Ronald Takaki

Chronicles the history of America, from colonization to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, from a multicultural point of view.

a history of multicultural America

A different mirror

Upon its first publication, A Different Mirror was hailed by critics and academics everywhere as a dramatic new retelling of our nation's past. Beginning with the colonization of the New World, it recounted the history of America in the voice of the non-Anglo peoples of the United States--Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and others--groups who helped create this country's rich mosaic culture. Now, Ronald Takaki has revised his landmark work and made it even more relevant and important. Among the new additions to the book are: --The role of black soldiers in preserving the Union --The history of Chinese Americans from 1900-1941 --An investigation into the hot-button issue of "illegal" immigrants from Mexico --A look at the sudden visibility of Muslim refugees from Afghanistan. This new edition of A Different Mirror is a remarkable achievement that grapples with the raw truth of American history and examines the ultimate question of what it means to be an American.

A History of Multicultural America

A Different Mirror

In an extraordinary blend of narrative history, personal recollection, & oral testimony, the author presents a sweeping history of Asian Americans. He writes of the Chinese who laid tracks for the transcontinental railroad, of plantation laborers in the canefields of Hawaii, of "picture brides" marrying strangers in the hope of becoming part of the American dream. He tells stories of Japanese Americans behind the barbed wire of U.S. internment camps during World War II, Hmong refugees tragically unable to adjust to Wisconsin's alien climate & culture, & Asian American students stigmatized by the stereotype of the "model minority." This is a powerful & moving work that will resonate for all Americans, who together make up a nation of immigrants from other shores.

A History of Asian Americans Au of...

Strangers from a Different Shore

The bombing of Hiroshima was one of the pivotal events of the twentieth century, yet this controversial question remains unresolved. At the time, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur, and chief of staff Admiral William Leahy all agreed that an atomic attack on Japanese cities was unnecessary. All of them believed that Japan had already been beaten and that the war would soon end. Was the bomb dropped to end the war more quickly? Or did it herald the start of the Cold War? In his probing new study, prizewinning historian Ronald Takaki explores these factors and more. He considers the cultural context of race - the ways in which stereotypes of the Japanese influenced public opinion and policymakers - and also probes the human dimension. Relying on top secret military reports, diaries, and personal letters, Takaki relates international policies to the individuals involved: Los Alamos director J. Robert Oppenheimer, Secretary of State James Byrnes, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and others... but above all, Harry Truman.

Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb

Hiroshima

Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaii 1835-1920

Pau Hana

Professor Department of Ethnic Studies Ronald Takaki

A History of Asian Americans (Updated and Revised)

From a Navajo code talker to a Tuskegee pilot, Takaki examines the many contributions and sacrifices of America's minorities--blacks, Chinese, Native Americans and others--during World War II. Photos.

A Multicultural History of America in World War II

Double Victory

"A scholarly work but as readable as a novel, this is the first history of plantation life as experienced by the laborers themselves. The oppressive round-the-clock conditions under which they worked will make you glad they fought back in one huge strike; Takaki charts this conflict well." --San Francisco Chronicle

Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaii, 1835â1920

B Marvis

The Asian American Experience Series

A History of Asian Americans

A longtime professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, Ronald Takaki was recognized as one of the foremost scholars of American ethnic history and diversity. When the first edition of A Different Mirror was published in 1993, Publishers Weekly called it "a brilliant revisionist history of America that is likely to become a classic of multicultural studies" and named it one of the ten best books of the year. Now Rebecca Stefoff, who adapted Howard Zinn's best-selling A People's History of the United States for younger readers, turns the updated 2008 edition of Takaki's multicultural masterwork into A Different Mirror for Young People. Drawing on Takaki's vast array of primary sources, and staying true to his own words whenever possible, A Different Mirror for Young People brings ethnic history alive through the words of people, including teenagers, who recorded their experiences in letters, diaries, and poems. Like Zinn's A People's History, Takaki's A Different Mirror offers a rich and rewarding "people's view" perspective on the American story.

A Different Mirror for Young People

Ronald T. Takaki

An exciting sequential analysis of the various ethnic peoples who provided plantation labor for the Hawaiian cane fields from the 1860s to the 1920s. Using primary resources, songs, historical tracts, and census data, Takaki brings together the various ethnic perspectives into a cogent account of the history, culture, and economy of sugar cane plantation existence. From early beginnings to the decline of "king sugar," Takaki presents the Euroamerican perception of Native Hawaiians, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Norwegians, and Filipinos and attempts to keep the ethnic groups isolated to prevent any unified strike-action against plantation owners' unfair labor practices. Integrated into this history are ethnic viewpoints of contract labor and the treatment they received by their white bosses, creating a well-balanced presentation. From immigration to plantation, the various ethnic groups entertained the idea of permanency in Hawaii, finding a new home for their families and growing in cross cultural understanding.

Ronald Takaki

About

Books

Join the club