Countless Chinese American migrant workers participated in the construction of the rail project, mostly around the Sierra Nevada, in conditions that proved treacherous and fatal for many.

[5] Instead, feeling a pressing need to address the gaps in the railroad's history, Rekdal endeavored to write a hybrid work of poems and essays that would become West: A Translation.

"[8] In the Georgia Review, Rekdal stated:"Interestingly, the environment and Chinese railroad workers share something in common when it comes to the history of the Transcontinental: the lack of a voice.

"[7] International Examiner stated that "The first half of West: A Translation is fascinating in showing the power of poetry and archival work as well as Rekdal's prowess as a poet ...

"[14] Good River Review wrote, of the book, that "Astonishing in scope and intelligence, its ambitions are as vast as the nineteenth-century frontier and the dreams for American empire.