If you feel like browsing through our books on various ethnicities, you'll want to visit section E184.
To locate specific American Ethnicity books, be sure to search SpartaCat, the library's catalog for your topic.
This database includes reference books like:
Search for the film: The American Dream of the Chinese
The American Dream has drawn millions of people to the New World with the promise that all can reach their full potential if they work hard enough, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. In this program six Chinese citizens arriving in the U.S. over a 30-year period share their stories of how that dream has played out for them. A geophysicist who came in 1978 speaks movingly of finally being able to pursue his academic studies, forbidden during the Cultural Revolution, while a 21-year-old defends China at a Free Tibet rally. Providing insight into the hopes and sacrifices of transplanted peoples, the video brings to light the range of attitudes and lifestyles among those who have left their homeland.
Search for the film: No Turning Back
The new immigration laws of 1965 were a turning point for the Chinese in America and allowed a new wave of immigrants to enter the country. Chinese American life has flourished in the years since. Narrated by Bill Moyers, this program presents intimate portraits of the new Chinese Americans who face a struggle common to so many immigrants: to reconcile some losses of their old culture in order to embrace their adopted American one.
Search for: Culture Clash
This film explores the challenges that children of Caribbean immigrant parents experience as they embrace their cultural heritage while assimilating into American society. Interspersing immigration facts with interviews with first and second-generation Haitian, Belizean, Guyanese and Trinidadian Americans, it discusses contributions that Caribbean Americans make to U.S. society. Second-generation children often come into conflict with their parents as they become Americanized and break away from their parents' traditions, while parents may become disillusioned with the American Dream and experience discrimination in their host communities. Included is a discussion of Caribbean and African-American relations
Search for: Irish in America
This A&E Special discusses how the customs and traditions of Irish immigrants to the United States shaped mainstream American culture.
Search for: May the Road Rise to Meet You: The Irish-American Experience
More Irish immigrated to America than any other ethnic group. With humor, hospitality, and a flair for "the blarney," the Irish built upon their traditions, triumphed over adversity, and created an American legacy in their adopted land. In this program, archival footage, personal recollections, and family photos trace their journey and the indelible mark the Irish have left on "Oilean Ur"-the "fresh land." Visiting several major U.S. cities with large Irish enclaves, the program explores the role played by family, community, and tradition in the Irish immigrants' 100-year transition from day laborers to leaders such as President John F. Kennedy. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt, whose best-selling memoirs, Angela's Ashes, received worldwide acclaim, along with singer Rosemary Clooney, bandleader Paddy Noonan, and Irish folksinger Tommy Makem, offer their own perceptions of the Irish experience and reinforce the impact of Irish culture on the arts and American society at large.