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Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton: Lives of Mississippi Delta Chinese Grocers Kindle Edition
by John Jung (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (33)
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The story of how a few Chinese immigrants found their way to the Mississippi River Delta in the late 1870s and earned their living with small family operated grocery stores in neighborhoods where mostly black cotton plantation workers lived. What was their status in the segregated black and white world of that time and place? How did this small group preserve their culture and ethnic identity? "Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton"is a social history of the lives of these pioneering families and the unique and valuable role they played in their communities for over a century.
Excerpts from Reviews
...traces their migration history, work, families, and social lives. His work is anchored in a creative mix of oral history, community historical documents and public records, and includes a generous fill of photos. As a study of the complexities of triangular race relations in the Jim Crow South, his work rivals James Loewen's classic study, The Mississippi Chinese. Greg Robinson, By Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans Harvard University Press, 2001
“Chopsticks” tells the story of yet one more example of Chinese tenacity in which John Jung traces the paths of pioneer Chinese immigrants in Mississippi as they moved from laborers to become successful grocery store merchants for decades with family members and relatives serving as the backbone. “Chopsticks” pays tribute to the resilience and “can-do” attitude of these enterprising entrepreneurs. Sylvia Sun Minnick, Sam Fow,The San Joaquin Chinese Legacy
Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton explores aspects of Chinese settlement in the Mississippi Delta that earlier writings on the subject do not address in detail. Jung analyzes why grocery stores emerged as virtually the only occupation for Chinese in that area instead of farming and hand laundries. He examines the extensive kinship networking that brought male relatives and later whole families to this unlikely region for Chinese settlement. Jung’s impressive book can be enjoyed by ordinary readers for its captivating stories and by scholars for its thorough research and analysis of sources.
Daniel Bronstein, The Formation and Development of Chinese Communities in Atlanta, Augusta, And Savannah, Georgia: From Sojourners To Settlers, 1880-1965.
Reader Comments
Thanks for all your hard work and research that has gone into writing and publishing this book...I think you have a unique perspective, being Chinese and growing up in the south, but not in the MS Delta. I trust that your journey through the Delta this past Fall was beneficial in gaining insight into the place and the people of this area. Gilroy Chow
... your book presents the most definitive and accurate account of the Chinese in the Ms Delta--what it was like to be Chinese and growing up in the segregated South during that time. Peter Joe
I am a friend of most of the people you interviewed in your book. I recently finished reading your book and felt I was right among the people you interviewed. It's the best book written about the Chinese in the Mississippi Delta.
...a fascinating look at what life was like for my grandparents and mother. Indirectly, I learned a lot about my family. I felt that I knew very little about my mother's childhood, but now I have a rich context with which to insert the stories I have heard. C. Acharya
...in my opinion, was a home run because he went to great lengths to gather so many accounts from many, many sources to present a wide spectrum of differing views about life in the Mississippi Delta. The views presented were not always the most flattering to the Delta Chinese either but he tried to be even-handed in the presentations. On balance this is the best study to-date of my community and I will be forever grateful for his wonderful work which exceeded all of my expectations. Bobby Joe Moon
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Print length
273 pages
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Publication date : 30 June 2017
Language : English
File size : 36.0 MB
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (33)
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John Jung
After a 40 year career as a Professor of Psychology, in 2002 I began to reflect on many aspects of my personal development and returned to a question that I had avoided many times, namely, how do I, as a second-generation Chinese American fit in a predominantly black and white society.
I grew up in Macon, Georgia, where I was born to Chinese immigrant parents who operated a laundry during the years before the civil rights era. Ours was the only Chinese family in town, so it was difficult for me to understand who I was, ethnically speaking. Even after we moved to San Francisco when I was an adolescent, it was still difficult for me to know what it meant to be a Chinese American because I was so different from the San Francisco Chinese who had lived so closely among other Chinese all of their lives.
My attempts to understand how my ethnic identity emerged led me to write a memoir "Southern Fried Rice: Life in A Chinese Laundry in the Deep South," in 2005. I soon realized from positive responses from readers and audiences when I gave book talks/signings all over the U. S. that this was an important story to preserve and share. Several people, for example, shared that they too grew up in cultural isolation where they were the only Chinese people in their communities and/or they also grew up helping in their parents'laundry.
I never aspired to write more than one book about Chinese Americans, but in the course of doing research to further my understanding of how and why my parents ended in Georgia, and how they were treated, I was inspired to write "Chinese Laundries: Tickets to Survival on Gold Mountain" (2007) which examined the vital role that this ethnic business had for Chinese immigrants for over a century all over the U. S. and Canada.
A third book in 2008, "Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton: Lives of Mississippi Delta Chinese Grocers" described the history of Chinese grocery store owners in small communities during the era when Jim Crow laws prevailed.
"Sweet and Sour: Life in Chinese Family Restaurants," published in 2010 is a study of another stereotypical Chinese business, the restaurant. It examined origins, operation, and impact of Chinese restaurants.
My books share the common goal of exploring how Chinese immigrants, starting from the late 1800s until beyond the middle of the past century, managed to overcome the hostile societal prejudices against Chinese and other "Orientals" to succeed in opening family businesses such as laundries, grocery stores, and restaurants that enabled their children to gain education that allowed them to move from these humble origins to careers in many fields.
A fifth book, A Chinese American Odyssey, is a writer's journal that describes the many unusual and unplanned encounters I had in the course of writing and speaking about these books for a decade that were invaluable in shaping the content and direction of my writing.
Read less about this author
Publication date : 30 June 2017
Language : English
File size : 36.0 MB
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (33)
Follow
John Jung
After a 40 year career as a Professor of Psychology, in 2002 I began to reflect on many aspects of my personal development and returned to a question that I had avoided many times, namely, how do I, as a second-generation Chinese American fit in a predominantly black and white society.
I grew up in Macon, Georgia, where I was born to Chinese immigrant parents who operated a laundry during the years before the civil rights era. Ours was the only Chinese family in town, so it was difficult for me to understand who I was, ethnically speaking. Even after we moved to San Francisco when I was an adolescent, it was still difficult for me to know what it meant to be a Chinese American because I was so different from the San Francisco Chinese who had lived so closely among other Chinese all of their lives.
My attempts to understand how my ethnic identity emerged led me to write a memoir "Southern Fried Rice: Life in A Chinese Laundry in the Deep South," in 2005. I soon realized from positive responses from readers and audiences when I gave book talks/signings all over the U. S. that this was an important story to preserve and share. Several people, for example, shared that they too grew up in cultural isolation where they were the only Chinese people in their communities and/or they also grew up helping in their parents'laundry.
I never aspired to write more than one book about Chinese Americans, but in the course of doing research to further my understanding of how and why my parents ended in Georgia, and how they were treated, I was inspired to write "Chinese Laundries: Tickets to Survival on Gold Mountain" (2007) which examined the vital role that this ethnic business had for Chinese immigrants for over a century all over the U. S. and Canada.
A third book in 2008, "Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton: Lives of Mississippi Delta Chinese Grocers" described the history of Chinese grocery store owners in small communities during the era when Jim Crow laws prevailed.
"Sweet and Sour: Life in Chinese Family Restaurants," published in 2010 is a study of another stereotypical Chinese business, the restaurant. It examined origins, operation, and impact of Chinese restaurants.
My books share the common goal of exploring how Chinese immigrants, starting from the late 1800s until beyond the middle of the past century, managed to overcome the hostile societal prejudices against Chinese and other "Orientals" to succeed in opening family businesses such as laundries, grocery stores, and restaurants that enabled their children to gain education that allowed them to move from these humble origins to careers in many fields.
A fifth book, A Chinese American Odyssey, is a writer's journal that describes the many unusual and unplanned encounters I had in the course of writing and speaking about these books for a decade that were invaluable in shaping the content and direction of my writing.
Read less about this author
From other countries
J. Foon
5.0 out of 5 stars "Popsicles in the land of Cotton"
Reviewed in the United States on 23 December 2014
Verified Purchase
I was born and grew up in Forrest City, Arkansas during the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Blacks were not allowed in any white grocery stores. So how did they eat??? Chinese, like my family, ran grocery stores in black neighborhoods to feed the “colored folks”. Whites would not allow blacks in their stores. And there was prejudice against Chinese too. Professor John Jung’s book about this slice of American life accurately presents the society dynamics of black, white and us Chinese, who just quietly worked in our stores, saved money for tomorrow and for our kids’ education. As one who grew up as the only Chinese in his own hometown in Georgia, Prof. Jung’s words, and the words of those he interviewed, have the soul and truth of shared personal experience. “Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton” and Prof. Jung’s series of books are now and will henceforth be among the definitive works about Chinese Americans in the South and of their lives in that era. I lived it. John Jung wrote it. I trust you will read it. - Jeu Foon
14 people found this helpful
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Nikki Huber
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting part of history
Reviewed in Canada on 30 May 2025
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I’ve gone through a lot of color marker sets over the years and constantly run into the same issues—dry markers (or ones that dry out way too fast), poor tip sizes (either too thin or too thick), not enough color variety, and flimsy carrying cases.
These markers, though a bit pricier, are hands-down the best I’ve used! You get every color under the rainbow, and each marker has both a fine and broad tip, which is perfect for detailed work and bold strokes.
The pigment is rich, they don’t bleed through paper, and best of all—they’re never dry. The carrying case is also super functional—compact, sturdy, and easy to take on the go or store away neatly.
If you’re serious about coloring or art, these are absolutely worth the investment!
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Ms. ERL
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book for those interested in knowing the details ...
Reviewed in the United States on 15 October 2017
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How did I miss this part of Americian History? Thats what I ask myself before starting to read this book. I guess I took it for granted, that my schooling included all the history I ought to know. Was I wrong by 100%! I highly recommend this book for those interested in knowing the details of those stories not so often told. True stories - worth knowing and repeating.
4 people found this helpful
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C. Acharya
5.0 out of 5 stars Great way to learn family history
Reviewed in the United States on 2 August 2010
Verified Purchase
A very good read. As a granddaughter of store owners, this book was a fascinating look at what life was like for my grandparents and mother. Indirectly, I learned a lot about my family. I felt that I knew very little about my mother's childhood, but now I have a rich context with which to insert the stories I have heard.
7 people found this helpful
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Michelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Wonderfully Descriptive
Reviewed in the United States on 4 January 2017
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A fascinating and well-written, extremely descriptive book about being the sole Chinese family in a small Southern town. I was able to almost picture myself there beside them and experience their lives. Probably the best book I've read about the Asian experience in the South.
2 people found this helpful
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M. Rice
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, brings back lots of memories
Reviewed in the United States on 8 January 2013
Verified Purchase
Since I grew up near the Mississippi Delta and am of Chinese descent, I knew many of the families that were included in this book. This brought back a lot a fond memories for me and was very informative. Some things I did not know about the families mentioned. I will treasure this find.
4 people found this helpful
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S. Huckaba
5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I'm bought the DTB
Reviewed in the United States on 18 March 2014
Verified Purchase
I read this over a weekend relaxing in my hammock. I only wish I'd purchased it in paperback so I could share this wonderful story with my local friends.
2 people found this helpful
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Gary W. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars ok
Reviewed in the United States on 18 August 2019
Verified Purchase
ok
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none
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 6 July 2014
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed reading an important part of American history.
One person found this helpful
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