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Chinese in the Post-Civil War South: A People Without History

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The author, Lucy Cohen, is a descendent of these people of whom she writes. Hence, it is inspired by a deep, personal desire to know more about the original immigrants and how they fared --and who/where their descendents are.

Being neither black nor white, the Chinese were an anomaly in the post-slavery South. As such, they were not restricted in their life pursuits. They became farmers and entrepreneurs, married white, black or Indian women and shared the social fate of the women they chose. As such, they virtually disappeared as an ethnic group, but left their surnames to future generations.

I, too, have relatives among these descendents, and they have amusing anecdotes to tell relating to the surprise people show when trying to reconcile their face/color with their surname.

Cohen did a fine job in her research. The book contains photos along with family histories. It is interesting as well as helpful to anyone wanting to know more about a relatively obscure people during a period of social turmoil in the deep South.