From 1892 to 1924, nearly 16 million emigrants from Europe passed through Ellis Island, a small block of land where a transit center was built, near the New York Statue of Liberty.

"Ellis Island Stories, Stories of Wandering and Hope" - the book is composed of three major parts. The first, through a visit to Ellis Island and with the help of texts and documents, restored what everyday life was about what some called "the island of tears". In the second part, "Description of a path", Georges Perec evokes his personal relationship with the themes of dispersion and identity. The third part, "Mémoires", takes up the testimonies of men and women who, as children, have passed through Ellis Island and tell of their expectations, their hopes, their dreams, their integration into American life.—Ulf Kjell Gür