3 1/2 stars rounded down. I was slightly disappointed. I was hoping for a book that would give me an insight to some interesting history that I found curious but didn’t know much about. Don’t get me wrong, this had A LOT of information but it was just way too dense for my liking. It felt like a bad history lesson.

There were some interesting parts that I wish the author would have focused on more, while only highlighting other parts. Also, there were sections where she was jumping around in time which had me losing track and needing to reread parts.

Obviously there was a lot of research put into this, the author also obviously knows an extensive amount about this topic, but if your description of the book says “an extraordinary untold story,” then it should be written extraordinarily. This was not that. Great if someone needs to write a research paper regarding this specific topic, but I think if it was written slightly differently using an approach that would draw the reader in and keep them interested (this can be done in history books, I’ve read a few) then this book could appeal to more readers. Great topic, boring execution.

***Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Hasia R. Diner for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review***

This is an interesting book delving into an underexplored aspect of US history. I think this would especially be of interest to Irish Americans or Jewish American people looking to understand more about what our ancestors experienced when coming to America.