Exclusion and the Chinese American Story (Race to the Truth)

Blackburn starts this book with a note acknowledging that Chinese American history, and the experience of Chinese Americans, isn't something that is monolithic. Even the identification of being "Chinese American" can pertain to a wide range of people. Still, because of the dire lack of information about this population (which numbers over five million people), it is important to have books like the Race to the Truth series to fill in gaps that racism and prejudice have left in standard history textbooks.

This has an array of stories on a variety of different people and events, and aims to be intersectional and to encourage readers to think critically about history. Starting with the possible (although unlikely) visit of Hui Shen to the North American in 499 CE, and the arrival of Afong May, a woman who was used to advertise imported Chinese goods in the 1800s, we see interesting snippets of history that don't get the attention they deserve. Larger events, like the influx of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush, and during the building of the railroads, and life in the new Chinatowns in San Francisco and Los Angeles are all covered. There are many interesting historical anecdotes and discussions of what life was like during various periods of history.

There was lots of information presented that I didn't know much about: the reasons why so many Chinese Americans had laundry and food related businesses, the various legislation controlling the number of immigrants, or the way that Chinese Americans were forced to live, and stories of people like Martha Lum and Wong Kim Ark, whose lives were deeply impacted by the mores and laws of the times in which they lived.