Scan barcode
sydthebeesknee's review against another edition
5.0
this was an eye-opening read that touches on feminism, immigration, transnationalism, class, and labor policy. I'm trying to move away from the descriptor "accessible" but it was far from a dense read too. Chang includes lots of stories of immigrant women workers, and I think those narratives woven into the text made it easier to read and focus.
nuhafariha's review against another edition
5.0
This book was incredible! As an Asian American Studies minor, I really love reading works that go beyond simple stereotypes and delve into policy and power structures that uphold the stereotypes. In "Disposable Domestics", Chang takes us on a journey through the exploitative world of domestic labor in the United States, discussing policies like SAPS which disadvantage Asian countries like the Philippines and Mexico to supply labor into the US, lack of labor unions among domestic workers leading to gross mistreatment by employers and lack of federal aid policy leaving workers at the mercy of their employers. Peeling back layers of lawsuits, interviews with community organizers, news articles, and more, Chang makes a convincing argument for change in the domestic services industry.
lizardluvr's review
fast-paced
4.5
Well-structured book. Easy to read and follow the author’s arguments. Each chapter has a strong narrative on a specific issue that fits in to the overall theme and structure of the book.
sjbshannon's review
5.0
Great book. The first two or three chapters pair well with Entry Denied (which focuses on the racism in constructing U.S. national identity), the latter chapters (which focus on labour laws) with David Bacon's books.
tortacular's review
5.0
A really important book, thoroughly researched and well written. I fully expected to learn a lot about things I knew a little about (the exploitation of brown and black women via capitalism, mainly) and the ways in which political, social and cultural forces are weaponized to keep these women trapped. I certainly got that, beyond what I could have expected. There are essays that dive into everything from inflammatory imagery and messaging around these immigrant women, to the political and economic machinations within and between nations in order to not only maintain the status quo but to strengthen and expand it. I definitely had not given that aspect much thought previously. A bit of a bad brain month made this a slog for me, but the fact that it's broken into essays made it very approachable as a series of smaller reads. Well worth the very long wait as I pestered my library about it for years.