“Wunder’s compelling essays rest on a foundation of diligent research in often obscure sources.”—A. J. Dunar, Choice
“Wunder excels in his breadth of coverage of legal trends relating to the Chinese in the American West and in the depth of his research in archives across the region. His prose humanizes these cases by sharing the personal stories, motivations, choices, and impacts on the people involved, while clearly explaining the legal issues under consideration.”—Mark T. Johnson, Montana The Magazine of Western History
“Very few other historians of Chinese America can match [Wunder’s] ability to place Chinese legal issues so securely within the context of national events and relations among ethnic groups.”—Bennet Bronson, Oregon Historical Quarterly
“Possessing a JD as well as a PhD in history, Wunder is exceptionally well qualified to tackle the issues of the legal treatment of the Chinese in nineteenth-century America.”—Diana L. Ahmad, California History
“An understanding of the legal position and problems that Chinese Americans faced in the nineteenth century is crucial to an understanding of Chinese American and Asian American history, and this single book provides the foundation necessary.”—Sue Fawn Chung, Southern California Quarterly
“[Wunder] extends the history of local and state laws beyond California to the greater American West, including the states and territories of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico. Given the overrepresentation of California in Chinese American history more broadly, this is a vital contribution in and of itself.”—Beth Lew-Williams, Journal of Arizona History
