at the turn of the twentieth century.

The writers arrived in America in every decade from the 1890s to the 1920s. They include manual workers, shopkeepers, housewives, communal activists, and professionals who came from all parts of Eastern Europe and ushered in a new era in American Jewish history. In their own words, the immigrant writers convey the complexities of the transition between the Old and New Worlds.

An Introduction places the writings in historical and literary context, and annotations explain historical and cultural allusions made by the writers. This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.

Published in conjunction with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

About the Authors: Jocelyn Cohen is a research associate of YIVO’s Max Weinreich Center for Advanced Jewish Studies in New York.

Daniel Soyer is professor of history at Fordham University. He is the author of Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939, and editor of several other books.

Bibliographic Details

Title: My Future Is in America: Autobiographies of ...
Publisher: NYU Press (edition )
Publication Date: 2005
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good