Judy Yung

This unique and charming biography is written in Eddie's voice. The book, The Adventures of Eddie Fung, comes about because Judy Yung, a professor and historian, needs to interview someone who could give a Chinese perspective on the years of World War II for the Chinese American history articles she was writing. An American Army officer suggested that she talk to Eddie, who has the distinction of being the only Chinese American who survived the ordeal of being a Japanese prisoner of war.

Judy found Eddie to be a natural story teller and soon decided that his entire life was worthy of recording for posterity. She visited with him several times over a period of months, recording hours of interviews covering the different segments of Eddie's interesting life. Along the way, Eddie proposed marriage, and Judy agreed, but she continued with this project so that Eddie's story would be told.

His parents were immigrants from China but Eddie and his brother and sisters were born in the United States. His family lived in Chinatown in San Francisco in a very close knit community. As a teenager though, Eddie longed for adventure, and having seen a few western movies, he decided to move to Texas and become a cowboy. Though the ranchers he worked for knew he had no experience, they gave him a chance and he proved to be a quick learner and a hard worker. After a couple of years he met a recruiter and decided to join the Army. Since he was a minor, the Army wrote his mom, who refused to give her permission. But Eddie found a way, and eventually joined a National Guard unit. The Texas National Guard Unit was activated shortly before the US entered the war and was shipped off to Java. Their battalion was captured by the Japanese almost immediately and they became known eventually as The Lost Battalion. Their destination was Burma, where they were forced as prisoners of war to build the railroad to Siam through the rugged tropical jungle. This horrific experience was commemorated in the epic film, Bridge Over the River Kwai. They spent forty-two months in the captivity of the Japanese.

Those who survived were starving and many suffered from jungle diseases by the time they were freed. Eddie was one of those survivors. Because they had shared this horrific experience, The Lost Battalion survivors began to gather annually for reunions which continue to this day.

A key part of WWII history, Eddie's story offers a unique perspective of survival and loyalty to one's "Band of Brothers."… (meer)

A well-researched and written history of Chinese American women in San Francisco from the 1902 to 1945.

Judy Yung is both an accomplished historian and a daughter of the Chinese American community in San Francisco. Drawing on both these identities, she has written an important book. Having been born in the city to a working-class family in the 1930s, she understands the various clusters within the community. In her introduction and epilogue, she places family members—and herself—in the larger story which she tells. She also makes extensive use of oral histories, some of which she conducted and others from earlier collections. For each time period, she focuses on a few women placed differently within the community and tells enough of about each to bring them to life and personalize her generalizations.

In addition, Yung is unusually well versed in US women’s history, immigration history and ethnic history, enabling her to make insightful comparisons between Chinese American women and women of African-American, Jewish American, and Mexican American communities.

Read more:
http://mdbrady.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/unbound-feet-by-judy-yung/… (meer)

I've read about half of this book a few years back and enjoyed it but ran out of time before the test and just never got back to it. Of what I did read, it was great. Some parts are a bit slow and dry but the plethora of information pertaining to women's history in the US, particularly Asian American women's history is amazing. It's all truth as best as could be recalled and retold. A definite read for any women's studies major, feminist, or activist, or anyone just wanting to expand their horizons.… (meer)