Anna: Going to America immerses the reader in the American immigrant experiences of a young girl as she and her mother endure the hardships of rail travel across Europe and a voyage across the Atlantic in steerage class. Anna is a 15-year-old Lithuanian country girl who immigrates to America in 1914 with her stern mother. They are the last of their immediate family to leave their native country to join Anna's brothers and sisters in America. Along the way, Anna learns the disturbing secret about her absent father and endures her mother's efforts to protect her from the heartaches that come...

World War I ravaged the European continent, millions died from the great influenza epidemic, temperance reformers campaigned to outlaw alcohol, and an avalanche of newcomers arrived in America, all between 1914 and 1919. During this time of chaotic upheaval, Anna, a 15-year-old Lithuanian immigrant, strives for a new life in America. This means new clothes, moving pictures, public parks, and Saturday night dances. But also unscrupulous men and family tragedy. A job starts her on the path to independence from her overbearing mother and miserly brother. Challenges loom at every turn. She repels...