Early in the twentieth century, most Asian immigrants bound for America disembarked at a rocky island in San Francisco Bay. At the Angel Island Immigration Station, they were scrutinized, physically examined, interrogated, and confined behind barbed wire in crowded dormitories. Detainees often waited weeks or months to be processed. Those who passed inspection were allowed to enter the country known to many Chinese as Gold Mountain. Others, less fortunate, were sent back home or even died in detention.
More than half a million people from eighty countries arrived at Angel Island between 1910 and 1940. Those who were admitted to the United States faced further challenges and hardships as they pursued the American dream.
Russell Freedman, a San Francisco native, tells the story of "the other Ellis Island" with his customary insight, forthrightness, and grace, illuminating a dark corner of the immigrant experience.
