Resources
Bibliography for Teachers
Afary, Janet. “Iranian Revolution.” In Britannica Academic, edited by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed July 11, 2026, https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Iranian-Revolution/476048. This encyclopedia entry provides an overview of the causes and effects of the Iranian Revolution.
American Immigration Council. “Temporary Protected Stats (TPS): An Overview.” June 25, 2026. Accessed July 11, 2026. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/temporary-protected-status-tps-overview/. In this webpage, the American Immigration Council explains the purpose and rules of Temporary Protected Status.
American Immigration Council. “Trump’s 2025 Travel Ban: Who Is Affected and What It Could Cost the U.S. Economy.” August 6, 2025. Accessed July 11, 2026. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/report/trump-2025-travel-ban/. Also from the American Immigration Council, this webpage lists the countries singled out in the 2025 travel ban and argues that the ban will have adverse consequences for the U.S. economy.
Bender, Pennee. “Chinese Exclusion and Racial Gatekeeping in the United States.” Who Built America?, American Social History Project. Accessed May 2, 2026. https://www.whobuiltamerica.org/item/chinese-exclusion-and-racial-gatekeeping-in-the-united-states. Bender’s article provides a concise description of events leading up to the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Britannica Academic, s.v. “Iran hostage crisis,” accessed July 11, 2026, https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Iran-hostage-crisis/403631. This encyclopedia article gives a brief explanation of the Iran hostage crisis.
Chan, Suchen. “Introduction.” In Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean Woman in America, xxi-lx. University of Washington Press, 1990. In this lengthy introduction, Chan provides an overview of Korean history focused on the Japanese colonial period.
Cheeseman, Nic, Eloïse Bertrand, & Sa’eed Husaini. “Somali Civil War (1991– ).” In A Dictionary of African Politics (1st ed.). Oxford University Press, 2019. This reference entry informs readers about the causes of the Somali Civil War.
Daniels, Harvey. Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups. Second edition. A Stenhouse Book. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2024. Daniels popularized the Literature Circles instructional strategy in this book, which provides useful tips for teachers looking to implement it in their classrooms.
Delaware Department of Education. “duPont (Pierre S.) Middle School Snapshot.” State Report Cards, September 30, 2025. https://reportcard.doe.k12.de.us/detail.html#aboutpage?scope=school&district=31&school=170. The Delaware Department of Education publicizes school and district demographic data.
Federal Register. “Extension and Redesignation of Somalia for Temporary Protected Status.” July 22, 2024. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/07/22/2024-15829/extension-and-redesignation-of-somalia-for-temporary-protected-status. This government report explains the history and rationale of granting TPS to Somalian migrants.
Federal Register. “Termination of the Designation of Somalia for Temporary Protected Status.” January 14, 2026. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00596/termination-of-the-designation-of-somalia-for-temporary-protected-status. This government report attempts to justify the termination of TPS for Somalian migrants.
Ferragamo, Mariel. “A Guide to the Countries on Trump’s Travel Ban List.” Council on Foreign Relations, January 14, 2026. https://www.cfr.org/articles/guide-countries-trumps-travel-ban-list. Ferragamo offers an updated list of the expanded travel ban countries list.
Hernández, Kelly Lytle. “Not Imprisonment in a Legal Sense.” In City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771-1965, 64-91. The University of North Carolina Press, 2017. This book charts the history of incarceration in Los Angeles. Chapter 3 focuses on the history of immigration detention.
Hoveman, Rob. “How Iran’s 1979 revolution deposed hated Shah.” Socialist Worker, June 30, 2025. Accessed July 11, 2026. https://socialistworker.co.uk/in-depth/how-irans-1979-revolution-deposed-of-hated-shah/. In this article, Hoveman briefs readers on the factors that led to the Iranian Revolution.
Hunter, Bobby and Victoria Yee. Dismantle, Don’t Expand: The 1996 Immigration Laws. Why ramping up a zero-tolerance immigration system will destroy lives and waste billions of dollars. Report, Immigrant Justice Network. https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/wp-content/uploads/1996Laws_FINAL_Report_5.10.17.pdf. Authored by two J.D. candidates, this report argues against the 1996 immigration laws, AEDPA and IIRAIRA.
Kulik, Rebecca M. “Partition of India.” In Britannica Academic, edited by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Last updated August 7, 2025. Accessed July 8, 2026, https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/partition-of-India/640159. This encyclopedia article describes the partition of India and Pakistan and its consequences.
Lai, H. Mark, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung, eds. Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940. Second edition. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014. One of the Angel Island poems from this book provides the opening epigraph of this unit.
Lee, Erika, and Judy Yung. Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America. Oxford University Press, 2012. This book provides a detailed history of Asian American immigration through Angel Island and the policies the U.S. government enacted to control migration.
Lee, Heather Ruth. “In Pursuit of Merchant Status: The Migration Strategy of Early Twentieth Chinese Restaurant Owners under Chinese Exclusion.” Organization of American Historians. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.oah.org/tah/food-history/in-pursuit-of-merchant-status/. Lee’s article described Chan Wah’s process of re-reentering the U.S. as a Chinese American during the exclusion era, and the extensive documentation required.
Lim, Julian. “Plenary Powers: Chinese Immigration, Sovereignty Challenges, and the Making of Federal Immigration Power in the U.S. West.” The Journal of American History, December (2025): 482-512. Lim’s article provides historical context for the 1889 Supreme Court decision in the case of Chae Chan Ping v. United States, which granted Congress the authority to regulate immigration as part of its plenary powers.
Mohn, Elizabeth. “Trump Travel Ban (Executive Order 13769).” EBSCO, 2023. Accessed July 11, 2026. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/trump-travel-ban-executive-order-13769. This article gives a brief overview of the 2017 travel ban and its legal challenges.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. “English Language Arts Standards.” 2010. https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/. This unit is based on Reading Informational Text and Speaking and Listening standards. I selected the standards for grade 8 to best match the abilities of my students.
Ngai, Mae M. Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. Politics and Society in Twentieth-Century America. Princeton University Press, 2004. Ngai’s book traces the history of the illegal alien as a concept in American law and society. Chapter 1 focuses on the period between the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 and the abolition of national quotas in 1965.
Office of the Historian, Shared Knowledge Services, Bureau of Administration. “The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (The McCarran-Walter Act).” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations, United States Department of State. Accessed July 11, 2026. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act. This article describes the passage of the McCarran-Walter Act and differentiates it from previous immigration legislation.
Office of the Historian, Shared Knowledge Services, Bureau of Administration. “Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, 1943.” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations, United States Department of State. Accessed July 16, 2026. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act. This article explains the compromises that resulted in the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Qin, Amy. “This Man Won Birthright Citizenship for All.” New York Times (New York, NY), February 10, 2025. This news article outlines the Wong Kim Ark case in which the Supreme Court ruled that birthright citizenship applies to everyone born in the United States.
Rutland, Allison and Jeanne Batalova. “Sub-Saharan African Immigrants in the United States.”
Migration Information Source. Migration Policy Institute, October 16, 2025, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/sub-saharan-african-immigrants-united-states. Rutland and Batalova’s article describes data and trends among immigrants from Sub-Sarahan African countries including Somalia.
Wilson, Jill H. “Nonimmigrant and Immigrant Visa Categories: Data Brief (Updated).” In Visas: Categories, Work Visas and the Visa Waiver Program, edited by Brian A. Shelton, 1-14. Nova Science Publishers, 2021. This chapter of Wilson’s book outlines the different categories of visas.
Wilson, Jill H. “The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.” In Visas: Categories, Work Visas and the Visa Waiver Program, edited by Brian A. Shelton, 15-43. Nova Science Publishers, 2021. In the second chapter of Wilson’s book, she describes the Diversity Visa lottery.
Yung, Judy. “Jew Law Yin’s Coaching Book.” In Unbound Voices: A Documentary History of Chinese Women in San Francisco, 32-56. University of California Press, 1999. By examining this primary source, readers can see how married couples prepared for their immigration interviews during the exclusion era.
Bibliography for Middle School Students
Dumas, Firoozeh. Funny in Farsi: A memoir of growing up Iranian in America. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2008.
Iftin, Abdi Nor. Call Me American (Adapted for Young Adults): The Extraordinary True Story of a Young Somali Immigrant. Random House Children’s Books, 2020.
Lee, Mary Paik. Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean Woman in America. University of Washington Press, 1990.
Mah, Adeline Yen. Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter. Broadway Books, 1999.
Shahani, Aarti Namdev. Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares. Celadon Books, 2020.
Sone, Monica, Marie Rose Wong, and S. Frank Miyamoto. Nisei Daughter. Classics of Asian American Literature. University of Washington Press, 2014.
Bibliography for High School Students
Agustin, Rafael. Illegally Yours: A Memoir. Grand Central, 2022. In Agustin’s humorous memoir, he describes learning at age 16 that his parents brought him to the United States illegally from Ecuador. His youthful rebellions include strong language, use of drugs and alcohol, and sexual activity.
Bui, Thi. The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir. Abrams ComicArts, 2018. This intense graphic memoir depicts Thi Bui’s family’s journey from war-torn Vietnam to the United States. Bui grapples with her parents’ trauma as she becomes a mother herself. Content considerations include visual depictions of shooting, a reference to rape, nudity, and language.
Hernandez Castillo, Marcelo. Children of the Land. HarperCollins Publishers, 2020. Hernandez Castillo’s poetic memoir demonstrates the effects of his father’s deportation to Mexico on the entire family. The book features sexuality, violence, use of drugs and alcohol, and strong language.
Wang, Qian Julie. Beautiful Country. Doubleday, 2021. This emotional memoir describes Wang’s experiences as an undocumented Chinese immigrant living in New York City. Although the writing is beautiful, this book contains strong language, violence, and a description of an indecent exposure.
Zamora, Javier. Solito: A Memoir. Hogarth, 2022. Zamora’s memoir chronicles his harrowing journey from El Salvador to the United States. Told in a nine-year-old’s voice, the book includes frequent profanity from the coyotes who transported Zamora and the rest of his group.
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