For those who like to research the history and social aspects of their immigrant forebears (or fivebears even), Google Books is a great place to hang around. And they don’t get annoyed when you break out the snacks.

One book I have been reading through is The Čechs (Bohemians) in America, A Study of Their National, Cultural Political, Social, Economic and Religious Life, By Thomas Čapek.

While the style of this circa 1920 writing is a bit dated and the perspective could be argued as slanted in Czech favor, there is quite a bit of dimension to be had on the experiences of Czech immigrants, their reasons for leaving home, and how they fit in after arriving in the United States.

Čapek had written several books that can also be found on Google Books, including another that appeals to my family history in particular: The Čech Bohemian Community of New York.

For extra credit, I happened to find a contemporary review of the first of books I mentioned. The extract at left is from The Sun and the New York Herald’s February 15, 1920, Section 6 – Books and the Book World. (Page 5, Image 75 at the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America site.)