Oscar Handlin, Author of 'The Uprooted', Dies at 95

Oscar Handlin, Historian Who Chronicled U.S. Immigration, Dies at 95. (The New York Times, 9/24/2011)

Excerpt:   But his best-known work, “The Uprooted: The Epic Story of the Great Migrations That Made the American People,” which won the 1952 Pulitzer for history, was aimed at an audience of general readers in making his case that immigration — more than the frontier experience, or any other episode in its past — was the continuing, defining event of American history. Dispensing with footnotes and writing in a lyrical style, Dr. Handlin emphasized the common threads in the experiences of the 30 million immigrants who poured into American cities between 1820 and the turn of the century. Regardless of nationality, religion, race or ethnicity, he wrote, the common experience was wrenching hardship, alienation and a gradual Americanization that changed America as much as it changed the newcomers.  [Emphasis added.  Still sound familiar?]

The Uprooted is one of many books on American history I consumed voraciously in the mid-to-late 1970s.  The book is not without its detractors, but I found it informative and accessible.

At this time, unfortunately,  I'm unable to tell you how many copies are available in LINKcat.   I keep getting a "504 Gateway Timeout" message.