Bellingham Herald: First Hand Stories of Early South Asian Settlers to Pacific Northwest in New Book

A new book inspired by an oral history project at the University of Washington’s South Asian Studies library has been released by the University of Washington Press.

“Roots and Reflections: South Asians in the Pacific Northwest,” provides a glimpse at the South Asian story from those who lived it. The book is based on a collection of oral histories as it relates to the big picture of Pacific Northwest history, reported the Bellingham Herald.

According to reviewer Barbara Lloyd McMichael, the most interesting parts of the book deal with identity, generational differences and the adaption of traditional cultural values in a new country. But some of the personal stories lack color and paint somewhat of a dull picture. Too much time is spent on unimportant details.

Some of the earliest South Asian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest came more than 125 years ago.