Natives and Strangers

"Who is an American?" "How does a person who is not an American become one?" Now in its sixth edition, Natives and Strangers: A History of Ethnic Americans addresses these and many other vital questions. Comprehensive and accessible, this unique volume explores various aspects of American minority group history. Examining the impact that America has had on minority peoples and cultures--and vice versa--authors Leonard Dinnerstein, Roger L. Nichols, and David M. Reimers provide insights into the different conditions, conflicts, and contradictions that members of American minority groups experienced. They integrate the experiences of various racial, religious, and national minorities from around the globe--including American Indians, African Americans, and immigrants from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and other parts of the world--explaining how their histories intertwined with the emergence of modern America. The authors conclude with reflections on where the nation stands today as an ethnically and racially diverse society.

Abel A. Bartley, Clemson University I really like the current edition. This reads like a cultural or ethnic history of the US, starting with the Colonial Era. For students this book will be easy to read and understandEL The organization is logical and vary thorough. I would not really change much organizationallyEL The chapter on the Civil War and Reconstruction could use a few pages on the Black exodus to the WestEL This is a good book. You would really benefit by adding more pictures. There are so many different groups students would benefit from having visual images to tie to their storiesEL Yes, I would use this book again. There are very few competitors. Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani, University of Nebraska, Omaha I think the text is greatEL A great book for giving students a historical context for contemporary lines of social and cultural challenge in the United StatesEL Very comprehensive and perhaps at times to a fault for my more limited purposes. I thought it was the best book of its kind which is why I stuck with it for so long. Mark G. Jaede, St. Cloud State University It's the best survey text I have found. As you see, I supplement it with a document collection and with a brief text on the late 20th centuryEL It is a straightforward narrative approach. It provides a reasonably broad range of information. I find the narrative approach accessibleEL The narrative is reasonably comprehensive. While one can always add more detail, I would not like to see the book grow much larger. What's missing is a theoretical framework (or frameworks) for understanding the narrativeEL Coverage of the borderlands, Mexico, Mexicans, and Mexican-Americans is generally weakEL The problem here is that there are very few competing books for a class like mine. Most are either limited to a particular time period or a particular racial group. So the coverage in this book is the best I have found, despite the limitations I have noted.

Leonard Dinnerstein is Professor Emeritus at The University of Arizona. Roger L. Nichols is Professor Emeritus of History at The University of Arizona. David M. Reimers is Professor Emeritus of History at New York University.