As a high school history teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed Adrienne Berard's examination of a very emotionally charged and often bleak period in American history. While the author could have chosen to simply tell the story of a courageous family of Chinese-descent, fighting for equality in the segregated 1920s Mississippi Delta, she did so much more.
Artfully spliced around and within the biography of the Gong Lum family, is the historical background information that leads the reader to understand the mindsets and conditions that existed in the southern States during this time period. Berard gives careful attention to the themes that set the stage for Gong Lum v. Rice.
The author brings to life the post-reconstruction efforts to keep former slaves in a condition of bondage through the passage of legislation, such as the Mississippi Black Codes (1865). These laws formalized a racial hierarchy in which whites could restrict the freedoms of black laborers and families, for the purpose of maintaining white superiority and continuing to supply the labor necessary to sustain the plantation economy of the South.
The nativism of late 19th century America is illustrated by anecdotal evidence and by legislative actions, such as the examination of the implications of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and other restrictive measures taken by the government to stop or curtail the immigration of so-called "undesirables."
I highly recommend this book! It has a permanent home in my bookcase.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. July 31, 2016.
Artfully spliced around and within the biography of the Gong Lum family, is the historical background information that leads the reader to understand the mindsets and conditions that existed in the southern States during this time period. Berard gives careful attention to the themes that set the stage for Gong Lum v. Rice.
The author brings to life the post-reconstruction efforts to keep former slaves in a condition of bondage through the passage of legislation, such as the Mississippi Black Codes (1865). These laws formalized a racial hierarchy in which whites could restrict the freedoms of black laborers and families, for the purpose of maintaining white superiority and continuing to supply the labor necessary to sustain the plantation economy of the South.
The nativism of late 19th century America is illustrated by anecdotal evidence and by legislative actions, such as the examination of the implications of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and other restrictive measures taken by the government to stop or curtail the immigration of so-called "undesirables."
I highly recommend this book! It has a permanent home in my bookcase.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. July 31, 2016.
