Synopses & Reviews
Upon its first publication,
A Different Mirror was hailed by critics and academics everywhere as a dramatic new retelling of our nation's past. Beginning with the colonization of the New World, it recounts the history of America in the voice of the non-Anglo peoples of the United States—Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and others—groups who helped create this country's rich mosaic culture.
From the role of black soldiers in preserving the Union to the history of Chinese Americans from 1900 to 1941, from an investigation into the issue of "illegal" immigrants from Mexico to a look at the sudden visibility of Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Takaki's work is a remarkable achievement that grapples with the raw truth of American history and examines the ultimate question of what it means to be an American.
Review
"A valuable survey of the American experience of several racial and ethnic minorities: readable popular history in the mode of Takaki's Strangers from a Different Shore." ---Kirkus
Synopsis
Ronald Takaki's critically acclaimed A Different Mirror is a dramatic retelling of our nation's past that relates the history of America in the voice of its non-Anglo peoples, from Native Americans to Muslim refugees from Afghanistan.
About the Author
Ronald Takaki (1939-2009), often cited as the father of multicultural studies, was the grandson of immigrant Japanese plantation workers in Hawaii. He received his undergraduate degree from the College of Wooster and his master's degree and Ph.D. in American history from the University of California, Berkeley. He taught at UC-Berkeley for over 30 years, and designed and led its Ethnic Studies Ph.D. program until his retirement. His many books include A Different Mirror, Strangers from a Different Shore, A Larger Memory, Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th-Century America, and Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II. A veteran of stage and screen, Peter Berkrot's career spans four decades. Highlights include feature roles in Caddyshack and Showtime's Brotherhood, and appearances on America's Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries. His voice can be heard on television, radio, video games, documentaries and industrials. He is a prominent acting coach and a regular contributor to the award-winning news program Frontline produced by WGBH in Boston. Peter served as director of narration for the Emmy-nominated The Truth About Cancer. Peter has recorded a number of audiobooks, including three by Peter Hessler: Country Driving, Oracle Bones, and River Town. Other favorite titles include The Woods by Harlan Coben, English, August by Upamanyu Chatterjee, The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer, American Brutus by Michael W. Kauffmann, Better by Atul Gawande, and Some Sort of Epic Grandeur by Matthew J. Bruccoli.