The Lonely Queue: The Forgotten History of the Courageous Chinese Americans in Los Angeles

by Icy Smith, Emily Wang

As the 2002 Clarion Award Winner, "The Lonely Queue" is an unprecedented history book which presents the vibrant and diverse contribution of the 150 years of Chinese Americans in the Greater Los Angeles area. It features bilingual text (English and Chinese) with hundreds of vintage photographs, and personal memories depicting the struggle of Chinese Americans making America their home. It uncovers many hidden and nearly forgotten historical accounts that have been absent from history books and the general public knowledge. The book is a recommended reading title for the California and American history curricula.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Icy Smith (Sui Bing Tang) is an award-winning author and the founder of East West Discovery Press, which specializes in publishing and distributing multicultural and bilingual books in more than 50 different languages.

Her acclaimed book, The Lonely Queue: The forgotten history of the courageous Chinese Americans in Los Angeles, was described by the Los Angeles Times as “a bilingual book that celebrates the Chinese American community of Southern California… with the intimacy of a family album and the authority of a historical monograph.” The Lonely Queue won the 2002 Clarion Award for best nonfiction book.

Smith’s first children’s book Mei Ling in China City was named the winners of the 2009 Chinese American Librarian Association Best Children’s Book Award, 2008 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and 2008 Independent Publisher Award.