Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present - Paperback

by Judy Yung (Editor), Gordon Chang (Editor), Him Mark Lai (Editor)

Described by others as quaint and exotic, or as depraved and threatening, and, more recently, as successful and exemplary, the Chinese in America have rarely been asked to describe themselves in their own words. This superb anthology, a diverse and illuminating collection of primary documents and stories by Chinese Americans, provides an intimate and textured history of the Chinese in America from their arrival during the California Gold Rush to the present. Among the documents are letters, speeches, testimonies, oral histories, personal memoirs, poems, essays, and folksongs; many have never been published before or have been translated into English for the first time. They bring to life the diverse voices of immigrants and American-born; laborers, merchants, and professionals; ministers and students; housewives and prostitutes; and community leaders and activists. Together, they provide insight into immigration, work, family and social life, and the longstanding fight for equality and inclusion. Featuring photographs and extensive introductions to the documents written by three leading Chinese American scholars, this compelling volume offers a panoramic perspective on the Chinese American experience and opens new vistas on American social, cultural, and political history.

Front Jacket

Skillfully selected, translated, and annotated, this compelling compendium of voices bear witness to the diversity and depth of the Chinese American experience and, significantly, its indispensable centrality to American life and history.--Gary Y. Okihiro, author of Common Ground: Reimagining American History

"Here at last is a wide-ranging record of Chinese American experiences from the viewpoints of the players. Chinese American Voices is an impressive feat of scholarship, an indispensable reference, and a compelling read."--Ruthanne Lum McCunn, author of Thousand Pieces of Gold and The Moon Pearl

"This anthology offers a virtual "Gam Saan" (Gold Mountain) of original sources. The stories burst with telling and re-affirm a vision of men and women as actors in history, who made themselves as Chinese Americans as they helped to make America itself."--Ronald Takaki, author of Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans

"This volume of sixty-two annotated documents, many translated from Chinese for the first time, is a boon to faculty and students interested in Chinese American history, Asian American history, U.S. immigration history, and race and ethnic relations. The life stories, in particular, are appealing for students, the reading public, and scholars alike as they hear the voices of individuals long misunderstood, denigrated, and silenced. All of us owe a debt of gratitude to the three editors for their dedicated labor of love."--Sucheng Chan, author of Chinese American Transnationalism: The Flow of People, Resources, and Ideas between China and America during the Exclusion Era

"This is a superb collection."--Roger Daniels, author of Guarding the Golden Door: American Immigration Policy and Immigrants since 1882

Author Biography

Judy Yung, Professor Emerita of American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is author of the award-winning Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco (California, 1995) among other books. Gordon H. Chang, Professor of History at Stanford University, is editor of Asian Americans and Politics: Perspectives, Experiences, Prospects (2001)and author of other books. Him Mark Lai, Adjunct Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, is author of Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions (2004), and other books.