Defiant Second Daughter

Book excerpt: Dr. Betty Lee Sung is a leading authority on the Chinese in America. Her first book, Mountain of Gold, was a pioneer in its field and laid the foundation for Asian American Studies at the City College of New York in 1970. She remained at the college until her retirement in 1992, having advanced to Chair of the department. In 1994, she completed a database of the Chinese immigrant records in the New York Region National Archives. In 1996, she was awarded an honorary doctorate, Doctor of Letters, from the State University of New York Old Westbury, where she gave the commencement address. She is active in many organizations and has been honored by the Cosmopolitan Lion’s Club, the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Asian American Higher Education Council, the American Library Association, the Chinese Communities in Houston and Philadelphia, and many others. This is Dr. Sung’s ninth book.