Pinoy: The First Wave, 1898-1941

This classic oral history of the first wave of Filipino immigration to the United States sets the scene for an understanding of the true role of Filipino culture in the American tapestry. In their own words, Pinoy (a term Filipinos use to refer to themselves) informants recall the journey from the Philippines to the United States. With candor and humor they recall the back breaking jobs they were often forced to take as domestics, farm hands, cannery line workers, and field hands on pineapple and sugar plantations. This is a touching collection of vignettes recorded and edited by Dr. Robert Vallangca, a Pinoy immigrant himself. Readers will be moved and delighted with reminiscences of such little-known American stories as "Dime-and-Dance" halls on Saturday nights, free lunches in the Chinese gambling dens, and the everyday struggle to adjust to an often hostile atmosphere. Illustrated.