What do Madeline Albright, Albert Einstein, John Muir, Carlos Santana and Martina Navratilova have in common?

Until reading First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great (Little, Brown and Company, 2018) I didn’t know.

Not a single one of them was born in the United States. They are immigrants. I didn’t know about Muir.

It amazes me at times what I don’t know; what I take for granted.

I know immigrants have done extraordinary things for the United States, as citizens and as residents.

The rhetoric these days of immigrants being lazy, stealing jobs, and being dangerous criminals is wrong on so many levels. Why must we dehumanize people? Why must we think less of someone who is different from us?

But I digress.

This book is written by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, with illustrations by Agata Nowicka. It’s intended for ages 8-12, or grades 3-7. As someone much older than the target audience, let me tell you this is a book for all ages—and probably best suited for adults.

The array of people featured is amazing. Their stories are only similar in that they landed in the United States. They came here for various reasons, at different ages and stages of their lives.

Each person has a two-page spread, with one page an illustration of them and the other their story. It’s like reading 36 mini biographies. The wealth of information is wonderful.

Obviously, with the ages this book is geared toward, the writing it a bit simplified. That does not mean it’s dumbed down. Words are easy to understand, descriptions are vivid and the message clear.

This really is a book for today that every person in every household should read.