Apologies are powerful, symbolic, healing acts that normalize social relations. They strengthen those who apologize. Fate condemns those who refuse to apologize, out of ignorance or hubris, to an endless cycle of accusation and recrimination. The five apologies discussed in this book are for Japanese internment and relocation of the Aleuts, slavery, the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom, treatment of Native Americans, and Chinese exclusion. These apologies generated public debate about national histories and reconciliation. This book contains fascinating information about the hidden history...