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Ghosts of Gold Mountain

Audiobook
Nonfiction: History
Unabridged   9.75 hour(s)
Publication date: 05/07/2019


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Ghosts of Gold Mountain

The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad

Available from major retailers or BUY FROM AMAZON
Audio CD ISBN:9781684572908
Digital Download ISBN:9781684572915

Summary

A groundbreaking, breathtaking history of the Chinese workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, helping to forge modern America only to disappear into the shadows of history until now.

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Product Description

A groundbreaking, breathtaking history of the Chinese workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, helping to forge modern America only to disappear into the shadows of history until now.

From across the sea, they came by the thousands, escaping war and poverty in southern China to seek their fortunes in America. Converging on the enormous western worksite of the Transcontinental Railroad, the migrants spent years dynamiting tunnels through the snow-packed cliffs of the Sierra Nevada and laying tracks across the burning Utah desert. Their sweat and blood fueled the ascent of an interlinked, industrial United States. But those of them who survived this perilous effort would suffer a different kind of death—a historical one, as they were pushed first to the margins of American life and then to the fringes of public memory.

In this groundbreaking account, award-winning scholar Gordon H. Chang draws on unprecedented research to recover the Chinese railroad workers' stories and celebrate their role in remaking America. An invaluable correction of a great historical injustice, The Ghosts of Gold Mountain returns these "silent spikes" to their rightful place in our national saga.

Reviews/Praise

“Shih gives Chang's story depth and heft by accentuating the trials these workers were forced to undergo. His understated approach underscores the humanity of the story, reminding us that we owe a significant accomplishment in our history to people most Americans at the time demonized as people who could not possibly become American.” —AudioFile

“A valuable contribution to the history of the Chinese in North America.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Ambitious…[Chang’s] writing is vibrant and passionate.”—Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Gordon H. Chang is the Olive H. Palmer Professor in Humanities and Professor of History at Stanford University, where he also serves as director of the Center for East Asian Studies and codirector of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project. Chang is the author of Fateful Ties and editor of four other books.