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Strangers from a Different Shore

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Plot Summary

Strangers from a Different Shore

Ronald Takaki

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1989

Plot Summary
Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans is a work of nonfiction by Ronald Toshiyuki Takaki. First published in 1989 by Back Bay Books, the work discusses 150 years of Asian American history through recollections, interviews, and historical facts. It also includes 16 pages of photographs to add depth to the accounts. The book has been generally well-received by critics for offering a rounded insight into an often-neglected part of American history. Takaki was an American author and professor of Ethnic Studies who later developed multiple sclerosis.

Strangers from a Different Shore looks primarily at Chinese, Japanese, and Korean immigrants. A central theme to the work is that, while many journeyed to the U.S. in the hopes of securing a better life, most didn’t find it. Takaki reveals the discrimination and inequality these Asian Americans experience when they first journeyed to America, and how they feel about their identity now.

Takaki divides his book into four parts and begins with the initial wave of enthusiastic migration to the U.S. He explains that, to this day, many do not understand that Americans include Asians with American ancestry. There’s a general view that Asian people did not play any part in the shaping of American history, and this is concerning for Asian Americans today.



When they first travel to the U.S. to build new lives, these immigrants can’t imagine that they’ll feel so insignificant for so many years, especially when they’ve heard all the stories about how wonderful the U.S. is supposed to be. This is the irony of the American Dream, as Takaki sees it. It’s only attainable for a very specific group of people.

Takaki then goes on to look at why Asians wish to leave their ancestral lands in the first place. Immigration begins primarily because of poor economic conditions in their home countries in the mid-19th century in conjunction with the promise of prosperity in the U.S. This is what Takaki calls the “push” and the “pull.” America demands railroads and new industry and needs workers to build them. At the same time, planters and field owners need laborers for their crops and farms, which leads to an influx in Chinese workers.

Essentially, the Asian immigrants must leave their families behind, as they can’t afford to bring them or can’t obtain passage for them. As a result, they’re left feeling isolated, unwanted, and alone in a foreign land.



Those in charge of the workers deliberately play rival groups off each other so that they won’t unite and demand better living and working conditions or higher wages. Morale drops and many return home as soon as they can. Others can’t afford to leave the U.S. and must try to make the best of it. The Americans, however, slowly push the Asians off the mainland. They don’t serve them in restaurants and keep them separate from white people.

This makes the Asian Americans migrate to more remote areas such as Hawaii, where they’re more likely to find acceptance. Some open shops and small businesses to make a living, but they still rely on building a customer base, which is not always easy. There’s a sense of frustration and anger at the lack of opportunities available to them and how this doesn’t seem likely to improve.

Takaki then looks at how World War II changes the relationship between Asian Americans and the U.S. The U.S. government is determined to present a democratic and tolerant image to counter negative propaganda coming from countries such as Japan. This means they must adopt a better attitude towards Asian Americans, who serve in the Army and prove to be admirable soldiers. This change is solidified once the world becomes aware of Nazi atrocities in Europe since no one wants to be perceived as promoting racist ideologies.



Takaki poses that it's important to then consider how Asian Americans feel now about their place in the United States and their role in its history. Takaki relies on his own memories of growing up in Hawaii and the accounts of others like him. The initial Asian American immigrants endure the worst discrimination, and this sentiment still resounds years later. Many Asian Americans suffer inequality and feel as though they’re overlooked in U.S. history. This is attributed to a general acknowledgment of other ethnicities and their roles in America while their ethnic group is not.

Takaki’s own accounts confirm this sentiment as well as how the skills and qualities his people brought to the U.S. is almost entirely glossed over. What’s notable about his accounts is how pronounced the racism is at the time and how the first generation of Asian Americans felt no better than slaves.

Publisher's Weekly wrote that "[Takaki] has written a vibrant, rich history that gives back a voice to countless 'invisible Americans.' His broad, multi-ethnic survey is peopled with real individuals, allowing us to experience their loneliness, separation from families, struggles for survival."

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