From Every End of This Earth

Book excerpt: What does it mean to be an immigrant in the United States today? Attitudes about the great melting pot have taken a sharp turn toward insularity in recent years, as the 9/11 attacks and waves of undocumented workers seem to have eroded America's long-standing belief in the value of immigration. Yet the families in From Every End of This Earth conclusively demonstrate that critics are wrong—that in the age of Barack Obama, the son of an immigrant from Kenya, newcomers from around the globe continue to renew America's greatness with their courage and character. As the political debate rages on, Steven V. Roberts sheds light on the enormous contributions these individuals continue to make to the fabric and future of America.