Gold, Martin B. Forbidden Citizens: Chinese Exclusion and the U.S. Congress: A Legislative History. TheCapitol.net. 2012. c.550p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781587332357. $29.95. REF

“This landmark volume on the subject of exclusionary policies against Chinese and Chinese Americans is the culmination of lengthy research conducted while attorney Gold (Senate Procedure and Practice) represented a number of Chinese American groups. Divided into 11 chronologically ordered chapters, the book opens with an exploration of initial Senate debates over exclusionary measures and concludes with details on the repeal of such legislation. Congressional member quotations illuminate period sentiment. An appendix offers primary-source texts, document facsimiles, and discussion questions, and this makes for a valuable teaching tool.

VERDICT Expanding on the views in Erika Lee’s At America’s Gates (2007), this is an exemplary subject reference.”

— Library Journal, July 2012