Coolies Book Review

By Yin ; illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet.
Philomel Books, 2001.

Keywords: Immigration, Chinese-American Culture, conflict, tolerance and growth, brothers, discrimination, determination.

A young boy's grandmother tells him the story of his ancestors. Throughout the story we learn of the tradition and history of the Chinese people who immigrated to America, trying to find the “land of opportunity.” Conflict was arising in China, crops were not being planted which left many people to starve. Many men chose to leave their homes and go to America. The word got out that they were looking for workers to help with the transcontinental railroad. Two brothers, Shek and Wong joined these men so they could make money, to send back home to their mother in China.

The story tells of the hardships, tiring work, and discrimination that these two brothers went through; but through determination, tradition and pride the boys worked hard, and did their part in completing the transcontinental railroad. In the end, the celebration would go on with out the Chinese workers, but they all knew what they had accomplished and more importantly they were able to bring their family to San Francisco to live.

Curricular connections: This book would be an excellent introduction to lessons dealing with immigration, Chinese-American culture, conflict, racism and or tolerance.

Illustrator's view: http://www.soentpiet.com/coolies.htm#note1

Awards: Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, 2004 (Honorable Mention Illustration United States )
Children's Book Award, 2002 (Winner Intermediate-Fiction United States )
Parents' Choice Award, 2001 (Gold Picture Books United States).

Review: School Library Journal Review: Gr 1-4-When the western line of the transcontinental railroad joined the eastern line at Promontory Point, UT, in 1869, the engraving commemorating the event left out an important group of workers-the Chinese. Derisively called "coolies" by their white overseers, these refugees from Southern China came to California desperate for any work that would help them feed their starving families back home. This picture book, cast as a story told by a modern Chinese grandmother, transforms the familiar ethnic slur into a badge of honor. Large double spreads, reminiscent of epic murals, portray the perilous adventures of two brothers, Shek and Wong. After bidding their mother good-bye on the dock, they endure cramped quarters in a stormy passage across the Pacific to arrive at "The Land of Opportunity." Soentpiet's art, consistently amplifying the text, provides an ironic counterpoint, showing dazed Chinese disembarking while hostile white men stare. Subsequent scenes, painted in vivid yellows, oranges, and deep blues, dramatize the achievements of these slight, tough workers who ply sledgehammers under a blazing sun, set dynamite charges, and brave freezing temperatures and avalanches to lay track over high mountain peaks. The callousness of the railroad bosses, who pay the Chinese less than their white counterparts and starve them out of a strike, is contrasted with the devotion of the two brothers, tenderly depicted in art and text. An informative author's note is appended. Soentpiet's impassioned paintings add new emotional resonance to the heroic saga of despised immigrants whose heroism matched the towering mountains of the west.-Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Other books by Yin: Dear Santa, Please Come to the 19th Floor, Brothers