A multilayered world history that adds materially to the sadly evergreen topic of immigration exploitation and exclusion.
A Columbia University professor of Asian American studies tracks Chinese immigration to California, Australia, and South Africa from 1848 to 1899 and the subsequent racist backlash.
In an ambitious, diligent work of archival research that spans three continents (Northern California and the Yukon, the Victoria midlands, and South Africa) Ngai tracks the influx of Chinese immigrants in response to the discovery of gold—and the ugly dynamics surrounding what became known as the “Chinese Question”: “Were Chinese a racial threat to white, Anglo-American countries, and should Chinese be barred from them?” The rushes to the gold fields attracted not just Chinese, but many other immigrant groups. However, it “occasioned the first mass contact between Chinese and Euro-Americans” and provoked new challenges in an already racially divided society. The Chinese immigrated in order to chase fresh opportunities, many as indentured servants or volunteer free labor. As the numbers increased and they vied for work with poor White laborers, the Whites viewed them as threats, incapable of being assimilated. “Americans and British alike opposed the ‘slavery’ of the Chinese—but did not support their freedom,” writes Ngai. In Australia, the large numbers of Chinese immigrants led to racist hysteria, perpetuated by White colonial settlers, of being overrun by “devouring locusts.” In South Africa, the experiment to lure Chinese through contract labor to work the mines when not enough African laborers would do it proved costly and politically disastrous. Ultimately, exclusion laws were erected, prompting debate over free trade and hurting the once-thriving import-export businesses between China and the rest of the world. The author also examines the makeup of the Chinese communities that immigrated—with illuminating archival photos—the businesses they created, and the sustained racist backlash against them. This is intricate history that may lose some general readers, but students of the subject will be well rewarded.
A multilayered world history that adds materially to the sadly evergreen topic of immigration exploitation and exclusion.Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-393-63416-7
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Gibbins combines historical knowledge with a sense of adventure, making this book a highly enjoyable package.
A popular novelist turns his hand to historical writing, focusing on what shipwrecks can tell us.
There’s something inherently romantic about shipwrecks: the mystery, the drama of disaster, the prospect of lost treasure. Gibbins, who’s found acclaim as an author of historical fiction, has long been fascinated with them, and his expertise in both archaeology and diving provides a tone of solid authority to his latest book. The author has personally dived on more than half the wrecks discussed in the book; for the other cases, he draws on historical records and accounts. “Wrecks offer special access to history at all…levels,” he writes. “Unlike many archaeological sites, a wreck represents a single event in which most of the objects were in use at that time and can often be closely dated. What might seem hazy in other evidence can be sharply defined, pointing the way to fresh insights.” Gibbins covers a wide variety of cases, including wrecks dating from classical times; a ship torpedoed during World War II; a Viking longship; a ship of Arab origin that foundered in Indonesian waters in the ninth century; the Mary Rose, the flagship of the navy of Henry VIII; and an Arctic exploring vessel, the Terror (for more on that ship, read Paul Watson’s Ice Ghost). Underwater excavation often produces valuable artifacts, but Gibbins is equally interested in the material that reveals the society of the time. He does an excellent job of placing each wreck within a broader context, as well as examining the human elements of the story. The result is a book that will appeal to readers with an interest in maritime history and who would enjoy a different, and enlightening, perspective.
Gibbins combines historical knowledge with a sense of adventure, making this book a highly enjoyable package.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781250325372
Page Count: 304
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Harari delivers yet another tour de force.
A highly instructive exploration of “current affairs and…the immediate future of human societies.”
Having produced an international bestseller about human origins (Sapiens, 2015, etc.) and avoided the sophomore jinx writing about our destiny (Homo Deus, 2017), Harari (History/Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem) proves that he has not lost his touch, casting a brilliantly insightful eye on today’s myriad crises, from Trump to terrorism, Brexit to big data. As the author emphasizes, “humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers, or equations, and the simpler the story, the better. Every person, group, and nation has its own tales and myths.” Three grand stories once predicted the future. World War II eliminated the fascist story but stimulated communism for a few decades until its collapse. The liberal story—think democracy, free markets, and globalism—reigned supreme for a decade until the 20th-century nasties—dictators, populists, and nationalists—came back in style. They promote jingoism over international cooperation, vilify the opposition, demonize immigrants and rival nations, and then win elections. “A bit like the Soviet elites in the 1980s,” writes Harari, “liberals don’t understand how history deviates from its preordained course, and they lack an alternative prism through which to interpret reality.” The author certainly understands, and in 21 painfully astute essays, he delivers his take on where our increasingly “post-truth” world is headed. Human ingenuity, which enables us to control the outside world, may soon re-engineer our insides, extend life, and guide our thoughts. Science-fiction movies get the future wrong, if only because they have happy endings. Most readers will find Harari’s narrative deliciously reasonable, including his explanation of the stories (not actually true but rational) of those who elect dictators, populists, and nationalists. His remedies for wildly disruptive technology (biotech, infotech) and its consequences (climate change, mass unemployment) ring true, provided nations act with more good sense than they have shown throughout history.
Harari delivers yet another tour de force.Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-51217-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
