"These touching and insightful accounts by leading scholars of Chinese ethnicity, migration and diaspora studies are both enlightening and inspiring. Thirteen brilliant scholars reflect on how their own lives influence, inform, and challenge their academic work - demonstrating how their own biographies intersect with history and have inspired their sociological imaginations. These powerful essays deserve a wide audience and will inspire new generations of scholars to follow their example and explore personally meaningful topics in ways that enrich our collective scholarship and deepen our understanding of the social world." -- Mary Waters, John Loeb Professor of Sociology at Harvard University, and co-author of Inheriting the City "In this landmark collection, Min Zhou brings together thirteen sociologists of Chinese immigrant or Chinesedescent backgrounds to illuminate the diverse experiences of the Chinese diaspora in the United States. Blending sociological theory, varied research methods, and personal reflection, the contributors offer an insider-informed portrait of migration, career mobility, identity, community formation, and transnational belonging. A pioneering contribution to diasporic and migration studies, the volume's coethnic authorship weaves memoir, scholarship, and lived experience into a multidimensional account of Chinese American life - essential reading for understanding the complexities of diaspora, race, and identity in contemporary America." -- Pyong Gap Min, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, and author of Trials, Triumphs, and Activist Research "This groundbreaking book is filled with stories - touching, insightful, and inspiring - about life, career, and community. It masterfully showcases over a dozen exemplar academic journeys through unique biographic lenses and illuminating reflexivity.

It also documents a critically important dimension of the cross-disciplinary scholarship from pluralistic perspectives." -- Honggang Yang, Professor and Dean Emeritus, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Nova Southeastern University (NSU), and co-editor of The Rise of Chinese American Leaders in U.S. Higher Education.