Streets of Gold, by Ran Abramitzky and Leah Boustan

 Ran Abramitzky writes:

As some of you know, I have a book coming out soon (with my long-time collaborator Leah Boustan) using big data to tell a new story about immigration and the American Dream. 

I’m thrilled to announce that Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success will be published at the end of the month by PublicAffairs with preorders (hardcover and Kindle) available now. Audio book is also coming soon. 

 

 Leah and I felt compelled to write this book because we believe that immigration is one of the most fraught, and possibly most misunderstood, topics in American public life. Most of the things that we believe about immigration – both on the left and on the right – are based largely in myth, not in facts.

In setting out to establish the facts, we were like curious grandchildren searching for our own family tree, but a million times over. We analyzed millions of immigrant families in the past and today. What we found surprised us, overturning many of our own preconceptions. 

• Upward Mobility: Children of immigrants from nearly every country, especially those of poor immigrants, do better economically than children of U.S.-born residents – a pattern that has held for more than a century. 
• Rapid Assimilation: Immigrants accused of lack of assimilation (such as Mexicans today and the Irish in the past) actually assimilate fastest. 
• Improved Economy: Immigration changes the economy in unexpected positive ways. 

The book is a fast read, and we interweave the data with stories of immigrant families.  

I would truly appreciate your help leading up to the book’s launch. If you are interested in buying a copy, think about pre-ordering now. Preorders are essential for raising the visibility of new books. Please also share the word with other friends and family who are interested in America’s immigration history. 

 

Thank you! 

Ran

 

P.S. the book got some great endorsements (pasting here shortened versions):

“This wonderful and highly readable book sets the record straight about the hot-button issue of immigration. A must-read for anyone who care about this important issue.”

Daron Acemoglu, MIT, coauthor of Why Nations Fail

 

“A compelling story about how millions of immigrant families achieved the American Dream that will help reshape the narrative about immigration and opportunity in the United States.”

Raj Chetty, Harvard University

 

“Uplifting in its message, engaging in its composition, and powerful in its significance, Streets of Gold is A New World Symphony in words and numbers.”

Claudia Goldin, Harvard University

 

“Streets of Gold has the facts about the amazing and often surprising history of American immigration.” 

Angus Deaton, Nobel Laureate in economics

 

“A gem of a book, grounded in deep original research and made lively by moving personal accounts”

Esther Duflo, Nobel Laureate in economics

 

“A highly engaging book that separates fact and fiction and busts many of the myths that pervade the current discussion on immigration policy.”

Guido Imbens, Nobel Laureate in economics

 

“Unprecedented data, empathetic personal histories, joyous writing, practical solutions and a compelling counter-Zeitgeist narrative.”

David Laitin, Stanford University

 

“The optimism that runs through Streets of Gold is based on rock solid-evidence.”

Doug Massey, Princeton University

 

“Armed with reams of new data, elegantly written, and meticulously researched, Streets of Gold is as timely as it is magisterial.”

 Joel Mokyr, Northwestern University

 

“Fascinating and hard to put down history of American immigration, based on new sources of data, and conveyed by powerful story-telling”

Alvin E. Roth, Nobel laureate in economics

 

“Pathbreaking.”

Andrew Selee, President, Migration Policy Institute 

 

“An absolute treasure, the perfect book on immigration.”

Zack Weinersmith, New York Times Bestselling author of Soonish