Starred ReviewStarred Review Dreams to Ashes
The 1871 Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre
In the mid-1800s, a wave of Chinese immigrants traveled to the West Coast of the United States. They were following rumors of Gold Mountain, a land rich with treasure for all who came. When gold proved elusive, they began to seek their fortunes in other ways—as doctors and launderers, as cooks and musicians.
A number of Chinese immigrants settled in Los Angeles, California. It was a rough, occasionally lawless city, and newspapers routinely published anti-Chinese articles, fueling sparks of hatred. On the night of October 24, 1871, the city exploded in violence. In the ensuing massacre, eighteen Chinese men were killed, their dreams turned to ashes.
New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne and illustrator Nicole Xu illuminate a tragic episode in our nation’s past in the hope that future generations can move toward a brighter tomorrow.
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979-8-7656-2722-8
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Reviews
Publishers Weekly
“Fire-oriented metaphors that hint at the coming conflagration describe growing tensions, while Xu’s thick-lined ink and digital media illustrations incorporate images of fire, smoke, and sparks.”—Publishers Weekly
Booklist
“In this ruminative account of a lesser-known race riot that left 18 immigrants dead, Blackburne poses big, still cogent questions.”—Booklist
Starred ReviewStarred Review School Library Journal
“Meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated in full-color drawings . . . the story acknowledges the growing pains of pushing out of communities (Indigenous and other immigrant communities) by the Spanish colonial missions and later by Americans to make room for Western development . . . This deeply felt coverage of the inflection points for so many communities is a must-have for all libraries.”—starred, School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
“Deftly brings to light a lesser-known horror in the context of America’s history of racism against Chinese immigrants.”—Kirkus Reviews