I'm very interested in the history of New York's Chinatown and so appreciated this book. It lays out a clear, chronological account of the social history of the neighborhood, the various different waves of Chinese immigration to this country, and the relationship between Chinatown and the rest of New York City.

I personally find labor history a bit dreary, so the chapters of "The New Chinatown" focusing on this were a slog for me. Although it was like taking medicine, acquiring an better picture of this aspect of Chinatown history did enrich my overall understanding of experience of those of Chinese descent living in New York.

While the revised version brings events up to 1996, I was yearning for information regarding the past decade or so -- labor history and all. ( )