Voices of the Second Wave: Chinese Americans in Seattle: Oral Histories of 35 Chinese Americans Who Immigrated, 1934-1968

Many Americans know about the "first wave" of Chinese immigrants, who worked on the railroads, mined for gold, and built Chinatowns. Less known is the "second wave" -- most of whom came to the U.S. as students in the 1950s and 1960s, spoke Mandarin, and earned advanced degrees. Although most found professional jobs, they were cut off from their native country and worried about relatives left behind after the revolution. This ground-breaking book collects the bittersweet stories of 35 people from this "second wave" generation of Chinese Americans, who tell about their lives in their own voices. Hard-bound versions of this book will be available by July 1. Contact East West Insights to order.

Dori Jones Yang conducted more than 35 interviews for this book as a way of honoring this generation of Chinese Americans. She then edited and polished the transcripts, using the interviewees’ own words to tell their life stories. A former foreign correspondent based in Hong Kong, Dori Jones Yang speaks Mandarin, lives in the Seattle area, and has written three other books.