In 1857, Alla Lee, a 24yearold native of Ningbo, China, seeking a better life, came to St. Louis. A decade later, Lee was joined by several hundred of his count

Introduction: Defining the Asian American heartland and its significance -- Transnational migration and businesses in Chinese Chicago, 1870s-1930s -- Building "

A searing portrait of the racial dynamics that lie inescapably at the heart of our nation, told through the turbulent history of the city of St. Louis. From Lew