Read the preface, then answer the question that follows. "Coming Over" In the years around the turn of the century, immigration to America reached an all-time high. Between 1880 and 1920, 23 million immigrants arrived in the United States. They came mainly from the countries of Europe, especially from impoverished towns and villages in southern and eastern Europe. The one thing they had in common was a fervent belief that in America, life would be better. –Immigrant Kids, Russell Freedman What is the purpose of this preface? to give the reader background information about a certain topic to provide a list of resources that the author used to write the text to list people the author would like to thank for helping with the text to explain why the author decided to write the text