Bessie’s Pillow: A Young Immigrant’s Journey – A Review
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Hannah and I both love to read. We are always on the look out for new books to lose ourselves in. My favorite literary genre is historical fiction so I was glad for the opportunity to review Bessie’s Pillow written by Linda Bress Silbert and published by Strong Learning, Inc.
Bessie’s Pillow follows the tale of a young immigrant girl’s journey to America in 1906. The story follows the events of her life here in America. I love that this book provides us the full picture of her life. We are not left wondering what happened to our beloved character. Linda Bress Silbert is Bessie’s granddaughter and she wrote this story based on the true events of her grandmother’s life.
How My Family Used
Bessie’s Pillow
I almost always read books before passing them off to Hannah and this was no exception. She is welcome to read what she wants, within reason, during her own personal time, but I like to assign quality books for school lessons. I flew through this story because Bessie is so likable. It is easy to read when you are invested in the characters and care what happens next.
I handed this book to Hannah as soon as I was finished reading. She quickly dove right in. The story begins following Bessie when she is just 18 years old. I think Hannah enjoyed this story so much because it opens with a young lady, still a teenager, who is so incredibly brave.
We used this book as part of our language arts curriculum. Hannah read a few chapters daily and we discussed the story line and how the events were shaped by what was going on in the world. I checked her comprehension by simply asking questions as we talked about what was happening in the story.
Bessie’s Pillow is family friendly enough to be read aloud to elementary children, but I think it is most appropriate for 12 and up. Adults that like historical fiction will enjoy this story too. I mentioned the plot to a few ladies in my book club and they are all interested in reading and discussing this book.
Bessie’s America is a wonderful online resource to accompany Bessie’s Pillow. Hannah and I hopped online a few times throughout the story, mostly at turning points, to check out the photos. Here we were able see real photographs of Bessie, her family, life in Lithuania, and life in New York. There are a plethora of resources in addition to just the photos. Real sources are shown to provide additional information. You can view a real medical inspection report, like the one completed before Bessie was able to enter the country. Copies of the ship menus are even available.
There is so much talk in the news about immigration laws. It can be easy to forget that there are real people affected by the policies. People whose lives will be permanently altered one way or another. Reading Bessie’s Pillow was an easy way to put Hannah in the proverbial shoes of a girl just a few years older than herself, who just wants to live in safety.
This book would also be a fantastic addition to a history unit on immigration.
Can I just say that Bessie is an incredibly brave young lady? She faced so much adversity and hardship, yet she handled it all with grace and strength. I can not think of a better role model for teenage girls.
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