Genre 5: Historical Fiction

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lasky, Kathryn. 1998. DREAMS IN THE GOLDEN COUNTRY: THE DIARY OF ZIPPORAH FELDMAN, A JEWISH IMMIGRANT GIRL. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN 0590029738

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Zipporah Feldman, a 12-year-old Jewish girl from Russia, and her family arrive at Ellis Island in 1903. Told in diary form, Zippy chronicles the differences her Orthodox Jewish family has to face as immigrants in New York City. Zippy relays her experiences as she tries to learn English, and she has to start school in the first grade and work to move up the grades. Her fifteen-year-old sister, Miriam, and her seventeen-year-old sister, Tovah, go to work in the sweat shops. Tovah becomes active in Union activities, and Miriam has a forbidden relationship with a non-Jewish boy. Zippy's parents struggle in America as well; her mom holds tight to their religious customs and heritage, while her father tries to assimilate into America. When Miriam elopes with her boyfriend, the family is torn apart, as Zippy's mom declares Miriam dead. Each member of the family grapples with the new freedoms America affords them, including Zippy's mom starting a sewing business, Zippy pursuing acting, and her dad's desire to join a symphony rather than work in the factories.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The forte of Lasky's novel which shows the authenticity of the period is the setting. The time and place are accurately portrayed as the Feldman's living and working conditions and schooling are fully described. A historical note at the end of the novel gives ample background information on why Jews chose to escape persecution in Russia and come to America. Actual historic events such as the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire which killed 146 factory workers, are woven into the story to show the hardships immigrants of the period endured. The characters are well developed and believable. The wish to join the melting pot yet hold onto family traditions is felt from each member of Zippy's family. As Zippy's confidence in English grows, her diary entries change from being written in her traditional Yiddish, to being written in English. Her friendships with fellow immigrants and her sisters also help to develop her character more fully. During the eighteen months of the diary, Zippy celebrates the Jewish holidays with relatives; warmth, comraderie and humor abound. The values and morals of the time period are fully explored as Zippy's strict religious upbringing is shown to interfere with the family's new life in America. The theme of the novel is universal and timeless, with the strength of the family and the hardships they must overcome together being ones that families of today still face. Overall, an excellent historical fiction novel that should interest a wide variety of readers.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
* SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The hopes and dreams of a young girl are beautifully portrayed through Lasky's eloquent and engaging narrative. A story of hope and love for one's country."

5. CONNECTIONS
* Read other historical fiction novels in the Dear America series including:
I WALK IN DREAD: THE DIARY OF DELIVERANCE TREMBLY, WITNESS TO THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS by Lisa Fraustino
ISBN 0439249732
A JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD: THE DIARY OF REMEMBER PATIENCE WHIPPLE, MAYFLOWER, 1620 by Kathryn Lasky
ISBN 059050214X
STANDING IN THE LIGHT: THE CAPTIVE DIARY OF CATHARINE CAREY LOGAN by Mary Pope Osborne
ISBN 0590134620
* Read other historical fiction novels by Kathryn Lasky including:
MARVEN OF THE GREAT NORTH WOODS
ISBN 0152168265
TRUE NORTH
ISBN 0590205242
* Learn more about the immigrants who came through Ellis Island by reading books including:
I WAS DREAMING OF COMING TO AMERICA: MEMORIES FROM THE ELLIS ISLAND ORAL HISTORY PROJECT by Veronica Lawlor and Rudolph Giuliani
ISBN 0140556222
DREAMING OF AMERICA: AN ELLIS ISLAND STORY by Eve Bunting and Ben Stahl
ISBN 0816765219
ELLIS ISLAND: NEW HOPE IN A NEW LAND by William Jay Jacobs
ISBN 0648191717