In The Making of "Mammy Pleasant;" Lynn M. Hudson examines the folklore of Mary Ellen Pleasant's real and imagined powers. Addressing the lack of a historical record of black women's lives; Hudson argues that the silences and mysteries of Pleasant's past; whether never recorded or intentionally omitted; reveal as much about her life as what has been documented. The Making of "Mammy Pleasant" integrates fact and speculation culled from periodicals; court cases; diaries; letters; Pleasant's interviews with the San Francisco press; and various biographical and fictional accounts. Through Pleasant's remarkable life; Hudson also interrogates the constructions of race; gender; and sexuality during the formative years of California's economy and challenges popular mythology about the liberatory sexual culture of the American West.
#2362774 in Books 1998-07-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .80 x 6.00l; .92 #File Name: 0252067207250 pages
Review
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Intense; worthy readBy A CustomerI came upon the book in an unusual way. I was having dinner with a group of educators and happened to meet the author. Over dinner he talked about some of the issues he came across in his research and I decided to pick up a copy a few days later. I read the book and it surprised me. It was interesting to me because I'm from Hawaii; and the experiences of Asian Americans there; I think; are different; and the text let me experience a major community outside my own. And while I don't see myself as politically driven; I found myself caught up in the alliances/divisions he sees forming in the San Gabriel Valley. As the text examines the theoretical aspects of the politicking in that community; it also presents detailed accounts of actual events that took place during the various stages of grassroots organizing. The depth of the cross-referencing is impressive; but what strikes me most are the insightful; sometimes very personal observations offered to the researcher by participants as events formed --observations that exist almost as sub-themes to the research. He sifts through then traces back lines of political theory through to actual events as residents began to change their community. A worthy read. It has caused me to look at my own community and makes me want to understand more about the forces and processes of change.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Diversity in SuburbiaBy A CustomerI read Saito's book for a course he taught at UCSD in San Diego. I felt that from his book I was given not only a unique and fascinating sociological examination of the interworkings of perhaps the first Asian suburban neighborhood in America; but I was also enlightened to a relatively new notion of 'whiteness' and its effects on the American scene. This book may be read by high school students or academic scholars; the topics of which address some of the most controversial issues in contemporary society.
