A Conversation with Award-winning Investigative Journalist, Editor, and the Author of Strangers in the Land Michael Luo
Release Date: 07/14/2025
Season 5 Review
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 52! This is it, the final episode of Season 5! As we close out 2025, we take a moment to reflect on the guests we’ve had on the show as well as the different topics we’ve talked about. We’d link them all here, but it would take a LOT of space to honor everyone. So let’s just say that we’ve had a great year, highlighted by some very special guests. Our guests this season included well-known academics like Gordon H. Chang, Ann Ishimaru, and Beth Lew-Williams; entertainers from the stage and screen like Olivia Cheng, Troy Iwata, and Nancy Wang;...
info_outline
A Conversation with Andrea Wang, Award-Winning Author of the Picture Book Worthy The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 51! Our guest today is the award-winning children’s book author, . She’s written several books and been recognized with many awards including The Newbery Honor and Caldecott Medal. Andrea’s latest picture book is , a notable Chinese American who fought during the Civil War and, beyond all odds, earned naturalized citizenship. We love how she’s unafraid of tackling some heavy topics that include racism, discrimination, and belonging. The beautiful picture book is illustrated by Youa Vang, If you’re looking for some of Andrea’s...
info_outline
A Conversation with Professor Ann M Ishimaru, Co-Editor and Author of Doing the Work of Equity Leadership for Justice and Systems Change
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 50! Our guest today is doing important work in researching educational change. is an award-winning scholar, writer, educator and the Killinger Endowed Chair and Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy at the University of Washington College of Education. Her latest book is , it was published this September by Teachers College Press. This collection of research and writing that she contributed to as both an author and co-editor is created with Dr. Decoteau Irby, and it takes a deep examination of DEI initiatives and the process of change...
info_outline
The History of API in Formula 1 Racing
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 49! Vroooommmm!!! We’re exploring the story of Asian Pacific Islanders in Formula 1… and this is something we actually know a bit about. This is a sport long dominated by Europeans and a handful of South Americans, but there has been a small group of drivers of Asian Pacific descent who have made an impact in recent years. We’ll share a little about F1 racing in general as well as when API began making their mark in the sport. In addition to recent drivers like (our favorite), , , and now Arvid Lindblad, we’ll also talk about a few engineers,...
info_outline
A Conversation with Karin K Jensen, Award-Winning Writer and Author of the Memoir The Strength of Water
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 48! Our guest is Karin K. Jensen. She’s a local news writer for the Alameda Post and the author of the moving memoir The Strength of Water: An Asian American Coming of Age Memoir. It’s an award-winning memoir that was recently re-released on November 7th by Sibylline Press. The memoir follows her mother, King Ying, and her Asian American journey… from her childhood in 1920s Detroit to moving back to the village Tai Ting Pong in Guangdong, China, and then back to the US again. Along the way, she faced heaps of hardship while strengthening her resolve to...
info_outline
A Conversation with Dom Magwili, Actor, Director, Playwright, Educator, and Author of Scientific Dragons The Adventure of Ensun Castle
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 47! We’re huge fans of , and our guest this episode, , has worked with them since 1974. If that’s all he did, it would be an amazing career. However, Dom has also been an actor, director, educator, and author. His latest work is . It’s an entertaining and thrilling adventure that mixes historical figures, key fictional characters, Filipino culture, and a healthy dose of imagination in a steampunk environment. Among the work he’s created for stage and screen include Much Adobo About Nothing, A Jive Bomber’s Christmas (which had a 10-year run at the...
info_outline
A Conversation with Satsuki Ina, Trauma Therapist, Activist, Filmmaker, and the Author of The Poet and the Silk Girl
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 46! Many of our guests are multi-hyphenates when it comes to their impact in the world, and today’s guest can definitely be described that way. is a Trauma Therapist, Activist, Filmmaker, Educator, and the Author of the Memoir which was released on September 9, 2025. Satsuki is a survivor of the Japanese incarceration during World War II. She was born in the camps and spent her first few years there, both experiencing the trauma in her early years as well as through her parents. In her memoir, The Poet and the Silk Girl, Satsuki tells the story...
info_outline
The History of the Chinese Labour Corps in WWI
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 45! Today’s episodes takes us back in history to the first “great war.” We’re focused on the forgotten participants in World War I… This is the story of the Chinese Labour Corps. During World War I, over 140,000 Chinese men crossed oceans to support the Allies. Their story is often forgotten and kind of ended in betrayal. China hoped to earn respect and reclaim lost territory, especially Shandong Province. But in the end, the Allies broke their promises, reinforcing racial stereotypes and leaving China humiliated. In our opening segment we celebrate...
info_outline
A Conversation with Thien Ho, Sacramento District Attorney and Author of The People vs The Golden State Killer
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 44! Our guest today is , the Sacramento District attorney and long time prosecutor. He’s also the author of the upcoming book, which will be published by and releases on November 11th. This true crime memoir follows Thien's experience as the lead prosecutor on the case against Joseph DeAngelo, one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century. It covers never-before published details about the investigation, capture, and trial that put DeAngelo behind bars. At the same time, the book is a memoir that follows Thien's personal story escaping...
info_outline
A Conversation with Sheilah Jane, Wellness Advocate and the Author of Shadows and Sunrises A True Story of Shame, Strength, and Rebirth Across Continents
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 43! This episode’s guest is . She’s a writer, entrepreneur and wellness advocate. Her latest work is a heartfelt memoir called In it she brings lived experience and lyrical prose to tell the story of her life and family. Her book is a powerful memoir that was released on October 7, 2025. From a childhood under Martial Law in the Philippines to rebuilding a life in America, Shadows and Sunrises traces Sheilah Jane’s journey through teen motherhood, cultural dislocation, and the quiet rituals that held her together. Outside of writing, Sheila is a...
info_outline
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 28! In this episode, we sit down with Michael Luo, the award-winning journalist, editor, and author of Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America. Currently an executive editor at The New Yorker, Michael writes extensively on politics, religion, and Asian American issues. Before joining The New Yorker, he spent over a decade at The New York Times as a national correspondent and investigative reporter, earning accolades like the George Polk Award and the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
His latest book, Strangers in the Land, published by Doubleday in April 2024, is a sweeping and deeply researched narrative history of the Chinese American experience—from the Gold Rush era to the 1960s. Drawing from archival sources, court cases, and personal stories, Luo sheds light on how Chinese immigrants helped build America while simultaneously being pushed to its margins. He highlights the people and policies that shaped their journey—from the railroad workers and early activists to the architects of exclusion laws and the courts that upheld them.
Through vivid storytelling and compelling analysis, Luo explores the roots of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S., the foundations of our modern immigration surveillance state, and the broader struggle for belonging in a multiracial democracy. This is a must-read not only for lovers of history but for anyone seeking to understand how the past shapes our present-day debates on race, immigration, and identity.
In our conversation, Michael shares insights on how he approached this project, why it was important to center underrepresented figures like Hung Wah, Wong Chin Foo, Chin Gee Hee, and Sun Chong, and how understanding this history can guide us through today’s political and cultural tensions. If you want to hear more from Michael you can read his work in the New Yorker or see his posts on Instagram @luomich.
If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.
