Extraordinary Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (revised edition) [Library Binding]

Susan Sinnott (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Extraordinary People

Biographical sketches of notable Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans, from the nineteenth century up to the present.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-10-This revised edition has dropped 11 people from the 1993 title and added 14 new ones. The volume features 72 individuals and 9 groups arranged chronologically from the mid-18th century to the present. As with the previous edition, it spotlights a diverse group, ranging from pioneering immigrants to Hawaii's last queen, and on to present-day notables such as architect Maya Ying Lin and Yahoo cofounder Jerry Yang. Their achievements reflect a broad range of endeavor, from labor leaders and politicians to writers, athletes, scientists, actors, and artists. A handful of people, such as Tiger Woods, Amy Tan, and Bruce Lee, have been the subject of numerous biographies; however, this text will prove a welcome source of information on others, such as architect Minoru Yamasaki, artist Nam June Paik, cinematographer James Wong Howe, and actress Anna May Wong. The group entries include Chinese railroad and laundry workers, Hawaiian sugarcane workers, prisoners of Angel Island, Japanese-American internees and three individuals who fought internment, Vietnamese boat people, and Hmong refugees. These discussions provide an overview of immigration to the United States, and furnish background information within which to measure the extraordinary accomplishments of these individuals. This well-written resource is accompanied by black-and-white photographs, and will be useful for both browsers and report writers. A well-done collection of evenhanded and readable entries.
Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This title, part of the Extraordinary People series for upper-elementary- and middle-school readers, offers short biographies of outstanding individuals, historical as well as contemporary. As in any assemblage of this type, readers may question the exclusion or inclusion of certain personalities. However, the authors have succeeded in providing a range of nationalities, occupations, age groups, and gender. In addition to the biographical content, a few brief essay-type articles cover related topics and issues such as "Internment Camp Inmates" and "Vietnamese Boat People."

The volume contains biographical entries arranged chronologically by the biographee's birth date and topical entries interspersed among the biographies. Entries average four pages and feature short sentences, an explanation of unfamiliar words within the text, easily read fonts, and lots of white space. Each biography begins with a photograph of the subject, birth and death dates, and occupation or brief description. The table of contents consists of thumbnail photos with the same information. The short bibliography, with most copyrights in the 1990s. includes a number of books above the level of the targeted audience.

The biographies cover the subject's background, education, and influence on society but do not contain much in-depth information. Information in the themed articles is also quite superficial but might serve to spark the reader's interest to look further.

The intended audience will enjoy browsing through this volume but will not find much useful information apart from trivia. It will not replace more in-depth biographical resources but could serve as a jumping-off point for further research. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 288 pages
• Publisher: Children's Press (CT); Revised edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051622655X
• ISBN-13: 978-0516226552
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,487,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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