Why read The Coolie Speaks?

Book cover of The Coolie Speaks: Chinese Indentured Laborers and African Slaves in Cuba

Book description

A remarkable examination of bondage in Cuba that probes questions of slavery, freedom and race

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Asian history

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Coolie Speaks as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Julia Schiavone Camacho

Author

Drawing on vivid “coolie” testimonies and slave narratives, this book shows how Chinese contract laborers worked alongside African slaves in the final decades of slavery in the nineteenth century, forming cross-cultural ties and engaging in bitter rivalries as well as other experiences in between. The book features the voices of both sets of groups, including complicated commentary by slaves on the lot of so-called coolies. A powerful read, it brings to life the personal experiences of members of these groups of people during a brutal era of history.

From Julia's list on The best books about Asian diasporas in the Americas that feature personal or family stories.