A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America

The groundbreaking multicultural history of America, adapted for younger readers, now in a revised and updated edition with 100 pages of new material.

"An excellent way to include multi-ethnic materials in the classroom as a way to ensure that your students see their unique identities reflected in their coursework." --Skipping Stones

In Ronald Takaki's multicultural masterwork, the story of America includes the Native, African, Irish, Jewish, Asian, and Latine people--and many more--who made America their home, and who often fought for rights now enjoyed by all. A Different Mirror for Young People is widely hailed as the most important resource to "teach [Americans] to value the nation's inescapable diversity" (New York Times Book Review) and has been adopted into middle and high school curricula around the country.

With a new chapter and revisions throughout, University of Illinois professor A. Naomi Paik brings this "brilliant revisionist history" (Publishers Weekly) into the 21st century. The new material examines growing inequality in the U.S., the intensifying War on Terror that further targets and marginalizes immigrants, and, in the uplifting spirit of the original book, the emergence of social movements including land and water protections and migrant justice movements.

Drawing on Takaki's vast array of primary sources, and staying true to his own words whenever possible, A Different Mirror for Young People brings ethnic history alive through the words of people, including teenagers, who recorded their experiences in letters, diaries, and poems. Like Howard Zinn's A People's History, another title in the For Young People series, Takaki's A Different Mirror offers a rich and rewarding "people's view" perspective on the American story.

"The 'mirror' that Ronald Takaki holds up to the United States reflects a multicultural history of oppression and exploitation, but also struggle, solidarity, and community. In the most profound sense, this is a people's history of our country. Takaki shows what has torn us apart, yet what knits us together." --Bill Bigelow, curriculum editor, Rethinking Schools, and co-director, Zinn Education Project

Author: Ronald Takaki
Publisher: Triangle Square
Published: 06/30/2026
Pages: 512
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.18lbs
Size: 7.96h x 5.48w x 1.64d
ISBN: 9781644215968
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 05/01/2026 pg. 95

About the Author
RONALD TAKAKI (1939-2009) is recognized as one of the foremost historians of American ethnic and race studies. Born in Hawai'i to a Japanese father and a Japanese American mother, he taught UCLA's first Black History course before joining UC Berkeley's Department of Ethnic Studies in 1972. Takaki was a vocal proponent of multicultural education, regularly appearing on programs such as NBC's Today and PBS's Newshour. He is the author of many acclaimed books, including the award-winning Strangers from a Distant Shore: A History of Asian Americans and A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America.

REBECCA STEFOFF is the author of more than 100 nonfiction books for children and young adults, and she has adapted several best-selling history books for younger readers, including Howard Zinn's A Young People's History of the United States published by Seven Stories Press.

A. NAOMI PAIK is an associate professor of Criminology, Law, & Justice and Global Asian Studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Her book Rightlessness: Testimony and Redress in U.S. Prison Camps since World War II won the AAAS Best Book in History and was a runner-up for the John Hope Franklin prize for best book in American Studies.