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

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

Book Overview

In the early twentieth century, most Chinese immigrants coming to the United States were detained at the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay. There, they were subject to physical exams, interrogations, and often long detentions aimed at upholding the exclusion laws that kept Chinese out of the country. Many detainees recorded their anger and frustrations, hopes and despair in poetry written and carved on the barrack walls.

Island...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 029599407X
• ISBN13: 9780295994079
• Release Date: October 2014
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 5.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.1" x 10.0"

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.