First published 2000
Nell Dunne stands at the gateway to America on January 1, 1904. Ellis Island looms before her family as they join thousands of other immigrants seeking entry to the United States. The Dunnes have fled the grinding poverty and hunger that plagued their lives in Ireland. Now they face the most crucial day of their journey. Immigration officials will decide whether the family can stay or must return to the hardships they left behind. Nell watches as other families are separated, some welcomed into America while others are turned away. Her family's future hangs in the balance during the inspection process. The new century has arrived, but whether it will bring the Dunnes the hope and better life they desperately seek depends on what happens in the next few hours. Nell must find courage she never knew she possessed as her family's American dream faces its ultimate test.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, family-drama, fish-out-of-water
Setting: America, Ellis Island, Ireland
Period: 1904, 20th-century
Library Binding · Bt Bound