Spacious Dreams: The First Wave of Asian Immigration (The Asian American Experience)

Takaki, Ronald T.

ISBN 10: 0791021769 ISBN 13: 9780791021767

Publisher: Chelsea House Pub, 1994

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A history of the first wave of Asian immigration in America

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From Kirkus Reviews:

This first in a new YA series, The Asian American Experience, is adapted from the author's 500-plus-page Strangers from a Different Shore (1989); it chronicles Asian immigration to the US and Canada between 1849 and the Immigration Act of 1924, which prohibited it. Takaki, a professor of ethnic studies at Berkeley, makes good use of oral histories and immigrants' writings as well as numerous b&w photos (not always clearly reproduced) to vivify the period, presenting experiences of Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, and Asian Indians and explaining the reasons compelling them to leave their homelands and the strong demands from abroad for labor, especially from the US. Of particular interest are differences in Asian experiences in Hawaii compared to those on the mainland; Takaki also contrasts the experiences of women. A final chapter describes the time at sea en route and the Asians' reception on arrival. The Asian perspective, including examples from the author's family, make this well-written title particularly valuable, although it's (of necessity) somewhat repetitive. Map; chronology; bibliography (including some children's books); index. (Nonfiction. 12+) -- Copyright �1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-10-Adapted from the author's adult title, Strangers from a Different Shore (Little, 1989), this book focuses on Asian immigration to America from the 1850s, when the Chinese first came to work in Hawaiian sugar fields, until the Immigration Act effectively ended the influx in 1924. Separate chapters about the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, and Asian Indians tell who came, why, and how they were received. Much of the story is told in the immigrants' own words through oral histories, conversations, songs, diaries, letters, poems, etc. The closing chapter not only describes the voyages across the Pacific, but also points out similarities and differences among the various nationalities who came. Linda Perrin's Coming to America (Delacorte, 1980) lacks these valuable comparisons and focuses more on the history of various groups after their arrival in the U.S. Well-chosen, informative, black-and-white photos add interest to Takaki's readable, perceptive account. The list of further reading is nicely balanced between adult and juvenile materials.
Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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