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40 reviews for:
Dreams In The Golden Country: the Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903
Kathryn Lasky
3.84 AVERAGE
40 reviews for:
Dreams In The Golden Country: the Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903
Kathryn Lasky
3.84 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Years ago, I read and reread Zipporah Feldman's diary fascinated by this fictionalized account of an immigrant experience in New York City in 1903. When I spotted a copy on a "pay-what-you-want" shelf at my local bookstore last month, I felt like I'd been reunited with a dear long lost friend. While I've grown and changed, Zippy's diary kept me every bit as a engaged at age 35 as it did when I was 10. Even though we only meet the characters through short snippets captured in "diary entries", they feel real, complex and multidimensional -- a testament to the skill of the author. Despite the hardships portrayed in this book -- illness, death, family estrangement and the brutality of tenement life -- there's plenty of joy in these pages, too.
Gives quite an informative view of life in the US for Russian Jewish immigrants.
In a major slump and felt nostalgic. Still actually enjoyed. I love the diary format
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Continuing on my quest to reread/own all of the Dear America books that I gave away as a child.
I didn’t remember reading this one even though I know I did so it was fun to give it a go again. I thought Zippy was an all around likable character and her story is fun. Lots of ups and downs in this story but obviously a realistic depiction of an immigrant journey in the early 1900s. It also made a loose reference to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire which is right up my alley!
I didn’t remember reading this one even though I know I did so it was fun to give it a go again. I thought Zippy was an all around likable character and her story is fun. Lots of ups and downs in this story but obviously a realistic depiction of an immigrant journey in the early 1900s. It also made a loose reference to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire which is right up my alley!
Reread this for the first time since I was a kid while visiting my mom's house. An excellent gateway drug to historical fiction for young people.
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was my favorite Dear America book growing up. I saw in her story the story of some of my family coming to this country, not to mention that we even had the same name! I still have my copy after years, and upon rereading it, I realized it wasn't as good as I remembered, but it still meant a lot to me as a kid, and that's who the Dear America books are written for!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i’m so glad i found this series. i want to inhale all the books at once. onto the next one!
After reading through several of the Dear America series, I have to say I think Dreams in the Golden Country is one of my favorites. I think Lasky does an amazing job of capturing the immigrant experience of the early 1900s. The way she portrays the struggle to stay true to your cultural roots while also yearning to assimilate into the American culture is really poignant and incredibly well done.
I am not as familiar with the Jewish immigrant experience as I am with the Irish and Scandanavian immigrant narratives, so it was fascinating not only to be exposed to a little more of the Russian Orthodox Jewish culture but also to learn about cultural mainstays like the Yiddish Theatre. This story was obviously very well researched and was one of the more informative and interesting of the entire cannon of works.
I am not as familiar with the Jewish immigrant experience as I am with the Irish and Scandanavian immigrant narratives, so it was fascinating not only to be exposed to a little more of the Russian Orthodox Jewish culture but also to learn about cultural mainstays like the Yiddish Theatre. This story was obviously very well researched and was one of the more informative and interesting of the entire cannon of works.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix