"Out of the Shadow"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses "Out of the Shadow" by Rose Cohen, a Russian Jew who immigrated to the U.S. at the turn of the century and who provides the personal aspect of the greater story of the massive wave of immigration in the late 1800s. It addresses the effects of the rapid growth of industry on the population, the role of women in the social and economic system, and the complicated tangle of religion and society in America.

From the Paper:

"Rose Cohen's "Out of the Shadow" is the quintessential immigrants autobiography, as it succeeds in not only depicting one woman's personal story but in shedding light upon many common issues faced by immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I was interested in reading the book to find out what life was like for a female, Jewish immigrant from Russia in the late 1800s with so many strikes against her (her being female, Jewish, and an Eastern European immigrant). What I found is that Out of the Shadow paints a picture of an America that is contrary to the land of opportunity and equality that many immigrants believed it to be before arriving and that many Americans today proclaim it to be. By describing her experiences in the garment industry, bearing witness to the burgeoning labor and progressive movements, and testifying to the compromising of her religious and cultural practices, Cohen provides a realistic framework within which to understand the history of the 1800s and early 1900s."

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