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stormblessed4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
lukescalone's review against another edition
4.0
This is some really interesting stuff, and there's a lot going on here. Although plenty of scholars have studied the coming of Chinese Exclusion, as well as the period after its repeal in 1943, it had otherwise been a "black hole" before Erika Lee's work here.
Lee seeks to fill this gap by examining first, like other scholars, the coming of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, but then turns her attention to a mix of immigration enforcement and ways Chinese people overcame this enforcement. The best of the text is in Chapters 5 and 6, where Lee looks at illegal immigration (the Chinese were often the first illegal immigrants in the US--she mentions that there were some others too, but the Chinese were the most prominent; I'm skeptical of the first part of this claim, who else was immigrating to the United States illegally during this period?). Chinese people often immigrated to the United States through one of two methods during the Exclusion Era--the first was by passing through the northern or southern borders, which were effectively porous. The second was by producing fraudulent paperwork, as the American government did permit immigration connections--often, Chinese people would buy papers claiming to be somebody's son and move to the United States that way. Another, connected, method was by bribing corrupt immigration officials. Finally, Lee discusses the long-term legacies of Chinese exclusion, especially through immigration enforcement, deportation, and surveillance.
As always, I love Erika Lee's work and this book is no exception.
Lee seeks to fill this gap by examining first, like other scholars, the coming of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, but then turns her attention to a mix of immigration enforcement and ways Chinese people overcame this enforcement. The best of the text is in Chapters 5 and 6, where Lee looks at illegal immigration (the Chinese were often the first illegal immigrants in the US--she mentions that there were some others too, but the Chinese were the most prominent; I'm skeptical of the first part of this claim, who else was immigrating to the United States illegally during this period?). Chinese people often immigrated to the United States through one of two methods during the Exclusion Era--the first was by passing through the northern or southern borders, which were effectively porous. The second was by producing fraudulent paperwork, as the American government did permit immigration connections--often, Chinese people would buy papers claiming to be somebody's son and move to the United States that way. Another, connected, method was by bribing corrupt immigration officials. Finally, Lee discusses the long-term legacies of Chinese exclusion, especially through immigration enforcement, deportation, and surveillance.
As always, I love Erika Lee's work and this book is no exception.
txc9649's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best research books that I want to keep on my shelf for the next generation to read and understand more about US immigration system and policies! Being an Asian, I was often told about the Chinese Exclusion act and the “paper-son” method to exploit the loophole! What i didn’t know is that this act became the foundation of all American immigration policies that formed later. Very interesting and informative read! Highly recommend!
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