This unique work presents an extraordinary breadth of contemporary and historical views on Asian America and Pacific Islanders, conveyed through the voices of the men and women who lived these experiences over more than 150 years.

In 1848, the "First Wave" of Asian immigration arrived in the United States. By the first decade of the 21st century, Asian Americans were the nation's fastest growing racial group. Through a far-ranging array of primary source documents, Voices of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience shares what it was like for these diverse peoples to live and work in the United States, for better and for worse.

Organized chronologically by ethnicity, the book covers a panoply of ethnic groups, including recent Asian immigrants and mixed race/mixed heritage Asian Americans. There is also a topical section that showcases views on everything from politics to class to gender dynamics, underscoring that the Asian American population is not—nor has it ever been—monolithic. In choosing material, the editors strove to make the volume as comprehensive as possible. Thus, readers will discover documents written by transnational, adopted, and homosexual Asian Americans, as well as documents written from particular religious positions.