Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940

by Judy Yung, H. Mark Lai, Genny Lim, et al.

Book Overview

"For thirty years, from 1910 to 1940, Angel Island in San Francisco Bay was the first, often the only, toehold in America for immigrants from China. From the Cantonese Pearl River delta district of Taishan they sailed, fleeing famine and the foreign concessions, bound for the Land of the Flowery Flag, the Golden Mountain. Some were relatives of earlier Chinese immigrants who had come to America for Sutter's gold and stayed to help lay transcontinental...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295971096
• ISBN13: 9780295971094
• Release Date: May 1991
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

I bury my heart in Angel Island

It is a bilingual text collection on the Chinese detainees in Angel Island between 1910-40. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, democratically passed by Congress biased against a race, then and now 2020 in the Covid19. Chinese came in “paper son” scheme and those came from China expected the land of the free immediately lost their freedom under barbed wire in Angel Island. They lost their dignity and treated as criminals. Many could not live for the anxiety and stress and killed themselves. Some frustrated ones crafted their poems on the wall for their anger, unjust system and a weak China homeland. This is a dark chapter of shame of American history. This collection from no name Chinese poets reminded the discrimination against Chinese people. My 2010 century dedication event helped me review this history as I rang the giant bronze bell to call the perished ones on Angel Island without angels. Rain kept falling on my face and I could not know it was rain or tears. It is a good book to read and collect in own library

Amazing poetry and translatuons with history and context

I enjoyed this.