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Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America
Strangers in the Land tells the story of a people who, beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, migrated by the tens of thousands to a distant land they called Gum Shan––Gold Mountain. Americans initially welcomed these Chinese arrivals, but, as their numbers grew, horrific episodes of racial terror erupted on the Pacific coast. A prolonged economic downturn that idled legions of white workingmen helped create the conditions for what came a series of progressively more onerous federal laws aimed at excluding Chinese laborers from the country, marking the first time the United States barred a people based on their race. In a captivating debut, Michael Luo follows the Chinese from these early years to modern times, as they persisted in the face of bigotry and persecution, revealing anew the complications of our multiracial democracy.
Luo writes of early victims of anti-Asian violence, like Gene Tong, a Los Angeles herbalist who was dragged from his apartment and hanged by a mob during one of the worst mass lynchings in the country’s history; of demagogues like Denis Kearney, a sandlot orator who became the face of the anti-Chinese movement in the late-1870s; of the pioneering activist Wong Chin Foo and other leaders of the Chinese community, who pressed their new homeland to live up to its stated ideals. At the book’s heart is a shameful chapter of American the brutal driving out of Chinese residents from towns across the American West. The Chinese became the country’s first undocumented hounded, counted, suspected, surveilled.
In 1889, while upholding Chinese exclusion, Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Field characterized them as “strangers in the land.” Only in 1965 did America’s gates swing open to people like Luo’s parents, immigrants from Taiwan. Today there are more than twenty-two million people of Asian descent in the United States and yet the “stranger” label, Luo writes, remains. Drawing on archives from across the country and written with a New Yorker writer’s style and sweep, Strangers in the Land is revelatory and unforgettable, an essential American story.
Luo writes of early victims of anti-Asian violence, like Gene Tong, a Los Angeles herbalist who was dragged from his apartment and hanged by a mob during one of the worst mass lynchings in the country’s history; of demagogues like Denis Kearney, a sandlot orator who became the face of the anti-Chinese movement in the late-1870s; of the pioneering activist Wong Chin Foo and other leaders of the Chinese community, who pressed their new homeland to live up to its stated ideals. At the book’s heart is a shameful chapter of American the brutal driving out of Chinese residents from towns across the American West. The Chinese became the country’s first undocumented hounded, counted, suspected, surveilled.
In 1889, while upholding Chinese exclusion, Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Field characterized them as “strangers in the land.” Only in 1965 did America’s gates swing open to people like Luo’s parents, immigrants from Taiwan. Today there are more than twenty-two million people of Asian descent in the United States and yet the “stranger” label, Luo writes, remains. Drawing on archives from across the country and written with a New Yorker writer’s style and sweep, Strangers in the Land is revelatory and unforgettable, an essential American story.
560 pages, Hardcover
Published April 29, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
February 7, 2025
I'm not sure I have ever written a review like this one but here it goes. Michael Luo's Strangers in the Land is an exceptional book with impeccable research, riveting stories, and important historical lessons. There is a bit too much of it, though. Let me explain!
Luo tells the story of the Chinese in America. I think most people remember grade school where the atrocious treatment of Chinese immigrants on the West Coast when they were integral in the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Luo takes it a step further to chronicle specific stories of these immigrants whether it is about the laundry they opened or a horrific mob attack. I don't want to understate how much work Luo put into this and how effectively he tells these stories. Often, people exist only in a smattering of records but the author is able to piece together a story which will move the reader. I will explain my criticism, but I don't want it to take away from the excellent work Luo has done.
The issue is such a weird one to explain. I mean chocolate is great but what's better? More chocolate! However, Luo just puts too much into this book. The exceptional stories I mentioned are overwhelming and while the first half of the book was engaging, it starts to drag after the midway point. The issue is that those small stories start to pass by and blend with similar stories you already read about. There are certain chapters which cover a topic that makes it distinct, but there are others which seem to cover much of the same material but in a different city. Luo also focused the vast majority of the book in the 1800s. The last couple of chapters then cover 60 years in a flash. The pace is off just enough to be noticeable but not fatal.
My criticism aside, this is definitely a book worth reading with an important story that is told well, overall.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Doubleday Books.)
Luo tells the story of the Chinese in America. I think most people remember grade school where the atrocious treatment of Chinese immigrants on the West Coast when they were integral in the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Luo takes it a step further to chronicle specific stories of these immigrants whether it is about the laundry they opened or a horrific mob attack. I don't want to understate how much work Luo put into this and how effectively he tells these stories. Often, people exist only in a smattering of records but the author is able to piece together a story which will move the reader. I will explain my criticism, but I don't want it to take away from the excellent work Luo has done.
The issue is such a weird one to explain. I mean chocolate is great but what's better? More chocolate! However, Luo just puts too much into this book. The exceptional stories I mentioned are overwhelming and while the first half of the book was engaging, it starts to drag after the midway point. The issue is that those small stories start to pass by and blend with similar stories you already read about. There are certain chapters which cover a topic that makes it distinct, but there are others which seem to cover much of the same material but in a different city. Luo also focused the vast majority of the book in the 1800s. The last couple of chapters then cover 60 years in a flash. The pace is off just enough to be noticeable but not fatal.
My criticism aside, this is definitely a book worth reading with an important story that is told well, overall.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Doubleday Books.)
January 7, 2025
In Strangers in the Land, Michael Luo shines a bright light on the unwavering patriotism and determination that is the Chinese American legacy. By unearthing in intimate, empathic details US immigration law’s roots in Chinese exclusion, Luo writes into the record what history books and courses have long buried but what every Chinese American feels in their bones. This book has enriched my understanding of American law, of Asian American identity, and of my own sense of self. I cannot think of a human being who would not be bettered by reading this canonical work. Strangers in the Land is powerful, essential reading for us all.
December 23, 2025
This book tells the story of how the United States responded to Chinese immigration. It’s a story that began as a welcome when their numbers were few and exotic, but as their numbers grew their presence created alarm that turned into outright hostility and violence. They were the the first ethnic group to be specifically targeted by legislation intended to limit their numbers, and this eventually resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Those restrictions remained in place until they were partly loosened in the 1940s when China became a WWII ally, but it wasn’t until 1965 when sweeping new immigration law set aside the national origins quota system which had been clearly racist in intent.
The Chinese first started arriving in significant numbers after the discovery of gold in California. Initially they were welcomed as a source of cheap labor and they were the principle source of labor in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. They were present in the gold prospecting and mining areas, but were always forced to the fringes of the most sought after locations.
Much of this book’s narrative is spent in description of the violence imposed on Chinese immigrants during the second half of the nineteenth century. Below is a listing of some of the stories covered:
• Los Angeles, CA Chinese massacre of 1871
• Attack on Squad Valley Chinese miners, 1885
• Rock Springs, WY massacre of Chinese miners, 1885
• Tacoma, WA riot of 1885
• Expulsion of Chinese from Humboldt County, CA, 1886
• Seattle, WA riot of 1886
• Snake River massacre, 1887
Recent historical research has found at least 168 communities across the American West that forced their Chinese to leave during this era.
This is a long book (over 17 hours audio), and the fact that much of the book is filled with examples of extreme absence of justice makes it trying on a reader’s soul. My reading the book didn’t do any correction of these injustices, but I like to think that listening to the audio of the book serves as sort of a recognition and acknowledgment that it happened. It doesn’t take much creativity to see similarities and parallels in this book with current immigration issues in the news.
The Chinese first started arriving in significant numbers after the discovery of gold in California. Initially they were welcomed as a source of cheap labor and they were the principle source of labor in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. They were present in the gold prospecting and mining areas, but were always forced to the fringes of the most sought after locations.
Much of this book’s narrative is spent in description of the violence imposed on Chinese immigrants during the second half of the nineteenth century. Below is a listing of some of the stories covered:
• Los Angeles, CA Chinese massacre of 1871
• Attack on Squad Valley Chinese miners, 1885
• Rock Springs, WY massacre of Chinese miners, 1885
• Tacoma, WA riot of 1885
• Expulsion of Chinese from Humboldt County, CA, 1886
• Seattle, WA riot of 1886
• Snake River massacre, 1887
Recent historical research has found at least 168 communities across the American West that forced their Chinese to leave during this era.
This is a long book (over 17 hours audio), and the fact that much of the book is filled with examples of extreme absence of justice makes it trying on a reader’s soul. My reading the book didn’t do any correction of these injustices, but I like to think that listening to the audio of the book serves as sort of a recognition and acknowledgment that it happened. It doesn’t take much creativity to see similarities and parallels in this book with current immigration issues in the news.
Read
October 2, 2025Right in the middle of 3.5 stars, and I don't feel like rounding either down or up, so stars come off.
As with many other reviewers in both 3- and 4-star territory, I agree that this book comes off as encyclopedic. In fact, it beats you over the head with it.
That said, I read fair chunks of the material before. I knew a fair amount about treatment of Chinese in San Francisco, in gold rush towns of the Sierra Nevada and in similar towns in other states. I had heard the basics of Eureka, California. I had heard about, though without details, of the Pacific Northwest.
I had read plenty about Rock Springs, Wyoming, which John W. Loewen calls America's first sundown town. It's actually not, since with federal troop protection, the Chinese came back within a few weeks. Nonetheless, it shows how the anti-Chinese sentiment has spread. Without calling them "guilty," Luo also notes how, in this case, unlike their strike at one point on the Central Pacific Railroad years earlier, Chinese coal miners, for unknown reasons, rejected entreaties from white miners to join their union.
The end chapter, about enforcement of the Geary Act, makes the government look a small bit like ICE 100 years ago.
The Qing government's efforts for better treatment are sprinkled throughout.
That said, in one way, the book is not encyclopedic. Luo has very little on Chinese in the U.S. South. They're mentioned a few times, and Chinese efforts to have their kids not considered Black in terms of schooling is referenced once, but that's about it. In reality, Southern planters, especially sugarcane planters, actively sought Chinese. (After exclusion acts started working, post-1898, Filipinos were then of interest, like Japanese in California.)
American concerns about opium — and how other Americans, including FDR's ancestry — tailed the British in shoving opium down Chinese throats also aren't discussed in detail.
More data would have been good, too. Even before 1882, what percentage of immigrants eventually returned permanently to China? Comparable numbers for Europeans? These types of things.
As with many other reviewers in both 3- and 4-star territory, I agree that this book comes off as encyclopedic. In fact, it beats you over the head with it.
That said, I read fair chunks of the material before. I knew a fair amount about treatment of Chinese in San Francisco, in gold rush towns of the Sierra Nevada and in similar towns in other states. I had heard the basics of Eureka, California. I had heard about, though without details, of the Pacific Northwest.
I had read plenty about Rock Springs, Wyoming, which John W. Loewen calls America's first sundown town. It's actually not, since with federal troop protection, the Chinese came back within a few weeks. Nonetheless, it shows how the anti-Chinese sentiment has spread. Without calling them "guilty," Luo also notes how, in this case, unlike their strike at one point on the Central Pacific Railroad years earlier, Chinese coal miners, for unknown reasons, rejected entreaties from white miners to join their union.
The end chapter, about enforcement of the Geary Act, makes the government look a small bit like ICE 100 years ago.
The Qing government's efforts for better treatment are sprinkled throughout.
That said, in one way, the book is not encyclopedic. Luo has very little on Chinese in the U.S. South. They're mentioned a few times, and Chinese efforts to have their kids not considered Black in terms of schooling is referenced once, but that's about it. In reality, Southern planters, especially sugarcane planters, actively sought Chinese. (After exclusion acts started working, post-1898, Filipinos were then of interest, like Japanese in California.)
American concerns about opium — and how other Americans, including FDR's ancestry — tailed the British in shoving opium down Chinese throats also aren't discussed in detail.
More data would have been good, too. Even before 1882, what percentage of immigrants eventually returned permanently to China? Comparable numbers for Europeans? These types of things.
May 9, 2025
This is an impressive book and a sad commentary on our country - but what happened to the Chinese is no different than what is happening today with our oppressive immigration policy, the only difference thankfully is that white supremacists haven’t taken to the streets to kill as happened to the Chinese. Luo’s Chapter 16 (rewritten in the March 10, 2025, New Yorker in “Tragedy At Rock Springs”) tells of the madness of white and indigenous workers in massacring Chinese workers. Luo’s book is a detailed and exhaustive history of the discrimination of the Chinese beginning in the 1850s with the Gold Rush through 1965 when LBJ signed into law a bill to overhaul the immigration system. The book concentrates heavily on the period between 1859-1900 when things were at their worse. All of the angst to preserve the white Anglo-Saxon culture - which still goes on - based on misconceptions, disinformation, misinformation and just plan hatred - is exhausting and terrible to read about. But this is an important read to help understand that zero sum thinking never results in anything being better. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend.
June 26, 2025
what's old is new again.
August 7, 2025
Well researched. There are certain points in the latter third of the book where the stories didn't seem to be thematically cohesive or pushing the book forward in a sense. for example, there was a focus on one particular stretch of years ad nauseum but when it introduced the stories of world war 2 it seemed to be so short it was disappointing second to how interesting the entries were.
Otherwise, it was a great read, recommended to anyone like me who was foreign to the subject.
Otherwise, it was a great read, recommended to anyone like me who was foreign to the subject.
July 19, 2025
As a "Chinaman", reading this book brought me all sorts of feelings.
I felt angry about the ruthlessness and lawlessness of the mob driving out and killing the Chinese. I felt indignant that almost none of the perpetrators of the crimes was convicted (many were apprehended and charged, yet the White jurors unsurprisingly refused to convict). And I felt helpless at the passing of the Chinese Restriction Law and the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Yet at the same time, I also felt frustrated at some of the antiques brought by the early Chinese settlers. The lack of awareness of their poor hygiene, the unwillingness to assimilate, and, to top them all, the turf wars among the gangs which escalated to shooting openly on the street. I mean, come on, if you went to a stranger's house, the least you could do was to not cause a scene, especially when you knew that you were not the most welcomed.
My feelings were mixed because the context itself was very complex. Racism definitely played a big part. The policy makers could find all kinds of excuses, from lack of assimilation (maybe true for some of the early settlers, but there were exceptions, not to mention those born and raised in America who had assimilated from the get go) to concerns of national security (e.g., the McCarthyism), yet if you take off the hood, there was always racism underneath.
On the other hand, the early Chinese settlers very likely did have a different mentality coming to the United States compared to the European immigrants. For the latter, most of them wanted to start a new life; they may have some ties to the old land but not so strong to significantly restrict how they behave in the new world. In fact, I'd even venture that the Europeans were eager to leave the old world behind and start everything anew, new ways to live, work, and socialize. The Chinese, however, only viewed the United States as yet another place to make some money. They called San Francisco the "Gold Mountain" because, to them, that was exactly what the United States was -- a place to become rich so that their life BACK HOME could be improved. That was how the promise of America was sold -- early adventurers to the Gold Mountain returning with great fortune, so much more than they could have made back home. Thus more Chinamen wanted to try their luck, even if it meant poor working conditions, desolate living quarters, constant harassment, or even death. The drastic difference in the intention should not be overlooked, with most of the Chinese treating America as a temporary work place whereas the Europeans a new home. This, in my opinion, sowed the seed of future conflicts.
The Chinese also brought a lot more cultural baggage with them. China, after all, had been one of the most powerful empires for centuries. An extremely long history of Confucious indoctrination ingrained the early settlers with the virtues of industriousness and hardworking, yet at the same time obedience and tolerance. Hence, when the White miners demanded higher wage and wanted the Chinese, which out numbered them by a large margin, to join for a general strike, the Chinese were ambivalent -- despite earning less than the White and also wanting a higher wage, the risk of the strike (something unfamiliar to them) was much higher than tolerating the status quo (something they were already used to). Tolerance vs. boldness, the drastic clash of mentality between the East and West marked another unbridgeable chasm.
But was all this the fault of Chinamen? Was this punishable by lynching, driving out, and the eventual laws of exclusion? The White laborers wanted the Chinese to disappear, complaining that the Chinese took all their jobs (sounds familiar?), but the Chinese kept coming back, in larger numbers. At a certain point, one must ask the obvious question: why did the Chinese continue to come to a land which was so hostile to them? The answer was always money. There was money to be made, as many jobs were offered by the railway company, the mining company, etc. It was Capitalism in its purest form! Chinese laborers were cheaper, caused less trouble, and did the job as well as, if not better than the White. Why would the capitalists not prefer the Chinese laborers? When there were sufficient jobs to go about (e.g., the early days of the gold rush) or the working condition was too poor (e.g., the construction of the railroad through the granite of Sierra Nevada), there was no big conflict. But when the economy went bad and Capitalism needed to dig harder, what used to be tolerable was no more. Tragedy ensued but Capitalism marched on. That's why right after the White mob drove out hundreds of Chinese miners and burned down their quarters in Rock Spring, Wyoming, the coal company immediately brought in train loads of Chinese. Capitalism is ruthless; the Chinese could be easily replaced; the White could be easily ignored.
Come to think of it, what happened with the Chinese laborers at the turn of the 20th century was akin to the globalization at the turn of the 21st century, just in reverse. Back then, cheap labor was brought to the United States and outcompeted the local workers. Later on, the US companies went abroad to chase cheap laborers who again outcompeted the local workers. China was at the epicenter of both tides. Corporates made a lot of money but White laborers (first time the miners, second time the factory workers) were screwed both times. The major difference is that the second time saw much less overt violence.
I think what I am trying to say is that the so-called "Chinese Question" is a very complicated issue. It was created by Capitalism, catalyzed by cultural difference, and inflamed by racism. Even its official ending was brought by a historical event unintended by both countries -- had Japan not miscalculated Pearl Harbour, the Chinese Exclusion Act may very well persist until today. In a sense, the "Chinese Question" has never been fully answered, as evidenced by the anti-Chinese craze during the COVID times. It is, however, drawing much less attention thanks to generations of Chinese Americans working their butt off to assimilate and being the so-called "model minority". Today, under the Trump Administration, the "Chinese Question" morphed into the "Latino Question", the "Muslim Question". The blatant violation of the Constitution by ICE to capture, detain, and deport brown people, some of them American citizens, without due process bears striking similarity to how the Chinese were treated more than one hundred years ago. In a sense, America barely progressed at its core. The apparent advancement in human rights and equality over the years might just be a moratorium, a side-effect of the booming economy, just like the initial peaceful coexistence between the Chinese and the White when there was sufficient gold to go round.
P.S. I noticed from the book's Acknowledgement that the author and his brother had the names Michael and Chris. I see this as their parents' attempt to assimilate, to blend their boys in with the White culture. Yet the author's daughters were named Madeleine and Vivienne, which has a little lets-be-different-and-stand-out vibe. It could be a reflection of how differently the two generations of Chinese in America perceive their acceptance by American culture. Or maybe I am just overthinking.
Interesting Quotes
--p15, this reminds me of Humans: A Monstrous History. Since the Chinese were monsters to the Americans, there would be no incentive to keep a record of the monstrous people.
--p33, the context is that a white man was suspected of killing a Chinaman. Some Chinese served as witnesses to convict the White man, yet the Supreme court struck it down, deciding that the law that barred Native Americans testifying against the White also applied to the Chinese. For racism's sake, any law or precedent is open for re-interpretation, no matter how ridiculous.
--p102, this was just one example of many priests from different churches that had helped and protected the Chinese. This is what following the teaching of Jesus Christ should look like, and what separation of church and state could bring about: compassion, empathy, and love beyond race and nationality. Looking at the religious landscape of America, especially the Evangelical churches, in the MAGA era, the contrast is jarring. It would not be a stretch to imagine that a lot of churches today would be more than happy to link arms with ICE and hunt down the immigrants. Such sacrilege to Christianity.
--p143, the early version of "globalization".
--p158, I feel this should be the model when capitalism finds a cheaper labor source. Friedman's doctrine says that a corporation's only responsibility is to get more profit. That is very short-sighted. The desire to chase maximum profit at the cost of eroding the stability in the society is detrimental to the corporation in the long run. If a cheap labor source brings in a lot more profit, corporations should share some with the society to soothe the pain brought by the cheap labor. This could be a win-win-win situation, yet corporate greed always acts as a party-pooper.
--p229, a classic approach to treating "monsters". Barring Chinese children from public education was to prevent them from assimilation, even if they wanted to. Then on the legislative level, lack of assimilation could be used as an excuse to continue this vicious cycle. Note that this situation is different from the unwillingness to assimilate from the early Chinese settlers. We are talking about Chinese who have decided to make America home, raise children, and actively seek to assimilate. Yet they were not allowed. Therefore, the whole argument of lack of assimilation was more of a farce than a legitimate complaint.
--p240, this sort of shenanigans never helps marginalized people. Chris Rock's famous standup routine in 1996 frequently comes to my mind.
--p390, the resemblance to some of the Trump Administration's immigration policy is uncanny.
--p390-391, I was so confused why so many 19th century Chinese women had the same given name "Shee". It didn't make any sense to me until page 390 (what an embarrassment honestly!). "Shee" (or 氏) was NOT a given name, but an indication that the woman had no given name and was only recognized by her last name. So "Quok Shee" translates to "a woman with last name Quok", "Chin Shee" translates to "a woman with last name Chin", and "Wong Shee" translates to "a woman with last name Wong".
--p413, my wife's birthday is October 7. I think we are meant to be together.
--p424, the context is that many Chinese immigrants entered the U.S. despite the Chinese Exclusion Act, via fraudulent paper (e.g., claiming to be the son of an American citizen, or "paper son"). The con was elaborate, cunning, and apparently very effective, which left the immigration officials scratching their heads and frustrated. As a countermeasure, the confession program was cooked up, which may or may not help "paper sons" adjust their shaky immigration status to legitimate ones if they implicate other "paper sons". The confession program claimed to be a big success, with nearly 14,000 confessions, implicating more than 22,000 other Chinese with fraudulent paper works.
I felt angry about the ruthlessness and lawlessness of the mob driving out and killing the Chinese. I felt indignant that almost none of the perpetrators of the crimes was convicted (many were apprehended and charged, yet the White jurors unsurprisingly refused to convict). And I felt helpless at the passing of the Chinese Restriction Law and the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Yet at the same time, I also felt frustrated at some of the antiques brought by the early Chinese settlers. The lack of awareness of their poor hygiene, the unwillingness to assimilate, and, to top them all, the turf wars among the gangs which escalated to shooting openly on the street. I mean, come on, if you went to a stranger's house, the least you could do was to not cause a scene, especially when you knew that you were not the most welcomed.
My feelings were mixed because the context itself was very complex. Racism definitely played a big part. The policy makers could find all kinds of excuses, from lack of assimilation (maybe true for some of the early settlers, but there were exceptions, not to mention those born and raised in America who had assimilated from the get go) to concerns of national security (e.g., the McCarthyism), yet if you take off the hood, there was always racism underneath.
On the other hand, the early Chinese settlers very likely did have a different mentality coming to the United States compared to the European immigrants. For the latter, most of them wanted to start a new life; they may have some ties to the old land but not so strong to significantly restrict how they behave in the new world. In fact, I'd even venture that the Europeans were eager to leave the old world behind and start everything anew, new ways to live, work, and socialize. The Chinese, however, only viewed the United States as yet another place to make some money. They called San Francisco the "Gold Mountain" because, to them, that was exactly what the United States was -- a place to become rich so that their life BACK HOME could be improved. That was how the promise of America was sold -- early adventurers to the Gold Mountain returning with great fortune, so much more than they could have made back home. Thus more Chinamen wanted to try their luck, even if it meant poor working conditions, desolate living quarters, constant harassment, or even death. The drastic difference in the intention should not be overlooked, with most of the Chinese treating America as a temporary work place whereas the Europeans a new home. This, in my opinion, sowed the seed of future conflicts.
The Chinese also brought a lot more cultural baggage with them. China, after all, had been one of the most powerful empires for centuries. An extremely long history of Confucious indoctrination ingrained the early settlers with the virtues of industriousness and hardworking, yet at the same time obedience and tolerance. Hence, when the White miners demanded higher wage and wanted the Chinese, which out numbered them by a large margin, to join for a general strike, the Chinese were ambivalent -- despite earning less than the White and also wanting a higher wage, the risk of the strike (something unfamiliar to them) was much higher than tolerating the status quo (something they were already used to). Tolerance vs. boldness, the drastic clash of mentality between the East and West marked another unbridgeable chasm.
But was all this the fault of Chinamen? Was this punishable by lynching, driving out, and the eventual laws of exclusion? The White laborers wanted the Chinese to disappear, complaining that the Chinese took all their jobs (sounds familiar?), but the Chinese kept coming back, in larger numbers. At a certain point, one must ask the obvious question: why did the Chinese continue to come to a land which was so hostile to them? The answer was always money. There was money to be made, as many jobs were offered by the railway company, the mining company, etc. It was Capitalism in its purest form! Chinese laborers were cheaper, caused less trouble, and did the job as well as, if not better than the White. Why would the capitalists not prefer the Chinese laborers? When there were sufficient jobs to go about (e.g., the early days of the gold rush) or the working condition was too poor (e.g., the construction of the railroad through the granite of Sierra Nevada), there was no big conflict. But when the economy went bad and Capitalism needed to dig harder, what used to be tolerable was no more. Tragedy ensued but Capitalism marched on. That's why right after the White mob drove out hundreds of Chinese miners and burned down their quarters in Rock Spring, Wyoming, the coal company immediately brought in train loads of Chinese. Capitalism is ruthless; the Chinese could be easily replaced; the White could be easily ignored.
Come to think of it, what happened with the Chinese laborers at the turn of the 20th century was akin to the globalization at the turn of the 21st century, just in reverse. Back then, cheap labor was brought to the United States and outcompeted the local workers. Later on, the US companies went abroad to chase cheap laborers who again outcompeted the local workers. China was at the epicenter of both tides. Corporates made a lot of money but White laborers (first time the miners, second time the factory workers) were screwed both times. The major difference is that the second time saw much less overt violence.
I think what I am trying to say is that the so-called "Chinese Question" is a very complicated issue. It was created by Capitalism, catalyzed by cultural difference, and inflamed by racism. Even its official ending was brought by a historical event unintended by both countries -- had Japan not miscalculated Pearl Harbour, the Chinese Exclusion Act may very well persist until today. In a sense, the "Chinese Question" has never been fully answered, as evidenced by the anti-Chinese craze during the COVID times. It is, however, drawing much less attention thanks to generations of Chinese Americans working their butt off to assimilate and being the so-called "model minority". Today, under the Trump Administration, the "Chinese Question" morphed into the "Latino Question", the "Muslim Question". The blatant violation of the Constitution by ICE to capture, detain, and deport brown people, some of them American citizens, without due process bears striking similarity to how the Chinese were treated more than one hundred years ago. In a sense, America barely progressed at its core. The apparent advancement in human rights and equality over the years might just be a moratorium, a side-effect of the booming economy, just like the initial peaceful coexistence between the Chinese and the White when there was sufficient gold to go round.
P.S. I noticed from the book's Acknowledgement that the author and his brother had the names Michael and Chris. I see this as their parents' attempt to assimilate, to blend their boys in with the White culture. Yet the author's daughters were named Madeleine and Vivienne, which has a little lets-be-different-and-stand-out vibe. It could be a reflection of how differently the two generations of Chinese in America perceive their acceptance by American culture. Or maybe I am just overthinking.
Interesting Quotes
The individual stories of the earliest Chinese arrivals in America have mostly slipped through historian's grasps.
--p15, this reminds me of Humans: A Monstrous History. Since the Chinese were monsters to the Americans, there would be no incentive to keep a record of the monstrous people.
He (Chief Justice Hugh Campbell Murray) feared the establishment of a precedent that would lead to the awarding of other privileges to the Chinese. "The same rule which would admit them to testify, would admit them to all the equal rights of citizenship, and we might soon see them at the polls, in the jury box, upon the bench, and in our legislative halls".
--p33, the context is that a white man was suspected of killing a Chinaman. Some Chinese served as witnesses to convict the White man, yet the Supreme court struck it down, deciding that the law that barred Native Americans testifying against the White also applied to the Chinese. For racism's sake, any law or precedent is open for re-interpretation, no matter how ridiculous.
Gibson, a native of New York and former missionary in Fuzhou, China, had arrived in San Francisco in 1868 and founded the Chinese Domestic Mission. Gibson, sturdily built, with a chinstrap beard and piercing eyes, became a stalwart defender of Chinese immigrants.
--p102, this was just one example of many priests from different churches that had helped and protected the Chinese. This is what following the teaching of Jesus Christ should look like, and what separation of church and state could bring about: compassion, empathy, and love beyond race and nationality. Looking at the religious landscape of America, especially the Evangelical churches, in the MAGA era, the contrast is jarring. It would not be a stretch to imagine that a lot of churches today would be more than happy to link arms with ICE and hunt down the immigrants. Such sacrilege to Christianity.
"No one would hire an Irishman, German, Englishman or Italian when he could get a Chinese, because our countrymen are so much more honest, industrious, steady, sober and painstaking. Chinese were persecuted, not for their vices, but for their virtues."
--p143, the early version of "globalization".
Several weeks later, the society issued a lengthy statement, explaining that the cutlery business had been sustaining heavy losses for years and that the overseers were faced with either closing the factory entirely or bringing in a Chinese workforce to labor alongside the white employees. In order to help ease tensions, the society committed to sharing the proceeds of the cutlery company's profits with the community for the establishment of religious, educational, and charitable institutions.
--p158, I feel this should be the model when capitalism finds a cheaper labor source. Friedman's doctrine says that a corporation's only responsibility is to get more profit. That is very short-sighted. The desire to chase maximum profit at the cost of eroding the stability in the society is detrimental to the corporation in the long run. If a cheap labor source brings in a lot more profit, corporations should share some with the society to soothe the pain brought by the cheap labor. This could be a win-win-win situation, yet corporate greed always acts as a party-pooper.
They reported that there were more than three thousand school-age children of Chinese descent in the state, "anxious to learn the English language," but who were barred from public schools. "We simply ask that our children be placed upon the same footing as the children of other foreigners," they wrote.
--p229, a classic approach to treating "monsters". Barring Chinese children from public education was to prevent them from assimilation, even if they wanted to. Then on the legislative level, lack of assimilation could be used as an excuse to continue this vicious cycle. Note that this situation is different from the unwillingness to assimilate from the early Chinese settlers. We are talking about Chinese who have decided to make America home, raise children, and actively seek to assimilate. Yet they were not allowed. Therefore, the whole argument of lack of assimilation was more of a farce than a legitimate complaint.
Just after six o'clock on Friday evening, February 6, two Chinese men brushed past each other on the sidewalk, on the north side of Fourth Street, in the Chinese quarter. They exchanged words; both men began shooting.
--p240, this sort of shenanigans never helps marginalized people. Chris Rock's famous standup routine in 1996 frequently comes to my mind.
The inspectors on Angel Island were even willing to go so far as to separate children from their parents.
--p390, the resemblance to some of the Trump Administration's immigration policy is uncanny.
Quok Shee...Chin Shee..Wong Shee...
--p390-391, I was so confused why so many 19th century Chinese women had the same given name "Shee". It didn't make any sense to me until page 390 (what an embarrassment honestly!). "Shee" (or 氏) was NOT a given name, but an indication that the woman had no given name and was only recognized by her last name. So "Quok Shee" translates to "a woman with last name Quok", "Chin Shee" translates to "a woman with last name Chin", and "Wong Shee" translates to "a woman with last name Wong".
On October 7, the House immigration committee reconvened and voted to advance the measure introduced by Representative Warren Magnuson, a Washington state Democrat, that repealed the exclusion laws, made Chinese eligible for naturalization, and imposed a single racial quota for Chinese immigration.
--p413, my wife's birthday is October 7. I think we are meant to be together.
In the immigration service's annual reports, officials boasted of their "great strides" in overcoming the "Chinese fraud problem" through the confession program, as it became known.
--p424, the context is that many Chinese immigrants entered the U.S. despite the Chinese Exclusion Act, via fraudulent paper (e.g., claiming to be the son of an American citizen, or "paper son"). The con was elaborate, cunning, and apparently very effective, which left the immigration officials scratching their heads and frustrated. As a countermeasure, the confession program was cooked up, which may or may not help "paper sons" adjust their shaky immigration status to legitimate ones if they implicate other "paper sons". The confession program claimed to be a big success, with nearly 14,000 confessions, implicating more than 22,000 other Chinese with fraudulent paper works.
July 25, 2025
I watched a video that pointed out media around AAPI history month are usually focused on stories from Asia, and not stories about Asian-Americans. "Asian-American history is too depressing," the creator said, and this book does a great job illustrating that.
This book is an in-depth, well-researched look at Chinese immigration to the U.S. and the struggles the immigrants faced. It told so many stories I never knew, and I learned a lot, even though it did feel a little repetitive at times.
The first four sections were pretty similar. Each chapter told a story of a town or an area where Chinese immigrants came to live. Many came to California for the gold rush or to build railroads. Others came to mining towns across the West (Washington, Wyoming, Idaho). Once the immigrants were established in jobs, local white laborers would get upset and then violence, riots, fires, and terrorism against the Chinese followed. There were some voices speaking up for the Chinese-Americans, including a lovely speech by Frederick Douglass, but for the most part even lawmakers who were against the riots were also firmly against the Chinese. The xenophobia and racism were extremely strong and consistent. The Chinese were castigated for being "devious," not wanting to assimilate, and not being Christian, in addition to the perception that they were stealing everyone's jobs (they did work harder and get paid at a lower rate).
The struggles against violence and displacement took place for decades. California had a law that only white people could testify in court, so in trials against rioters and murderers of immigrants, no immigrants could testify against the white criminals and they'd get acquitted. As Chinese people spread through the U.S., enmity against them grew, leading to laws against their immigration such as the Chinese Exclusion Act. The xenophobia and anti-Chinese rhetoric had MANY scary connections to today, including people trying to change/willfully misread the 14th amendment.
The last section was mostly set in the 20th century. This section was on resistance to the laws and how they were modified or overturned. The author details how Asian-Americans became the "model minority" and the dangers of that myth. He also shares how the struggle continues against Asian-Americans.
Overall, while this book was repetitive, I am glad I read it. The author worked hard to unearth untold stories of immigrants and their struggles. As someone who grew up in Wyoming and Idaho, it was both exciting and humbling to see my home states represented, even if it was within the context of massacring immigrants. I learned so much reading it, and once again, the connections to arguments against Latin-American and Mexican-American immigrants today were quite shocking and telling. "History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes," as they say.
This book is an in-depth, well-researched look at Chinese immigration to the U.S. and the struggles the immigrants faced. It told so many stories I never knew, and I learned a lot, even though it did feel a little repetitive at times.
The first four sections were pretty similar. Each chapter told a story of a town or an area where Chinese immigrants came to live. Many came to California for the gold rush or to build railroads. Others came to mining towns across the West (Washington, Wyoming, Idaho). Once the immigrants were established in jobs, local white laborers would get upset and then violence, riots, fires, and terrorism against the Chinese followed. There were some voices speaking up for the Chinese-Americans, including a lovely speech by Frederick Douglass, but for the most part even lawmakers who were against the riots were also firmly against the Chinese. The xenophobia and racism were extremely strong and consistent. The Chinese were castigated for being "devious," not wanting to assimilate, and not being Christian, in addition to the perception that they were stealing everyone's jobs (they did work harder and get paid at a lower rate).
The struggles against violence and displacement took place for decades. California had a law that only white people could testify in court, so in trials against rioters and murderers of immigrants, no immigrants could testify against the white criminals and they'd get acquitted. As Chinese people spread through the U.S., enmity against them grew, leading to laws against their immigration such as the Chinese Exclusion Act. The xenophobia and anti-Chinese rhetoric had MANY scary connections to today, including people trying to change/willfully misread the 14th amendment.
The last section was mostly set in the 20th century. This section was on resistance to the laws and how they were modified or overturned. The author details how Asian-Americans became the "model minority" and the dangers of that myth. He also shares how the struggle continues against Asian-Americans.
Overall, while this book was repetitive, I am glad I read it. The author worked hard to unearth untold stories of immigrants and their struggles. As someone who grew up in Wyoming and Idaho, it was both exciting and humbling to see my home states represented, even if it was within the context of massacring immigrants. I learned so much reading it, and once again, the connections to arguments against Latin-American and Mexican-American immigrants today were quite shocking and telling. "History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes," as they say.
November 18, 2025
4.25/5
Such a disturbing read but necessary to know our barbaric history against Chinese immigrants. It should be required reading. It is dark but there are moments of inspiration and light: People that took a stand for humanity at their own risk and the unbelievable resilience and forgiveness of Chinese immigrants to the U.S.
Such a disturbing read but necessary to know our barbaric history against Chinese immigrants. It should be required reading. It is dark but there are moments of inspiration and light: People that took a stand for humanity at their own risk and the unbelievable resilience and forgiveness of Chinese immigrants to the U.S.
July 14, 2025
Trauma prn.
July 30, 2025
A well-researched, thorough account of how America has treated and mistreated Asian immigrants. Read this in tandem with Wilkerson’s Caste for an eye-opening look at America’s history.
September 25, 2025
Is there such a thing as too researched? If so, this book fits that description. What a book. I learned so much about Chinese Americans. 4.5 stars
May 21, 2025
Michael Luo’s Strangers in the Land offers a compelling and heartfelt exploration of the Asian American experience through the lens of his own family’s history. Luo skillfully combines memoir, journalism, and historical analysis to shed light on the persistent challenges of racism and belonging faced by Chinese Americans.
The book’s strength lies in Luo’s honest and personal storytelling, as well as its detailed historical context—from the Chinese Exclusion Act to modern-day racial tensions. His reflections on faith add an additional layer of depth that distinguishes the narrative.
However, at times the book’s focus on Luo’s personal journey may feel narrow, which can limit the broader exploration of diverse Asian American experiences. Some readers might wish for a more critical examination of systemic issues beyond individual stories, or a deeper engagement with different perspectives within the Asian American community.
Overall, Strangers in the Land is an insightful and important read that opens meaningful conversations about race, identity, and the American Dream, even if it sometimes leans heavily on personal narrative at the expense of wider analysis.
The book’s strength lies in Luo’s honest and personal storytelling, as well as its detailed historical context—from the Chinese Exclusion Act to modern-day racial tensions. His reflections on faith add an additional layer of depth that distinguishes the narrative.
However, at times the book’s focus on Luo’s personal journey may feel narrow, which can limit the broader exploration of diverse Asian American experiences. Some readers might wish for a more critical examination of systemic issues beyond individual stories, or a deeper engagement with different perspectives within the Asian American community.
Overall, Strangers in the Land is an insightful and important read that opens meaningful conversations about race, identity, and the American Dream, even if it sometimes leans heavily on personal narrative at the expense of wider analysis.
Want to read
March 23, 2025Heard about this on the NYT book review podcast
August 14, 2025
Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
It took me four months to work my way through this towering tome recounting the history of the Chinese in the U.S., mostly in the 19th century and a bit into the 20th. Am I glad I read it? Yes… with some reservations.
If STRANGERS’ goal was to be the definitive text on the Chinese in America in the 19th century, then it has succeeded. This book is meticulously well researched and bursting at the seams with details of individuals’ travails arriving in a land that was happy to take them as cheap labor but increasingly hostile to the idea of their very presence. In addition, Luo covers political and legal discussions and decisions that shaped not only the Chinese’s changing legal status in the country, but also American immigration trends in general.
The amount of detail in this book, though, is both its strength and its weakness. The stories Luo recounts chapter after chapter become repetitive very quickly. I swear there are at least 10 (out of 25) chapters dedicated to different versions of the same violence visited upon 19th-century Chinese laborers: gangs of white people resentful of the Chinese’s visible Otherness and the way in which they are used as cheap labor by bosses to break laborer strikes, who gather together and then pillage, shoot, stab, maim, and steal the Chinese’s property and bodies.
While I am impressed by Luo’s research skills, these similar events are written about in totally identical chapters until they all blur together into one. More is not always more, and I think it is a writerly responsibility to be willing to cut out some detail in order to weave together a tighter frame and theme.
Some details included, in fact, serve no purpose other than that they were real and Luo came across them in his research. The one that stuck with me most was when one in a long string of white rioters in a long string of anti-Chinese riots was described as having a pimple on his nose… which would be a fine detail to add if, say, there was a significance to the pimple (such as being used later on to identify the rioter)—except that the pimple is never mentioned again, thus serving no purpose!
Reading STRANGERS, I was reminded of Roland Barthes’ literary theory of réalisme, in which objects mentioned in passing in fiction serve to create an atmosphere of verisimilitude in the story. Except that STRANGERS is nonfiction. If he hasn’t already yet, I think Luo would make a good go at writing fiction. The sheer amount of details in STRANGERS was simultaneously impressive and irritating.
Which brings me to my last point, about STRANGERS’ longer-term impact and position within the oeuvre of books about Asian American identity and race in the US. STRANGERS is a historical account, but its only theme seems to be, “A lot of terrible shit happened to Chinese people in America!” Luo doesn’t attempt to connect what happened to the Chinese with overarching patterns in the U.S.’ racism, xenophobia, and immigration trends.
Fortunately I’ve read enough elsewhere to be able to draw out the connections myself. These include:
STRANGERS IN THE LAND will be a big commitment for the general reader, but I think it would pair well with works by other Asian American authors who skim over the historical details in order to deliver a stronger message, such as Bianca Mabute-Louie’s Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century or Julia Lee’s Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America.
It took me four months to work my way through this towering tome recounting the history of the Chinese in the U.S., mostly in the 19th century and a bit into the 20th. Am I glad I read it? Yes… with some reservations.
If STRANGERS’ goal was to be the definitive text on the Chinese in America in the 19th century, then it has succeeded. This book is meticulously well researched and bursting at the seams with details of individuals’ travails arriving in a land that was happy to take them as cheap labor but increasingly hostile to the idea of their very presence. In addition, Luo covers political and legal discussions and decisions that shaped not only the Chinese’s changing legal status in the country, but also American immigration trends in general.
The amount of detail in this book, though, is both its strength and its weakness. The stories Luo recounts chapter after chapter become repetitive very quickly. I swear there are at least 10 (out of 25) chapters dedicated to different versions of the same violence visited upon 19th-century Chinese laborers: gangs of white people resentful of the Chinese’s visible Otherness and the way in which they are used as cheap labor by bosses to break laborer strikes, who gather together and then pillage, shoot, stab, maim, and steal the Chinese’s property and bodies.
While I am impressed by Luo’s research skills, these similar events are written about in totally identical chapters until they all blur together into one. More is not always more, and I think it is a writerly responsibility to be willing to cut out some detail in order to weave together a tighter frame and theme.
Some details included, in fact, serve no purpose other than that they were real and Luo came across them in his research. The one that stuck with me most was when one in a long string of white rioters in a long string of anti-Chinese riots was described as having a pimple on his nose… which would be a fine detail to add if, say, there was a significance to the pimple (such as being used later on to identify the rioter)—except that the pimple is never mentioned again, thus serving no purpose!
Reading STRANGERS, I was reminded of Roland Barthes’ literary theory of réalisme, in which objects mentioned in passing in fiction serve to create an atmosphere of verisimilitude in the story. Except that STRANGERS is nonfiction. If he hasn’t already yet, I think Luo would make a good go at writing fiction. The sheer amount of details in STRANGERS was simultaneously impressive and irritating.
Which brings me to my last point, about STRANGERS’ longer-term impact and position within the oeuvre of books about Asian American identity and race in the US. STRANGERS is a historical account, but its only theme seems to be, “A lot of terrible shit happened to Chinese people in America!” Luo doesn’t attempt to connect what happened to the Chinese with overarching patterns in the U.S.’ racism, xenophobia, and immigration trends.
Fortunately I’ve read enough elsewhere to be able to draw out the connections myself. These include:
- Alligator Alcatraz is not the U.S.’ first foray into detaining immigrants of color in inhumane conditions. (See: Angel Island.)
- Less than 100 years ago, foreign service officers were also recruited to basically prove that the Chinese were lying about their immigration status—the precursor to ICE’s treatment of Latinos today.
- The Chinese were always (and continue to be) used by white capitalist bosses to sow racial discord between Black, brown, Indigenous, and working-class white people…
- …and, from the start, the Chinese have desperately tried to believe in the myth of assimilation, and have been the best allies of White supremacy again and again as they’ve told their own peers to keep their heads down, assimilate, and all will be well.
STRANGERS IN THE LAND will be a big commitment for the general reader, but I think it would pair well with works by other Asian American authors who skim over the historical details in order to deliver a stronger message, such as Bianca Mabute-Louie’s Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century or Julia Lee’s Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America.
December 8, 2025
This was kind of a hard book to slog through tbh bc it’s straight history. Like this book should have been a required reading during a course accompanied by other primary sources and lots of in class discussions.
I enjoyed learning this, but I really want to talk more about it. Everything felt super niche.
If anything, a heartening takeaway is in every chapter of our nation’s dark history, there are good men, there are good rulings, and even if MOST of what we do is ruled by greed, fear, and scarcity mindsets, the times when humans stepped up and did the right things are also beautiful to see and somehow, was enough to build the greatness of the US.
truly, I was encouraged to see families hiding Chinese victims during mob lynchings, judges ruling in favor of allowing the Chinese in, stating if we didn’t, we’d have to do the same for European countries, and for various groups trying to bring education and cultural crossover.
But yeah. That’s maybe 10%.
Everything else resonates with what we’ve seen with ANY new immigrant group. First of all. Chinamen were brought in and seen as a great alternative to slaves and indentured servants. And THEn, people got big mad bc companies chose to hire them over their own people. And resorted to CRAZY violence (beyond the everyday bigotry).
Then a bunch of unfair laws began to be put into place. Then Chinese people resorted to unlawful methods of entering.
There were movements to send people back to China (which back then was struggling). Annnd another new tidbit was there was a lot of back and forth with the Chinese government who protested the maltreatment of their people.
Throughout, there tales of the rising of the human spirit and the business savvy of various men and women. You see also how Chinese people strived to set themselves apart from the Japanese and just how deftly people in power created competition between the various minority groups.
Sad.
I was reading this and then paused to read The Sum of Us, and there’s a lot of similarity with post-slavery Black history.
When I think of immigration, I always think about the push/pull factors. The first people came because they didn’t have much in their homelands. Then as opportunities opened up (GOLD! Railroads! Cotton! CA crops!) and systems were being developed, more came.
And, at the time, political upheaval and economic outsize in China.
Still.
It’s a pretty fresh history for the arguably oldest Asian group in the US. props to them for the crazy boat journey.
PS: At the end, coverage regarding Angel island (+ more specifics around the interviews for paper sons ABC wives) and the SF earthquake and Chinatown’s active rebuilding but I’m not going to jot down anything bc I know THAT history already lol.
I enjoyed learning this, but I really want to talk more about it. Everything felt super niche.
If anything, a heartening takeaway is in every chapter of our nation’s dark history, there are good men, there are good rulings, and even if MOST of what we do is ruled by greed, fear, and scarcity mindsets, the times when humans stepped up and did the right things are also beautiful to see and somehow, was enough to build the greatness of the US.
truly, I was encouraged to see families hiding Chinese victims during mob lynchings, judges ruling in favor of allowing the Chinese in, stating if we didn’t, we’d have to do the same for European countries, and for various groups trying to bring education and cultural crossover.
But yeah. That’s maybe 10%.
Everything else resonates with what we’ve seen with ANY new immigrant group. First of all. Chinamen were brought in and seen as a great alternative to slaves and indentured servants. And THEn, people got big mad bc companies chose to hire them over their own people. And resorted to CRAZY violence (beyond the everyday bigotry).
Then a bunch of unfair laws began to be put into place. Then Chinese people resorted to unlawful methods of entering.
There were movements to send people back to China (which back then was struggling). Annnd another new tidbit was there was a lot of back and forth with the Chinese government who protested the maltreatment of their people.
Throughout, there tales of the rising of the human spirit and the business savvy of various men and women. You see also how Chinese people strived to set themselves apart from the Japanese and just how deftly people in power created competition between the various minority groups.
Sad.
I was reading this and then paused to read The Sum of Us, and there’s a lot of similarity with post-slavery Black history.
When I think of immigration, I always think about the push/pull factors. The first people came because they didn’t have much in their homelands. Then as opportunities opened up (GOLD! Railroads! Cotton! CA crops!) and systems were being developed, more came.
And, at the time, political upheaval and economic outsize in China.
Still.
It’s a pretty fresh history for the arguably oldest Asian group in the US. props to them for the crazy boat journey.
PS: At the end, coverage regarding Angel island (+ more specifics around the interviews for paper sons ABC wives) and the SF earthquake and Chinatown’s active rebuilding but I’m not going to jot down anything bc I know THAT history already lol.
December 9, 2025
STRANGERS IN THE LAND: EXCLUSION, BELONGING AND THE EPIC STORY OF THE CHINESE IN AMERICA by Michael Luo shows us that "the more things change, the more they stay the same."
This very detailed and very long book (560 pages) was difficult for me to return to night after night. Before I read this, I knew that immigrants from China were welcomed by industry in the United States for their hard and steady work in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. What I didn't know was the rest of the story.
Prior to working on the railroad, dreams of a Gold Mountain drew many Chinese to the US to better themselves and bring their families out of poverty. The lack of opportunity in their lives was strong motivation to travel to America.
In the US, manufacturers and other businesses found they could pay Chinese laborers less than local labor, and that they would work longer hours, and faster than them. Soon the white workers who previously held these jobs, began to grow angry and resentful.
The anger grew quickly into hate and violence. Whole communities were driven out or slaughtered. The Chinese who came for the riches of the Gold Rush, were victims of theft, loss of gold claims, and murdered. The hatred and violence continued to grow, while law enforcement could not or would not do anything to protect the Chinese.
Michael Luo dug deep into history to create this book. It almost seems like he mentioned everyone, white or Chinese going into detail with each one. While admirable and thorough, this did hurt my ability to keep up and to remember, hence my struggle to finish the book. It was worth it to plod on and accept I would never be able to remember everything.
One of my takeaways from this title was that people inside and outside the United States will always pin the blame on those who are different. Racism is one of our greatest sins, and it continues today as our government attempts to remove entire groups using violence, blame, propaganda, and harsh laws to rid the country of those who are not white. It seems as if the world has always used greed and hate to "purify" their field of view.
This very detailed and very long book (560 pages) was difficult for me to return to night after night. Before I read this, I knew that immigrants from China were welcomed by industry in the United States for their hard and steady work in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. What I didn't know was the rest of the story.
Prior to working on the railroad, dreams of a Gold Mountain drew many Chinese to the US to better themselves and bring their families out of poverty. The lack of opportunity in their lives was strong motivation to travel to America.
In the US, manufacturers and other businesses found they could pay Chinese laborers less than local labor, and that they would work longer hours, and faster than them. Soon the white workers who previously held these jobs, began to grow angry and resentful.
The anger grew quickly into hate and violence. Whole communities were driven out or slaughtered. The Chinese who came for the riches of the Gold Rush, were victims of theft, loss of gold claims, and murdered. The hatred and violence continued to grow, while law enforcement could not or would not do anything to protect the Chinese.
Michael Luo dug deep into history to create this book. It almost seems like he mentioned everyone, white or Chinese going into detail with each one. While admirable and thorough, this did hurt my ability to keep up and to remember, hence my struggle to finish the book. It was worth it to plod on and accept I would never be able to remember everything.
One of my takeaways from this title was that people inside and outside the United States will always pin the blame on those who are different. Racism is one of our greatest sins, and it continues today as our government attempts to remove entire groups using violence, blame, propaganda, and harsh laws to rid the country of those who are not white. It seems as if the world has always used greed and hate to "purify" their field of view.
September 10, 2025
I was a bit disappointed with this. I'll get my criticisms out up front: while the topic of Chinese immigration and exclusion is underexplored among historians and under-appreciated among the general public, this book kind of over-promises and under-delivers. It sounds like a history of Chinese-Americans in general, but it is really about the period from the Gold Rush to the Chinese Exclusion Acts. It focuses intensively on labor conflicts, anti-Chinese riots, and exclusionary/prejudicial laws as well as the experiences of many Chinese immigrants and workers. You absorb some important themes, but the detail is mind-numbing. The book covers basically the same dynamics of discrimination in violence in many settings, making it feel repetitive. And, for me, there weren't enough "so what" moments to put the details in perspectives. I would have liked to hear a lot more on the mid-20th century stuff about opening up Chinese immigration to the US in the era of the Cold War and WWII..
Nonetheless, this book did show a few important historical things for me. First, it demonstrates the intense hatred and violence against Chinese workers, who were seen as "strangers in the land;" unassimilable foreigners who were taking income and resources from Americans and who had bizarre cultural ways. Of course, Americans exploited the crap out of these workers and kept them in a de facto Jim Crow status, so it shouldn't be surprising that many of these workers wanted to return home. They were an overwhelmingly male wave of immigrants, which added to the fear that they were an invading force. The book is very good on the laws and political movements that sought to exclude Chinese people and were actually pretty successful, causing the population to decline in the early 20th century. Many of stories about individual Chinese people, especially ones who converted to Christianity and attempted assimilation, were interesting.
Still, this book was too long and detailed for me. I think it would have been better as a more evenly paced study of the entire Chinese-American experience.
Nonetheless, this book did show a few important historical things for me. First, it demonstrates the intense hatred and violence against Chinese workers, who were seen as "strangers in the land;" unassimilable foreigners who were taking income and resources from Americans and who had bizarre cultural ways. Of course, Americans exploited the crap out of these workers and kept them in a de facto Jim Crow status, so it shouldn't be surprising that many of these workers wanted to return home. They were an overwhelmingly male wave of immigrants, which added to the fear that they were an invading force. The book is very good on the laws and political movements that sought to exclude Chinese people and were actually pretty successful, causing the population to decline in the early 20th century. Many of stories about individual Chinese people, especially ones who converted to Christianity and attempted assimilation, were interesting.
Still, this book was too long and detailed for me. I think it would have been better as a more evenly paced study of the entire Chinese-American experience.
May 31, 2025
Michael Luo has crafted an extraordinary work of historical narrative that fills a crucial gap in American immigration history. This sweeping and deeply researched study traces the Chinese American experience from the nineteenth century through a series of intimate portraits that bring both individual stories and broader historical patterns into sharp focus. Drawing on his expertise as an executive editor at The New Yorker, Luo demonstrates exceptional skill in weaving together personal narratives with rigorous historical analysis.
What makes this book particularly powerful is Luo's ability to illuminate the long and turbulent journey of Chinese immigrants seeking acceptance in America. His focus on the devastating "driving out" period—when communities across the country expelled or committed violence against Chinese residents—provides essential documentation of a shameful chapter in American history that has too often been overlooked or minimized in popular accounts of immigration.
Luo's greatest achievement lies in his sensitive portrayal of individual experiences within this larger historical context. Through intimate portraits of families and individuals, he shows how Chinese Americans navigated discrimination, violence, and systemic exclusion while building communities and contributing to American society. These personal stories transform abstract historical forces into deeply human experiences of courage, loss, and determination.
The book succeeds brilliantly in demonstrating the persistence and resilience of Chinese American communities in the face of extraordinary challenges. Luo's careful attention to both historical detail and emotional truth creates a narrative that is both scholarly rigorous and deeply moving. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complex history of race, immigration, and belonging in America, offering insights that resonate powerfully with contemporary debates about identity and citizenship.
What makes this book particularly powerful is Luo's ability to illuminate the long and turbulent journey of Chinese immigrants seeking acceptance in America. His focus on the devastating "driving out" period—when communities across the country expelled or committed violence against Chinese residents—provides essential documentation of a shameful chapter in American history that has too often been overlooked or minimized in popular accounts of immigration.
Luo's greatest achievement lies in his sensitive portrayal of individual experiences within this larger historical context. Through intimate portraits of families and individuals, he shows how Chinese Americans navigated discrimination, violence, and systemic exclusion while building communities and contributing to American society. These personal stories transform abstract historical forces into deeply human experiences of courage, loss, and determination.
The book succeeds brilliantly in demonstrating the persistence and resilience of Chinese American communities in the face of extraordinary challenges. Luo's careful attention to both historical detail and emotional truth creates a narrative that is both scholarly rigorous and deeply moving. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complex history of race, immigration, and belonging in America, offering insights that resonate powerfully with contemporary debates about identity and citizenship.
October 21, 2025
Whew, how to rate and review this? On the one hand the research is insanely good and Luo has taken an unbelievable amount of historical information and primary documents and woven them into many compelling narratives that continually work to bring some of the real individuals that survived these harrowing times into sharper focus. It is also an important historical work. The overwhelming majority of Americans do not give Chinese their due in the founding and development of this country. They were literally CENTRAL, and suffered tremendously for it. That’s a story that must be told. Now more than ever.
On the other hand, this is a SLOG—emotionally, it is not fun in the USA in 2025, to be reading 400+ pages of white people behaving egregiously and with impunity… AS USUAL. It took me literal MONTHS to get through this for that reason. Atrocity after atrocity, egregious abuse after egregious abuse. It’s just a soul-sickening read and although the title promises an “epic” story in addition to the trauma, there isn’t actually a lot of that included. It’s pretty much straight trauma. I also agree with at least one other 4-star reviewer I saw that the history tarried too long in the 19th century and in fact seemed to go back again and again to the same time period, covering similar atrocities, just in different places, just when the reader was expecting to move forward in time. Like “whoops! Annnnnnd we’re back in 1872 or 1884 or 1867 again.” I saw it described as a pacing issue and I would agree with that.
Coming from a Chinese family in the Deep South, I personally also missed treatment of that geographic area. I know it is widely unknown and under-reported on, but I had hopes, in an encyclopedic tome like this one, that Chinese in the Deep South would be included.
Overall, an excellent historical resource, well-researched, well told, an important work. But it’s a rough read.
On the other hand, this is a SLOG—emotionally, it is not fun in the USA in 2025, to be reading 400+ pages of white people behaving egregiously and with impunity… AS USUAL. It took me literal MONTHS to get through this for that reason. Atrocity after atrocity, egregious abuse after egregious abuse. It’s just a soul-sickening read and although the title promises an “epic” story in addition to the trauma, there isn’t actually a lot of that included. It’s pretty much straight trauma. I also agree with at least one other 4-star reviewer I saw that the history tarried too long in the 19th century and in fact seemed to go back again and again to the same time period, covering similar atrocities, just in different places, just when the reader was expecting to move forward in time. Like “whoops! Annnnnnd we’re back in 1872 or 1884 or 1867 again.” I saw it described as a pacing issue and I would agree with that.
Coming from a Chinese family in the Deep South, I personally also missed treatment of that geographic area. I know it is widely unknown and under-reported on, but I had hopes, in an encyclopedic tome like this one, that Chinese in the Deep South would be included.
Overall, an excellent historical resource, well-researched, well told, an important work. But it’s a rough read.
November 24, 2025
As a Chinese immigrant in US, I find this book fascinating to read. Compared to a similar book by Iris Chang years ago, this book has much more details and anecdotes, vivid memories, and a lot precious old photos. Also, compared to the Chang's book, it dwells deeper on the details that earlier Chinese immigrants were helped and transformed by various missionaries. From my point of view, that is probably the best thing could have happened for those early Chinese immigrants. But, as stated in the book, for one of the most prominent immigrants who later returned and worked for the Chinese Qing government, Yung Wing, he can not openly admit the influence by religion/western culture as the government value their loyalty more than their contribution. This seems to be the long lasting theme for the oversea Chinese.
Other points that were interesting to me.
Many Chinese immigrants lived long lives, even in 1800s and 1900s, were active up to their 70s and 80s; some had really big families.
The father of modern China, Sun Yat-sen, was once held at Angel island, and was rescued by Ng Poon Chew, both Christians.
A lot open debates in the congress, some are very open, about race and fundamental principles.
One possible improvement for this book, as well as the Chang's book, is that I wish there are Chinese characters in parentheses where English names are used for Chinese people names and other Chinese entities. I understand that these books are intended to be read by general public in English speaking countries. So financially this probably doesn't make much sense. But it would be great if the authors can use their ancestor's language so other Chinese immigrants can make instant connections to the names and things. Maybe these authors are second generation Chinese so they mostly write for the main stream society and didn't want to put extra effort to include the original Chinese names etc.
Other points that were interesting to me.
Many Chinese immigrants lived long lives, even in 1800s and 1900s, were active up to their 70s and 80s; some had really big families.
The father of modern China, Sun Yat-sen, was once held at Angel island, and was rescued by Ng Poon Chew, both Christians.
A lot open debates in the congress, some are very open, about race and fundamental principles.
One possible improvement for this book, as well as the Chang's book, is that I wish there are Chinese characters in parentheses where English names are used for Chinese people names and other Chinese entities. I understand that these books are intended to be read by general public in English speaking countries. So financially this probably doesn't make much sense. But it would be great if the authors can use their ancestor's language so other Chinese immigrants can make instant connections to the names and things. Maybe these authors are second generation Chinese so they mostly write for the main stream society and didn't want to put extra effort to include the original Chinese names etc.
May 13, 2025
As Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month continues, I was excited to see this book come through my queue. Unfortunately, this history remains incredibly important: how Chinese people came to the United States and carved out a space for themselves, despite the racism, exclusion, the fight for equality, etc. Many came looking for opportunity and gold, many would never see their families or homeland again--and many of those families would have no idea whatever happened to them.
Told through histories, anecdotes, etc. that have survived, Luo traces the journey of these souls from making lives for themselves to the oppression they experienced. Whether it was the horrible working conditions of the mines (or in general) or if it was women sold into sexual slavery, there is also the other side, too: the fight for better conditions, to be recognized as citizens (or heck, as actual people), and more.
It was okay. There was a lot here and it is very clear that Luo really did his research. Which is also the flip side of it: there's so much of it that it was overwhelming. To be clear there is definitely a need for it (especially when you consider how many of these stories have been lost to history--for example, many did not survive the trip across the ocean and were simply tossed into the sea) but at the same time it would have been helpful to talk about the structural issues more: why Chinese people were brought here, the legal battles, etc.
Overall, though, I thought this was a good read. I can see this as part of the curriculum on AA/PI history, on immigration, etc. although you can certainly read it without a class. Be aware that it is pretty long (it has to be for a history like this) so if you decide to go with the library you might want to wait so it's easier to renew.
I borrowed this from the library and that was best for me.
Told through histories, anecdotes, etc. that have survived, Luo traces the journey of these souls from making lives for themselves to the oppression they experienced. Whether it was the horrible working conditions of the mines (or in general) or if it was women sold into sexual slavery, there is also the other side, too: the fight for better conditions, to be recognized as citizens (or heck, as actual people), and more.
It was okay. There was a lot here and it is very clear that Luo really did his research. Which is also the flip side of it: there's so much of it that it was overwhelming. To be clear there is definitely a need for it (especially when you consider how many of these stories have been lost to history--for example, many did not survive the trip across the ocean and were simply tossed into the sea) but at the same time it would have been helpful to talk about the structural issues more: why Chinese people were brought here, the legal battles, etc.
Overall, though, I thought this was a good read. I can see this as part of the curriculum on AA/PI history, on immigration, etc. although you can certainly read it without a class. Be aware that it is pretty long (it has to be for a history like this) so if you decide to go with the library you might want to wait so it's easier to renew.
I borrowed this from the library and that was best for me.
September 7, 2025
This is a richly detailed history of the Chinese in America. Michael Luo, a journalist, writes in compelling detail using both primary and secondary sources. What makes this book particularly interesting is how the author uses short, yet detailed, biographies about a wide variety of people to tell the story of how these immigrants helped to build our country. The book also contains voluminous facts about the Chinese immigrants’ experience as well as information about the various movements, societies, and laws affecting immigration. What struck me most clearly though was that America has never been welcoming to the immigrant who was in anyway a bit different from the mainstream. We may think we are a country that welcomes immigrants (e.g. the Statue of Liberty), but our history tells a very different story. From onerous screening, to demeaning physical and mental examinations, to burdensome paperwork and forced incarcerations, as well as racist screeds and nativistic organizations, history has a way of repeating itself. When Luo details the various raids to round up the Chinese and expel them (regardless of citizenship status), the details closely match reporting on tonight’s evening news. “Patrolmen set up a skirmish line, encircling the quarter and sealing off escape routes. At the appointed moment, officers swarmed in and dragged frightened residents from underneath beds … and tossed them into overloaded wagons. … About twenty were locked into a thirty-by-twelve-foot cage … more than a hundred others were crammed together into a fourth-floor room …” (pg. 374) Today, more than ever, we need a book such as this one to give voice to our history, even if we prefer the story was different.
November 21, 2025
The subtitle describes the content, as it should. It does not explain the endless stories of injustice, tragedy, and whiteman's disease. For those who, like me, knew there were some tough times for the Chinese in this country but were ignorant of what the history was, exactly what they went through is described here in detail. Over and over again. For those looking for a boost in their opinion of our country, or who think our history is squeaky clean, I advise you to look elsewhere. Here is only truth, and it is a hard truth. As we did with the Native Americans, the imported Black man, and our trying to do with our brown brothers, no sleazy trick, no crude law, no defiance of our Constitution has been out of bounds for the haters of the yellow man.
We deported a fellow recently who had earned a Purple Heart while in the Service. Other than that, he was Hispanic, and the ICE thugs deported him. Or locked him up. Or put him in a Black Site. Or did some other fascist thing. They did not learn those things from the Nazis; they learned them from their grandfathers and fathers, from American history.
After saving the railroad by building it, which no white men would do, the railroad and its allies let white thugs coerce them into treating the Chinese dreadfully. There is no point in detailing what was done. Laws were passed fueled by bigotry, ignorance, and hatred. Not until 1964 was the Exclusionary Act effectively repealed. I was a teenager. This hateful story lasted until---until now, because there is still a difficulty in being yellow in America.
Land of the free, home of the brave, my ass.
Recommended.
We deported a fellow recently who had earned a Purple Heart while in the Service. Other than that, he was Hispanic, and the ICE thugs deported him. Or locked him up. Or put him in a Black Site. Or did some other fascist thing. They did not learn those things from the Nazis; they learned them from their grandfathers and fathers, from American history.
After saving the railroad by building it, which no white men would do, the railroad and its allies let white thugs coerce them into treating the Chinese dreadfully. There is no point in detailing what was done. Laws were passed fueled by bigotry, ignorance, and hatred. Not until 1964 was the Exclusionary Act effectively repealed. I was a teenager. This hateful story lasted until---until now, because there is still a difficulty in being yellow in America.
Land of the free, home of the brave, my ass.
Recommended.
July 28, 2025
It’s easy enough to say that our immigration system in the United States has never made sense, and has always been arbitrary and arduous in ways that seem devoted to criminalizing even the most virtuous of immigrants. But it’s important to clarify that in our history, that was really only the case for those groups deemed inferior because of fear or racial animus. Parallels to today’s policy struggles and debates cannot be ignored, from habeas corpus petitions, to concerns about family or chain migration, to a class of immigrants blocked only because of their skin innovating ways around a perplexing system. But what most enraged me was — as someone already well aware of the violent mob riots that plagued Chinese communities around the west — the breadth of what I still did not know. It once again speaks to how deeply we have believed the myths we made to overcome — what? Our guilt? Less-than-inspiring material for nationalistic propaganda? The ways we’ve conspired to delude ourselves about our history will never cease to amaze me.
That aside, a common complaint I’ve had reading histories of immigrant groups is the often cursory treatment of religion and faith, and Luo adeptly proves here what an oversight of historical richness that choice can be. I was amazed at the records and stories atill available for an immigrant group not particularly known for converting to American Christianity in high numbers — can you imagine what we’re missing in other histories?
That aside, a common complaint I’ve had reading histories of immigrant groups is the often cursory treatment of religion and faith, and Luo adeptly proves here what an oversight of historical richness that choice can be. I was amazed at the records and stories atill available for an immigrant group not particularly known for converting to American Christianity in high numbers — can you imagine what we’re missing in other histories?
July 14, 2025
Michael Luo captures the Chinese experience that many of us don’t know or were not told about. I am ABC (American Born Chinese) and was saddened to learn of the treatment my ancestors endured in America and especially my home state of California.
I witnessed the housing discrimination as a child when my parents went looking for a home to give us a better understanding of living in a community. I was born at Rose Maternity in Los Angeles and lived in Watts, Chinatown, and Monterey Park.
I learned that my Dad was a “Paper Angel” in my teens as my parents slowly gave me bits and pieces of my Dad’s journey from Canton at the age 15. As I grew older I realized that my parents had many friends and relatives who were also “Paper Angels”. Mind blowing to say the least.
My thanks to Michael Luo for the informative and straight forward presentation of this history. I am still amazed that inter-racial marriages were not recognized until l968. Even more perplexing is the notion of birthright citizenship excluded from the Chinese population. In today’s America of ICE detainments and deportations, I am concerned about the way immigration laws are meted out. I could conceivably be detained and deported as the son of an illegal immigrant!
Many thanks, Michael, for writing this book!!
I witnessed the housing discrimination as a child when my parents went looking for a home to give us a better understanding of living in a community. I was born at Rose Maternity in Los Angeles and lived in Watts, Chinatown, and Monterey Park.
I learned that my Dad was a “Paper Angel” in my teens as my parents slowly gave me bits and pieces of my Dad’s journey from Canton at the age 15. As I grew older I realized that my parents had many friends and relatives who were also “Paper Angels”. Mind blowing to say the least.
My thanks to Michael Luo for the informative and straight forward presentation of this history. I am still amazed that inter-racial marriages were not recognized until l968. Even more perplexing is the notion of birthright citizenship excluded from the Chinese population. In today’s America of ICE detainments and deportations, I am concerned about the way immigration laws are meted out. I could conceivably be detained and deported as the son of an illegal immigrant!
Many thanks, Michael, for writing this book!!
August 15, 2025
This was a phenomenal read. I did a combination of reading and listening to the audiobook.
The amount of research that went into making this book must have been a massive undertaking. His painstaking recordings of each incident was mind blowing, particularly because it maintained a steady pace and contributed to the narrative. Occasionally I felt a little bogged down by details, but it really helped solidify the theme that these were not isolated incidents and that these things affected people with livelihoods and families.
I think what I enjoyed most was that it really pulled together major events that we are all familiar with and added context. I think I have a better understanding of Reconstruction after the Civil War, and the settling of the West having read this.
This did bring my spirits down. Most likely because I wasn't aware of the expulsion in towns across the Pacific coast, or the mobbing and lynching. I was expecting abuses from mining and the railroad, but Luo didn't really go into the abuses Chinese faced from employers beyond lower wages. He went into great detail of White laborers protesting Chinese employment, and I felt a little confused by the glossing over on how dangerous some of the jobs the Chinese were asked to do.
The amount of research that went into making this book must have been a massive undertaking. His painstaking recordings of each incident was mind blowing, particularly because it maintained a steady pace and contributed to the narrative. Occasionally I felt a little bogged down by details, but it really helped solidify the theme that these were not isolated incidents and that these things affected people with livelihoods and families.
I think what I enjoyed most was that it really pulled together major events that we are all familiar with and added context. I think I have a better understanding of Reconstruction after the Civil War, and the settling of the West having read this.
This did bring my spirits down. Most likely because I wasn't aware of the expulsion in towns across the Pacific coast, or the mobbing and lynching. I was expecting abuses from mining and the railroad, but Luo didn't really go into the abuses Chinese faced from employers beyond lower wages. He went into great detail of White laborers protesting Chinese employment, and I felt a little confused by the glossing over on how dangerous some of the jobs the Chinese were asked to do.
November 4, 2025
This is a very thorough book by Michael Luo on the history of Chinese immigration to America. I give it 5 stars for its underlying purpose: to provide that history and to give further depth to America’s continuous issue in its near 250-year history of how it deals with any immigrant population.
The book probably does land somewhere between 4 to 5 stars in the manner it is written. It is sometimes very dry historical accounts of specific individuals. As a result, it is at times admittedly hard to stay engaged. As other reviews have pointed out, it only covers the past 70 years really in the Epilogue which is a bit bizarre for a 400+ page book.
It would have been nice to have been a more balanced coverage from the 1800s to now of both researched individuals/events and the U.S. legislative and world dynamics. I don’t feel the average American would even understand China’s political place from the book other than Madame Chiang and the fact she was American. It doesn’t even answer the why as to the proliferation of Chinese/Asian immigrants following the passing of legislation in the LBJ administration.
Nevertheless I want to give it the highest rating to support it and the value that all should read it during our current times dealing with the immigration topic.
The book probably does land somewhere between 4 to 5 stars in the manner it is written. It is sometimes very dry historical accounts of specific individuals. As a result, it is at times admittedly hard to stay engaged. As other reviews have pointed out, it only covers the past 70 years really in the Epilogue which is a bit bizarre for a 400+ page book.
It would have been nice to have been a more balanced coverage from the 1800s to now of both researched individuals/events and the U.S. legislative and world dynamics. I don’t feel the average American would even understand China’s political place from the book other than Madame Chiang and the fact she was American. It doesn’t even answer the why as to the proliferation of Chinese/Asian immigrants following the passing of legislation in the LBJ administration.
Nevertheless I want to give it the highest rating to support it and the value that all should read it during our current times dealing with the immigration topic.
June 19, 2025
This looked like a very interesting book, and I wanted it to consolidate what I knew about systematic racism against the Chinese, the Chinese Exclusion Acts, citizenship rights, and more.
It turns out this book is not what I was looking for. It's an incredibly detailed and well researched account of the history of Chinese people in the USA. It gives personal accounts and individual histories of people affected by targeted immigration laws across centuries, any one of which could be fleshed out into a whole book. But the lack of an ongoing storyline made it hard for me to stay engaged; it was too much, too fast. I very much felt like giving up even before the halfway point, but I kept pushing through. I'm not sure I agree with my own decision, and some skimming did occur, but I did finish.
I still think it's a high quality book, but my purposes would have been better served with a nice long multigenerational historical fiction retelling.
BUT one thing I really liked was the many reminders of how important and effective it can be, on an individual level, for an American to stand up against policies they disagree with.
It turns out this book is not what I was looking for. It's an incredibly detailed and well researched account of the history of Chinese people in the USA. It gives personal accounts and individual histories of people affected by targeted immigration laws across centuries, any one of which could be fleshed out into a whole book. But the lack of an ongoing storyline made it hard for me to stay engaged; it was too much, too fast. I very much felt like giving up even before the halfway point, but I kept pushing through. I'm not sure I agree with my own decision, and some skimming did occur, but I did finish.
I still think it's a high quality book, but my purposes would have been better served with a nice long multigenerational historical fiction retelling.
BUT one thing I really liked was the many reminders of how important and effective it can be, on an individual level, for an American to stand up against policies they disagree with.
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