A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America

I don't believe Takaki has a score to settle with this book. Nor do I believe he is racist or *overly* slanted, but I can see how some might feel that way. His focus on nontraditional perspectives seems to me an effort to balance the scale a bit by emphasizing the viewpoints, stories and facts that have been under-emphasized in the past. Perspectives include those of the Irish, Japanese, blacks, Native Americans, and others as various times throughout American history. To me, Takaki does a very good job of putting the reader in the mindset of the people at a certain place and time.

Stories in this book are not sugar-coated, which may at times be unsettling, but the facts and research that back the stories up are indisputable. Takaki uses many direct quotes and indirect references to underscore his points. His accounts are credible, believable and educational. This book should be required reading in all high schools, but should not be considered a replacement for traditional American history texts. It is more a book about cultural perspectives in history than about historical facts. As an example, Takaki will devote many pages to very specific events in history to catch a specific cultural perspective, while completely glazing over many larger and arguably more historically significant timeframes.

The book is a good read, but because of several references, chapters should probably be read in order. For example, at the start of the book Takaki sets up the story of Shakespeare's Tempest as a point of comparison throughout. (It was tempting to me to skip around, since each perspective seems well encapsulated in a chapter.)

I hope you enjoy it!


An interesting view of history from the underdogs...   April 18, 2001
Helen Clark (PA, USA)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

Normally this isn't the sort of book that I would pick up , however I was assigned it for an environmental history class and had to in order to write several reflection papers on it. When I was done reading it, I must admit that I experienced a huge sense of White Man's Guilt, but at the same time I was elated that someone had bothered to collect such gruesome, no-holds-barred accounts of our country's beginnings. Too often we like to gloss over the darker parts in order to hold up a shining vision of what we have now. There are times when the stories are a bit excessive, and times where the information he gives is obviously just to disgust and turn the stomachs of those reading the book. I am sick and tired of being ashamed of my ancestors and their actions, but I also want to know what it was they did so that I will not repeat there mistakes. This book was the gateway to that knowledge. I'm forced to agree that Takaki does seem to subscribe to the idea that the white man is the devil. At the same time, however, he does an excellent job of discussing the background of those people he talks about, the historical events of the time, and the cultural influences that affect their mindset and behavior towards other cultures. He doesn't simply leave it hanging that the Native Americans were slaughtered , he goes in to detail why, what concepts were behind it, and the general psychology of the time that would allow those people to act in such a fashion. If one can get past Takaki's constant re-assertion that the original settlers were murderers and thieves, you find a fascinating study in sociology and man's relationship to the land as well as himself and other cultures. I fould it worthwhile to read for that information alone.


Very realistic (and inclusive) social/historical work.   December 10, 1999
nicole (oxford, ohio)
28 out of 35 found this review helpful

I was introduced to Takaki as an undergrad in Louisiana, reintroduced as a gaduate in New York, and again as a Graduate Assistant in Ohio. I don't believe my instructors in three states could all be wrong. Takaki does what many American writers seem to be wary of doing: putting the emphasis where it belongs. The multicultural history of this country has been based on little more than exploitation. It doesn't necessarity matter who it was being done to, because it had similar results with nearly each minority group. One thing I have to teach my conservative, mid-Western students is to move beyond the "white guilt" many Americans seem to suffer from in order to see that the oppression minorities were victim to was a systematic process based on totalitarian ideals, and not some inherent white evil. I believe by presenting the information the way Takaki has, he allows readers to read a multifaceted version of American history (not the myopic, one dimensional history taught in American schools) that effectively places different groups within a specific time and place in history. If you are not afraid to read some truth about America (without the artificiality of "Pomp and Circumstance"), this is for you. This book does not make America out to be the melting pot it wishes it were. I will teach this book in my future classes.


A Biased and Brilliant Revisionist History   May 12, 2004
R. Kirkham (Rushville, Illinois USA)
32 out of 41 found this review helpful

Publishers Weekly called this, "a brilliant revisionist history of America that is likely to become a classic of multicultural studies." I would totally agree if they would have only added the word "biased" to their list of adjectives. This book has a strong anti-Anglo bias from cover to cover. As a history text it offers an extremely limited scope. It is an historical account of how the racist Anglos persecuted all non-Anglos through American history.

That doesn't mean it shouldn't be read. I never give out ***** without reason.

For non-Anglos this book should be read for the comfort it offers. At last someone has found the courage to tell the story of those who came from the margins of society. I am white. My heritage traces predominantly from Native American (Cherokee) and Irish indentured servitude stock. The book was informative concerning my heritage.

For Anglos this book should be read to help remove cultural blinders. Such a book can be threatening, but it has the potential to expand our universes way beyond the scope of monocultural prejudice. Books such as this help us to better understand where our brothers and sisters of other cultures are coming from.

FOR EVERYONE, this book should be read to understand the past, NOT keep alive prejudice for another generation. My prayer is that a day will come when we have the ability to scale the walls of blindness and forgive the offenses of the past. I would like to see a new world when we are neither ruled by bigotry or guilt.


Telling it like it is   March 10, 2003
rampant reader (Newton, KS USA)
11 out of 15 found this review helpful

A Different Mirror is just that...a way for the majority culture to see itself. Without placing blame or guilt, Takaki discusses the principal ethnic groups whose roles in history have deeply affected the American experience. This is not to deny the validity of the experiences of other ethnic groups-- each has its unique story to tell. But the invasion of Native America, the enslavement of Africans, the betrayal of Mexicans, and the prejudicial treatment of the other groups mentioned are embedded in our national psyche and have to be exorcised before America as a society can begin to heal and to deal honestly with all of its separate ethnic parts. The "racialization of savagery" and demonizing of ethnic groups are valuable insights about intercultural interaction. A Different Mirror is a required text in my cultural diversity classes, though many students are uncomfortable with some of it, particularly the Mexican American chapters. Making members of the majority culture uncomfortable is part of what makes A Different Mirror effective. We need to be honest about our past so that we can ensure that our future as a multiethnic society makes it possible for all groups to be acknowledged and to contribute to the whole of who America is.