Publisher Description
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 recounts 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. From the role of black soldiers in preserving the Union to the history of Chinese Americans from 1900 to 1941, from an investigation into the issue of “illegal” immigrants from Mexico to a look at the sudden visibility of Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Takaki’s work 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.
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“While travelling to a conference on multiculturalism, Ronald Takaki, whose ancestors came to America more than 100 years ago, is complimented on his English by his taxi-driver, and asked where he “comes from”. This anecdote is the perfect starting point for Takaki’s book, which aims to show how American society has come to accept certain ethnic groups as more American than others. It is a fascinating history of the United States, not really alternative, but as the title indicates, different. After all, Takaki does not try to re-write history. He merely presents what is generally overlooked; the histories of all other ethnic groups than white Europeans. American history is usually presented from a European-settler prespective; with other groups being mentioned more in passing, as thought they were a footnote in history. This, as Takaki shows, is obviously not the case. The book is not without it’s flaws. It can tend to be preachy and overly subjective at times, but not intrusively so. Takaki also has a like of literary references and allusions that can seem rather misplaced in some cases. Overall though, this is an important, and nessecary book.”
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Katrine (5 out of 5 stars)
