Author Annelise Heinz visits the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program at the College of Charleston to discuss her book Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture.

In the book, Heinz explores the American history of the Chinese parlor game mahjong in the first half of the twentieth century. The book follows the history of one game to think about how, in their daily lives, individuals create and experience cultural change. Understanding the complex history of mahjong provides crucial insights into the formation of American ethnic identities, the role of women in transnational consumerism, and the significance of leisure as a source of cultural meaning and identity. ​It won the Pacific Coast Branch Book Award for best first book in any historical subject and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Nonfiction. Heinz's work has been featured by National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, South China Morning Post, Time.com, and National Geographic among others. She has also published articles about gender, ethnicity, and leisure in The American Historical Review and Frontiers.