Chinese Immigrants, 1850-1900

Children's Literature

Part of the "Coming to America" series, this is a brief but clearly stated and enlightening history of the saga of Chinese-Americans. Arriving first during the California gold rush, soon thousands of Chinese men followed to labor on the railroads. Famine conditions existed in their homeland, so the primarily married males sent their wages back home. Expecting to return themselves, they retained their language, dress and customs—and were persecuted for all of these. As the closed communities grew, benevolent associations sprang up to protect their own, while U.S. legislators were being pressured to pass anti-Chinese laws. Parity only arrived with World War II. The story is told well, with excellent prints and photographs illustrating the nicely designed book. A recipe, a game, a timeline and a listing of famous Chinese Americans fill out the length. The book will make a worthy addition to lower school libraries. 2002, Blue Earth Books,
— Kathleen Karr