Author Description

"Chinese laundries, built out of necessity, became the stereotypical occupation of an entire ethnic group but now are just a part of history, made obsolete by social and technological changes. Why and how did Chinese laundries originate and determine the economic and psychological status of laundrymen, and, for some, their families? First- and second-hand accounts of their work in the laundries, where many lived above or in the back, help us understand and appreciate their achievement in overcoming racial prejudice, hardship, [and] social and cultural isolation."--Back cover.