A Different Mirror for Young People

August 1, 2012
A classic framing of this country's history from a multicultural perspective, clumsily cut and recast into more simplified language for young readers. Veering away from the standard "Master Narrative" to tell "the story of a nation peopled by the world," the violence- and injustice-laden account focuses on minorities, from African- Americans ("the central minority throughout our country's history"), Mexicans and Native Americans to Japanese, Vietnamese, Sikh, Russian Jewish and Muslim immigrants. Stefoff reduces Takaki's scholarly but fluid narrative (1993, revised 2008) to choppy sentences and sound-bite quotes. She also adds debatable generalizations, such as a sweeping claim that Native Americans "lived outside of white society's borders," and an incorrect one that the Emancipation Proclamation "freed the slaves." Readers may take a stronger interest in their own cultural heritage from this broad picture of the United States as, historically, a tapestry of ethnic identities that are "separate but also shared"--but being more readable and, by page count at least, only about a third longer, the original version won't be out of reach of much of the intended audience, despite its denser prose. In either iteration, a provocative counter to conventional, blinkered views of our national story. (endnotes, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)

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March 1, 2013

Gr 6 Up-This established adult classic of multiculturalism has been pared down for a younger audience. Stefoff, who previously adapted Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States (Longman, 1980), takes a crack at Takaki's look at America and its people. Focusing on a variety of groups-Jews, Chinese, Japanese, Africans, Irish, Mexicans, Afghans, Vietnamese, and more-this volume tells America's story through the millions of people who came here seeking the Land of Opportunity only to find low wages, pitiable living conditions, and bigotry at every turn. Yet Takaki keeps bitterness at bay, writing with hope and conviction about the many opportunities for young Americans to make change in a country where, soon enough, "we all will be minorities." Stefoff adds a few nice touches-the short stories of individuals ending each chapter definitely make the content more relatable-but many young people would be better off sticking with Takaki's original text.-Sam Bloom, Blue Ash Library, Cincinnati, OH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2012
Grades 7-10 In 1993, Takaki wrote his seminal work, A Different Mirror. In the second edition (2008), he revised some chapters and added others that focus on newer immigrants, legal and illegal, presenting views from the perspectives of both minority and immigrant groups and white, Eurocentric populations. As he stated in the final chapter, White Americans will not be a majority for much longerAmerica will truly be a nation of minorities. Here Stefoff takes Takaki's book and adapts it for middle-grade and younger high-school readers, reducing the original by about 150 pages and revising some vocabulary to make it more accessible for the intended audience. She has retained quotations from the original and maintained the carefully cited chapter notes. Sidebars toward the end of each chapter highlight a particular person or event discussed. This book, whether Takaki's original or Stefoff's adaptation, is important reading, and few other titles look at American immigration in such a thorough way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)