Asian America: A Primary Source Reader

The previous review seems to ignore that this is a "primary source" reader, which means that it is not a historiography. It's an assemblage of documents that speaks to major issues in Asian American history and Asian American Studies.

Required for my course and easy to read as source material. I wouldn't pick it up for "fun reading"

Horrible. You need a law degree to read this. Definitely not a page turner

This anthology of Asian American history is broad in scope, shallow in content, replete with factual errors, fails to cite important legislation, covers similar material in other anthologies, does not include important historical evidence, and fails to apply critical analysis of the contents. It gives the impression that the editors used the "throw it at the wall and see what sticks" approach. It is more of a distraction than a useful addition to Asian American historiography.

This reader is ideal for scholars, teachers, and students of Asian American history and culture. Those who study or teach the racialization of Asian and Asian Americans have easy access to key moments of legislation, from the 1790 Naturalization Act, to the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the Korematsu case and beyond (they also have their literary analogues as well). Those interested in resistance and social movement-building also have at their fingertips critical short stories of early Asian American literature, as well the documents of the 1960s and early 1970s movements (and the interview with Yori Kochiyama toward the end provides needed reflection). Finally, the collection rejects the notion that all Asian American culture is "resistive" by providing documents on model minoritization. A must for anyone teaching or studying Asian American history and culture.