Title: Through Different Eyes: An Immigrant’s Heroic Journey, 1889-1909
Author: J. Barbara Alvord
Publisher: Authors Press
ISBN: 978-1-64314-244-9
Pages: 342
Genre: Biography
Reviewed by: Jason Lulos

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Through Different Eyes: An Immigrant’s Heroic Journey, 1889-1909 by author J. Barbara Alvord is a remarkable and compelling story.

The millions of immigrants who made their way to the United States in the early 20th century faced numerous obstacles: the language barrier, culture shock, poverty, hunger, harsh working conditions, discrimination, and familial separation as some families had to emigrate in stages due to lack of funds. So many stories of hardship, tragedy, and hope were born – a few of them became famous and many others lost to history. This is one of the tales that survived thanks to a familial bond. Author J. Barbara Alvord has written a truly captivating tribute to her grandmother, Anna Mrkvička Kups, and offers this biography as an homage to the many other unsung immigrant stories.

Anna Barbara Mrkvička was born in a small Czech village in Bohemia. A peasant girl, she and her family lived in a one-room home with a dirt floor amidst a group of other families, offering no privacy. She found comfort in visits to her great-grandmother and under the imposing medieval St. Barbara’s Cathedral, she was inspired by the heroic story of St. Barbara, her namesake. When Anna was told she was to accompany her godfather Joe to America, she was naturally apprehensive to leave all that she knew but she craved the thought of the adventure. Although she was merely fourteen and didn’t know English, she would be the guide and guardian for her illiterate godfather for the duration of their journey. They were to connect with Joe’s daughter in New York City, save some money, and then travel to Iowa to live and work on Joe’s son’s farm.

Anna literally has two different colored eyes and this symbolizes the dichotomy of her old-world view and the new perspective she would learn from her life in America. Her different eyes are prophetic as well: indicative of her resourcefulness and willingness to see and experience new things.

When she and Joe make the difficult journey across the Atlantic to Ellis Island, she is inspired by the image of the Statue of Liberty. Joe is ever the curmudgeon and Anna is the skeptical optimist, continually willing and able to adapt and learn how to survive in each new environment. She would cherish her time in New York City with Anna Ziemann, Joe’s daughter. But her first few years in Iowa are brutal under a tyrannical step-aunt and the isolation of the Iowa farm. Anna would often cry at night, missing her Czech family terribly while contemplating her harsh new reality. She’s a rugged individual but selfless, always with the goal of raising enough money to bring the remaining eight members of her family to America. Anna prayed, persevered, and never lost hope: the stuff all great American success stories are made of.

This book is engrossing. It is beautifully written. The characters are vivid. The plot is evenly paced with informative historical context. Anna is relatable, admirable, and endearing. It’s a powerful story, one that will have you rooting for the young immigrant the entire way.