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lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
This is a very thorough look at the various ways that Asian immigrants came to America and the challenges they faced. A common theme is that capitalist white America wanted cheap labor after slavery ended, so they would import and recruit people from a country, use and abuse them, and then feel like there were too many people who had come from the Asian country, and then pass laws against the immigrants. There were many riots and acts of violence against Asian communities. The latter part of the book discusses modern challenges to Asian immigrants and Asian Americans, such as quotas, prejudice and violence, and myths like the "model minority."
Graphic: Abandonment, Slavery, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death, Deportation, Genocide, Racism, Trafficking, Classism, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, War, and Xenophobia
ecn's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Graphic: Genocide, War, Slavery, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Violence, Racial slurs, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, and Deportation
mmehra606's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Racism, and Deportation
Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexism, and Confinement
rorikae's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
'The Making of Asian America: A History' by Erika Lee is a great introduction to the history of Asian immigration to what is now called the Americas and the subsequent history of how Asian Americans have been treated. This book does a great job of covering a large span of time and the changing experiences of Asian Americans. Despite covering so much history, I think Lee does a good job of including nuance and specifics. There is a lot of information in this book and it reads as a pretty straightforward, chronological history. It can be a bit dry at times since it strikes me as a pretty standard history book though Lee does do a good job of moving the story forward to be able to cover so much. I also felt that she did a good job of delving into different issues and ways that racism has affected populations from different Asian countries.
I think one of the best ways to use this book would be as a springboard for further research. If a particular section drew your attention, seek out more books on that point in history to gain more knowledge about it. I would recommend this as a good starting point for people interested in learning about Asian American history.
I think one of the best ways to use this book would be as a springboard for further research. If a particular section drew your attention, seek out more books on that point in history to gain more knowledge about it. I would recommend this as a good starting point for people interested in learning about Asian American history.
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Hate crime and Violence
Minor: Suicide
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