David H.T. Wong

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

The history is solid. I consider myself knowledgeable on the history of the Chinese in America (and based on sources, it looks like the author also read[b:The Chinese in America: A Narrative History|503633|The Chinese in America A Narrative History|Iris Chang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348122464l/503633._SY75_.jpg|2202688] which was formative for me), but I am less familiar with the parallel history in Canada. From the notes, it sounds like the Mr. Wong started with Canada but then realized it's impossible to tell that story without going over the greater North American diaspora experience. Sort of like [a:Laurence Yep|14199|Laurence Yep|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1208559025p2/14199.jpg]'s Golden Mountain Chronicles, the (fictional?) Wong family in the graphic novel happen to be around a lot of key moments in history, including Sun Yat-Sen's travels to Hawaii and North America (I'm not familiar with the history in general, so I didn't know he briefly went to school in Hawaii!) The author's family history is similar to my own but with a few extra generations (in general, from a pre-1965 immigration wave and thus familiar with exclusion and other barriers), so I do get the intent here.

The art is... okay. There are some kids with grown up faces and odd proportions, and there are some parts that I can tell are redraws of iconic plates like the Rock Springs Massacre. I read Iris Chang's book at age 13, and while Escape to Gold Mountain is intended as an introduction to our history, I think I'd be more inclined to have the kids read The Chinese in America first instead, depending on their reading level/attention span. I feel pretty good about the school district kiddo will grow up in, but keeping this on hand anyway to cover since I had to learn on my own about our history.

Actually, yeah- for a middle grade look at a fictionalized treatment of the Chinese in North America, I'd recommend Laurence Yep's Golden Mountain Chronicles instead. [b:The Traitor|25261|The Traitor (Golden Mountain Chronicles, #4)|Laurence Yep|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348823964l/25261._SY75_.jpg|2675977] is my favorite, and covers the aforementioned Rock Springs Massacre in Wyoming from the eyes of a teenage boy.… (altro)

In graphic format, Wong outlines the history of the Chinese in North America. Despite accomplishments such as helping build the railroads in America and Canada, Chinese immigrants faced scorching racism and were the victims of violent attacks and exclusionary laws. There is no sparing the reader of realities; racist terms are tossed about by white characters, and there are illustrations of men either killed by mob violence or explosions during rail construction. Teen and adult readers will not only get the fuller picture about Chinese-American historty, but they may be moved to to learn further about some of the historic figures portrayed in the book. Extensive research citations are listed in the back.… (altro)