Non fiction Jounal response #3

Shutting out the sky
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Page: 60 of 114

         I strongly believe that the reason behind this book's publication is because of the need to be informed and educated about things that took place in the past and how they affected the lives of people back then. The book is based on past historical events that is mainly focused on the lives of immigrants; but, it is necessary for people today to become familiar with the struggles faced back then and how the problems they faced in the past influenced our lives today.  Especially those people who reside in New York. The book's setting takes place in the City of New York and tells of the tenements which were built to house immigrants. Therefore, it is essential that residents of New York today know about how the place they live in came into formation.
       The title of the book, Shutting out the Sky, represents the structure of the buildings in New York in the mid 1800s. The building were so tall and in great abundance that they shut out the sky. Immigrants could not see the beauty of the sky as much as they should have been able to because these tenements were built to house a lot of people with no regards to the basic needs and wants of the people. It wasn't about building a decent home for immigrants to grow and  live in, it was about the money that could be made from renting out these buildings to them. Therefore, the buildings were built very high and in a huge quantity. 
       The author, Deborah Hopkinson, was most likely trying to convey the description of how these immigrants were living and to show people today where their ancestor are coming from and how far this nation has come. I strongly believe that she is very successful at trying to convey this message becasue as I read this book, I get a sense of the misery and pain that these immigrants went through. The pictures in this book also assist in my understanding of how these people lived for a very long time. (60/114)