American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods
The mystery of Chinatown as foreign yet familiar has been long established in the American imagination. Visitors come to expect this, looking for "something different" in its narrow lanes and fish markets. They can taste a world apart, listen to a foreign language, and try to barter for a trinket on the street--without ever leaving the country. And then they go home, sometimes just a few streets away, and get on with the everyday. What is truly under the radar is what they don't see: a unique community getting on with its own everyday.
In American Chinatown, Bonnie Tsui takes an affectionate and awestruck look at the bustling part of town that has bewitched her ever since she was a child, when she would eagerly await her grandfather's return from the fortune cookie factory. By interweaving her own personal impressions with the experiences of those living in Chinatowns all across the United States today, Tsui beautifully captures its vivid stories, giving readers a deeper look into what "Chinatown" means to its inhabitants--and to America at large.
Award-Winning Cultural Documentation
This Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature winner examines five distinct Chinatown neighborhoods, from San Francisco to New York, Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Honolulu. Through personal narratives and historical research, Tsui documents the lived experiences of Chinese American communities that extend far beyond the tourist experience.
Inside the Neighborhoods
The book reveals the everyday realities of Chinatown residents--their businesses, family structures, cultural preservation efforts, and adaptation to American life. Tsui's journalistic approach combines her family connections to these communities with extensive interviews and observations, creating an intimate portrait of urban ethnic enclaves that have shaped American cities for over a century.
A San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller
Recognized as a Best of 2009 Notable Bay Area Books selection and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller, this work stands as essential reading for those interested in immigration history, urban studies, and the Chinese American experience. The narrative spans multiple generations and geographic regions, offering insights into how these neighborhoods evolved while maintaining cultural identity.
