Will I love Streets of Gold?

This book overturned many myths about immigrants to the United States. It taught me that few immigrants from poor countries followed a path from rags to riches, but their children are more upwardly mobile than children of US-born residents raised in families with similar incomes.

It also taught me that today’s immigrants who come from around the globe are as successful as past immigrants who came mostly from Europe. Yet many Americans want to shut America’s gates.

When I began researching the economics of immigration, I expected to find that my prejudice in favor of immigrants needed more nuance. However, even more than I suspected, the economic literature is resounding in describing the many large economic benefits of immigration. Streets of Gold describes how essential immigration has been to American economic success, and it provides a strong argument for a more open immigration policy.