Entertainment
American Chinatown:
A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods by Bonnie Tsui
Book Review
Virginia L. Ng | Chapter President, OCA–New Jersey
I
like reading books about my ethnicity, buying two to three books at a time, but I
was truly disappointed when I started reading this book. I don’t know what I was
expecting, but I guess that my perspective was not what the author had in mind. Like
the author, no matter which city I am visiting, both my husband and I would look
for the “Chinatown” of the area. We have the Chinese food craving which needs to
be satisfied every several days. And like the author, we usually find some semblance
of a Chinatown, or at least a Chinese restaurant, not just in the United States, but
also in Toronto and Vancouver —which I think has the best food—Madrid, London,
Costa Rica, Mexico and Rome. Once on a cruise to Jamaica, we got off the boat and
made a mad dash to get our Chinese food fix and came across a restaurant whose
owners had emigrated from Toi-San. After several generations, they could no longer
speak the language, but they understood it and cooked one marvelous meal for us.
The book outlined five Chinatown communities, and growing up in one, I
thought that I was going to read highlights of my neighborhood, where I had grown
up and where I spent my childhood. But it didn’t touch upon them. Was this really a
history? Maybe not. The author touched upon some history, but left the real history
of Chinatown out. There were no mentions of the origins of New York’s Chinatown
before it became what it is today. There were no mentions of the building with a Star
of David over the door that used to serve as a safe house for “Jews” or the park on
Mulberry Street, known as Columbus Park, which use to have a statue of Christopher
Columbus at the far end. And there is no mention of the many Chinese Associations
who helped and provided support and solace to many men in their “bachelor society.”
The book did touch upon racism, paper sons, sojourners and the Anti-Chinese
sentiment of the early years. It also outlined that immigration is vital for the survival
of Chinatowns, or they will disappear. First generation sustains their culture and
habits, with the second generation becoming educated, affluent and leaving for a
different life in the suburbs.
I did enjoy reading about the oldest Chinatown, the Chinatown in New York,
and the movie business Chinatown in Los Angeles. I hope that this review does not
deter you from otherwise reading an interesting and informative book and hope
that it brings you your own memories of Chinatown, no matter where it might be. ■
20 • IMAGE • Spring/Summer 2014