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THE CHINESE AMERICAN FAMILY ALBUM by Dorothy Hoobler

THE CHINESE AMERICAN FAMILY ALBUM

by Dorothy Hoobler & Thomas Hoobler

Pub Date: April 28th, 1994
ISBN: 0-19-509123-X
Publisher: Oxford Univ.

A sympathetic depiction of the trials of Chinese immigrants in America, land of the ``Gold Mountain.'' Quoting numerous people at length, the Hooblers illustrate the desperate conditions that drove many Chinese to respond to the blandishments of labor contractors. Other first-hand accounts illustrate the hard work, low pay, and discrimination they endured here and show how some prospered by sticking together in associations. Particularly poignant are stories illustrating how younger generations shucked off thousand-year-old traditions in the attempt to become more ``American'' while their parents were torn between traditional loyalties and pressure to adopt American ways. A final chapter portrays Chinese-Americans assuming an equal place in society since WW II while new immigrants still face milder versions of the same old problems. The many well- captioned archival illustrations and boxed articles featuring individual accomplishments add still more life and color to a particularly insightful model of modern documentary history. Timeline; extensive bibliography; endnotes; index. (Nonfiction. 12+)