Immigration is one of the most fraught, and possibly most misunderstood, topics in American social discourse. But in most cases, the things we believe about immigration are based largely on myth, not facts. In Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success, Princeton professor Leah Boustan uses the tools of genealogical research, combined with modern data analysis, to present new evidence about the past and present of the American Dream and debunk immigration myths that have been fostered by political opportunism.

Leah Boustan is the Kuenne Professor of Economics and Humanistic Studies at Princeton University, where she also serves as the Director of the Industrial Relations Section. Professor Boustan is co-director of the Development of the American Economy Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research.