A Land of Dreams: A Study of Jewish and Afro-Caribbean Migrant Communities in England

"A Land of Dreams" explores the development of the immigrant Jewish community in the East End of London at the turn of the century, and the establishment of the West Indian community in Birmingham in the early 1950s. The author draws upon original sources and first-hand accounts to recreate the experience of the migrants themselves. It tells of their dreams of a distant land, records the hardship of the journey and their first impressions of England, and documents their struggle to find homes and work to build a new life. The book deals with several controversial themes. In particular, Taylor uncovers the Tory party's involvement with both the anti-alien (and anti-Jewish) movement at the turn of the century, and the anti-immigration movement in the 1950s and 1960s. He also highlights the role of the Birmingham Labour Group in promoting a culture of political racism in the early 1960s.