Reviews (10)

It moved me...
I am 1/2 Japanese, 1/4 Scottish and 1/4 American.This book made me cry.It's wonderful.

Great Book!!!!!
I bought this book for my 6yr old Baby Boo Hapa baby so he will find strength in reading all the "accounts" of other Hapa's!!! Many thanks to the author for providing this great tool!!!

So Great!!!!
This book is great for all of the Hapa's of the world.The photos are real people, no airbrushing, no runway models.They are beautiful people of mixed race.My daughter is a Hapa so I wanted her to grow up with the book in the house so she can be proud of her mix. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Ethnic Sociology    3. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    4. General    5. Individual Photographer    6. Miscellanea    7. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    8. New Age / Parapsychology    9. Portraits    10. Portraiture    11. Race identity    12. Racially mixed people    13. Social Science    14. Sociology    15. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    16. United States    17. Photographs: portraits    18. Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Asian American Studies   

Reviews (15)

Elegant as silk, sharp as a scalpel
Kenji Yoshino's book manages a difficult feat: it is simultaneously elegant and hard-hitting. Yoshino, a professor at Yale Law School, blends memoir and legal history as he charts the changing attitude of American society toward homosexuality. Formerly, gays were treated as if they had a deadly disease--if they were not willing to change, forcible means such as lobotomy and electroshock therapy were at hand to "convert" them. Next, they were left alone as long as they were willing to hide their sexuality. The riots of Stonewall and the AIDS plague were watersheds in changing this attitude, as gay men and women demanded to be recognized as such AND treated as human beings.
Insightful and much needed
Yoshino is one of the brightest stars in civil rights discussion. I found his book insightful and even necessary for any real progress to be made for civil rights for all people.

What a career!
I found the personal coming out to his parents story very moving; it brought tears to my eyes.I also loved the epilogue and the story of the blue star.But, in between, what a lot of navel-gazing and counting of angels on the head of a pin.I'm a lawyer, but I admit I got lost in all the differentiations and attempts to focus the covering/reverse-covering analysis on each type of discrimination.Then, halfway-through, I learn he was only in law school in the 1990s.I've been practicing longer than that and he's the Harvard professor!(I realize that's a comment on me.)This guy has really carved out a self-referential niche for himself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asians In The U.S.    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    7. Gay lawyers    8. Gay rights    9. General    10. Japanese American lawyers    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Political    14. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    15. Practice Of Law    16. United States    17. Current Events / General   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. California    6. Emigration & Immigration    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    9. Filipino American families    10. Filipino Americans    11. Intergenerational relations    12. Personal Memoirs    13. San Francisco   

Reviews (6)

Very helpful but some things have changed...
Having just taught in two major Chinese universities, I found this book very helpful. But based on my conversations with numbers of students (at undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate level), in today's competitive China some things appear to have changed. E.g. granted the diversity of a vast country like China, in those cities that have been more impacted by Western consumer culture there is much more individualism especially among youth. At the more prestiguous universities intense competition means that fewer students are as willing to assist their colleagues as their more traditional counerparts might have once been. Highly recommended (even for tourists) but do be aware of the increasing impact of Western culture.

Encountering the Chinese : A guide for Americans
I found this book interesting however, if you plan to just visit China and not live there it is probably not that helpful. If you are an American and do plan to live there for some period of time it would probably be quite helpful.

This book is worth the encounter
This book is primarily directed at Americans involved with China but much of what it refers to is also valid for other English speaking westerners. In fact, it is the best book I have read in terms of explaining Chinese culture as x, y, z. It is said that everything you hear about China is true, but not necessarily where you are. This book includes valuable information that is true in most locations in China, not only the coastal cities, nor just Beijing, nor only in academic circles. The book is broken into two sections. The first half of the book contains general culture information about Chinese people which should be applicable to Chinese in general, no matter where they live in the world. The second half contains information specific to Mainland China and situations you may find yourself in there.
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Subjects:  1. 1976-    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. China    4. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    5. National characteristics, Chin    6. National characteristics, Chinese    7. Social Science    8. Social life and customs    9. Sociology    10. Cultural studies    11. Living & working abroad    12. USA   

Reviews (5)

inspiring and insightful
It took me months to track down a copy of Connie's book, but it was well worth it. Growing up as a second generation Korean American interested in becoming a journalist, I knew of very few Korean and Asian American journalists, especially women. I found Kang's memoir inspiring, detailed and well written. I read the book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. There were so many moments in the story that I felt like she was talking directly to me. Even if you're not Asian American, the story is universal and explores the questions of identity, understanding, and growing up.

A very well written journey
This is basically an autobiography of Connie's life.Very well written and insightful at times.She can look at Korean culture from both within and without.Overall, I'd recommend it.

dry
It was difficult to finish reading this book. It's very boring, mainly because the writer seems so reluctant to reveal herself and her feelings.For example, she falls madly in love with her husband and suddenly they aredivorced. Why she would write a memoir is hard to figure out. Since she isinterested in a particular period of Korean history, she should havewritten a journalistic history book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Ethnic Cultures - General    5. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    6. General   

Reviews (2)

An Interesting Look At Japanese Culture
Since I am going to Japan this summer, I have taken many interests to different books about the country. This one in particular was a wonderful read because it wasn't just "Hey, this is how it works in Japan." It was more of a comparrison to the Japanese lifestyle to the American lifestyle. It also has feelings and oppinions from each culture. Like someone from Japan would state that Americans talk too much but then you would have someone from America say that the Japanese listen too much. I have already recommended this book to others I work with!
I work at a Japanese Company and recently participated in across-cultural learning class.This book was provided as apre-requisite to the class.I was able to get more out of this book than any other book on this subject that I had previously read. The book explains how children are raised in the Japanese Environment, their belief/value system, and how that translates into their eventual adult/working life environment.I have recommended this book to both people inside my company and Companies I deal with on a daily basis. It has taken some of the "mystery" out of the Japanese Culture for me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Japan    2. Civilization    3. Customs & Traditions    4. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    5. Japan    6. National characteristics, Japa    7. Social Science    8. Sociology   

Reviews (18)

A family on two soils.
In this fascinating tale, Denise Chong deftly writes the story of her migrant Chinese family on two soils - Canadian soil, and Chinese soil. Her grandmother ("concubine" May-ying) moves to Canada following Chan Sam, her assigned husband. Times prove not to be so easy for the Chinese in "Gold Mountain". Their isolation and institutionalized exclusion from mainstream Canadian society stifled any progress. May-ying moves almost constantly from Nanaimo to Vancouver (the two Chinatowns) waitressing to support her husband, Hing (the third daughter and author's mother), and also the family left in China. Following relations in this book is key to understanding how the story unfolds.
A history of a polygamous family
For those of you who think polygamy works when it is culturally supported, this is the book that will give you a new viewpoint to consider.
A Captivating Read
I may be a white, teenaged, american male, but I still can appreciate the value and hard work that went into this book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Canada - General    5. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    6. Historical - General    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    9. Biography: general   

Reviews (24)

Interesting at times, but often contradictory
I know that this was a memoir, but at one chapter, the title is definately misleading, and many of the goals and events received highly biased coverage.
Beyond black and white
This book is a great introduction or supplement to the study of Asian-American culture, and an significant edition.While it does not give an overall comprehensive history of Asian-Americans (such as Ronald Takaki's "Strangers on a Different Shore"), its strength lies in just that.Zia choses to focus on more recent events to demonstrate her points.In the latter sections, Zia devotes whole chapters to significant moments in the recent history of Asian-Americans in the US - such as the LA riots, Japanese interment camps, issues of homosexuality amonst Asian-Americans etc.It is in these chapters that one can relate and realize that the race issues in America are not just black and white.One also realizes how important it is to bring these things issues to light, because as the "model minority" both the overground culture as well as Asian-Americans themselves have quieted and muted their struggles.
Opinion from a 1.5 Filipino Librarian
Asian American Dreams has revealed the issues and circumstances of the Asian American that are shaping the society of the United States. Award winning journalist,Helen Zia records and documents the events that were milestones of Asian Amerian history. One may ask well why? But did you know about the Vincent Chin story? He was a man killed in because he looked Japanese. His killers were slapped on the wrist by a judge whoruled that they pay a fine and serve probation. Chin's mother issued the statement that the life of her son, a human being, was reduced to the value of a used car. Or, did you ever hear the story of Filipino workes in the Alaskan canneries who lived and worked in plantation like conditions? What about the perspective ofKorean grocers who bore the brunt of Black rage during the riots? This book is enlightening, eye opening, motivating, and inspiring. The book is well crafted. Zia connects the story to her readers. I will admit that I had been emotionally moved several times byreading this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asian Americans    3. Cultural assimilation    4. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    5. Ethnic identity    6. History    7. History: World    8. Minority Studies - Ethnic American    9. Social conditions    10. Sociology    11. Zia, Helen    12. Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Asian American Studies   

Reviews (1)

A must-read Asian American Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, Immigrant Studies Text
Yen Le Espiritu, in her book, Home Bound:Filipino American Lives Across Cultures, Communities, and Countries, "contends that Filipino American racial formation is determined not only by the social, economic, and political forces in the United States but also by U.S. (neo)colonialism in the Philippines and capital investment in Asia" (1).Moreover, not content with the narrow, one-sided focus that Filipinos are transformed through the experience of colonialism and migration, Espiritu highlights how Filipinos "in turn transform and remake the social world around them" (2).Home Bound is most specifically an ethnographic study of Filipino Americans in and around San Diego, CA, that is grounded nicely by Espiritu through U.S. immigration laws, U.S. imperialism and colonialism, and intersectional analyses.Espiritu presents the experiences of Filipino Americans in order to educate us about this often overlooked population through their own voices.
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Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Ethnic Issues    3. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. Ethnic identity    6. Family    7. Filipino Americans    8. Social Science    9. Social conditions    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - Marriage & Family    12. United States    13. American studies    14. Ethnic studies    15. Philippines    16. Social Science / Ethnic Studies    17. USA   

Reviews (15)

Excellent, gripping and human
I read Loung's first book and liked it, but something about it subtly bothered me. Reading this book, I realized that it was the anger that underlay the whole thing. She's certainly more than entitled to the anger, but it doesn't always make for the best writing or reading.
The tale of two sisters, worlds apart
Loung Ung's fascinating second book, Lucky Child, picks up the story that began with her first memoir, First They Killed My Father, and with both books I found it impossible to put them down once I'd begun reading. Lucky Child contrasts life for Loung as a refugee in America, with her sister Chou's life in rural Cambodia, and it's a revealing and moving comparison. Loung, with lasting feelings of guilt for those she'd left behind, found it difficult to fit in, whilst Chou, resigned to her fate, displayed the resilience and inner strength that is apparent in so many of her fellow countrymen and women.
A must read!
It's hard and saddening to know that while I was living a life of ease, Loung and her family were struggling to survive the war in Cambodia, as well as life in the U.S.
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Subjects:  1. Asians In The U.S.    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Cambodian Americans    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    9. Family    10. General    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Refugees    13. Sisters    14. Ung, Chou    15. United States    16. Women    17. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (12)

Superlative Overview and Introductory Book
My only claim to understanding Asian-American racism in the US is being a victim of it.I am no scholastic expert in the field, not even a closet scholar.My father immigrated from Taiwan.My mother suffered the indignity of the internment camps during WWII.But I didn't learn about my ethnicity, or racism, from them.Born in the US, I learned as many of my generation did- through experience.So from this perspective, Professor Wu has done a magnificent job of accomplishing two great tasks in a single, readable book: he has outlined a superb historical account of Asian-Americans in America with respect to racism, and effectively defined and explained the complex manifestation and quandaries of racial issues for Asian-Americans.
A Good Book, Even if It Doesn't Say Much That's New
I admit a love-hate relationship with books about Asian-American issues.Too often, they recycle the same points - the Yellow Peril, the Japanese-American internment, the Vincent Chin murder, the "model minority" myth, the L.A. riots - and, too often, they offer much discussion but little solution.Let's face it:we live in a nation founded by displaced Europeans and driven primarily by greed and marketplace.It's unlikely that anyone who doesn't fit easily into the mainstream can or will succeed fully, no matter having a claim to moral high ground.
A Monumental Tour de Force
This is an incredible eye-opener on the civil rights movement as it pertains to Asian Americans.Professor Wu covers the breadth of the Asian American movement, highlighting the immigration patterns of our forefathers from the Asian continent.He also delves into the civil rights issuesof not only the past, but the modern era as wel--such as affirmative action and the perpetual foreigner syndrome afflicting those of Asian descent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asian Americans    2. Asians In The U.S.    3. Civil rights    4. Discrimination & Racism    5. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    6. Ethnic Studies - General    7. Minority Studies - Ethnic American    8. Minority Studies - Race Relations    9. Race And Ethnic Relations    10. Race identity    11. Social Science    12. Social conditions    13. Sociology    14. Multicultural studies    15. USA   

Reviews (1)

An elegantly written text
This second edition of Fox's book is even better than the first.Fox is a master storyteller and has a keen understanding of his readership: undergraduate students of Spanish.I highly recommend this text for courses on Latin American history and culture.The book is rigorously researched, up-to-date, and fun to read.The exercises following each chapter's text help students reinforce basic understanding and can stimulate class discussion.I have found this text to be superior to many others that are available.Professor Fox's ability to synthesize major cultural trends and "forces of history" without being superficial is quite admirable.He is surprisingly insightful and demonstrates a breadth of knowledge that is highly unusual today.A great book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Latin America    5. Latin America - South America    6. Social Science    7. Spanish    8. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    9. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    10. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (1)

Dr Karl Combats Many Household Myths in This Hilarious Read!
Old wives tales and many myths that have been retold so much that many came to believe them as fact are put to rest by Dr Karl.Learn that the toilet seat is actually cleaner than the average work desk.Goldfish actually have a good memory, that fans don't really cool a room, that Mt Everest is only the fourth highest mountain in the world and that Mt Chimborazo actually points further away from the core of the planet and further into space.These and many other fascinating facts are told with Dr Karl's unique brand of humour thrown in.
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Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    4. Mythology    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Gift books    8. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    9. Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Asian American Studies   

Reviews (1)

A great story...
I wouldn't have thought there was much new to say about the Japanese-American experience in WWII -- the internment at home, ad in particular incredible heroism of the soldiers in the famous "Go For Broke" 442d Regimental Combat Team and the "Lost Batallion". But Asahina fills out the story with interviews, maps, and pictures that brought it to life for me and made it relevant to modern issues about "racial profiling." I'm not of Japanese-American ancestry but I found this a terrific read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Campaigns    3. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. Japanese American soldiers    7. Japanese Americans    8. Military    9. Military - World War II    10. Military Combat Units    11. United States - 20th Century/WWII    12. Western Front    13. World War II    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. History / Military / World War II   

Reviews (13)

Ficitonal Education
I feel that Kingston's story was very imformative about the chinese culture and their way of living. Probably not in todays age, but in its history. I really enjoy reading books with ficitonal education, which is exactly what this book is. Kingston mainly focuses on the issue of how women are treated in China and by Chinese-Americans. Kingston mentions the orgins of the tale Fa-Mulan (whom every disney fan is aware of)and how she became a "woman warrior". Fa-Mulan represents who Kingston wishes she could be and eventually does become in her own way, as a woman warrior in a world where Kingston is split between China and America. The main character is conflicted with what she has learned in America compared to her mothers "talk-stories" about China. The main character and her mother also have a very conflicted relationship that twists and turns as the story progresses. The reader learns throughout the story about the relationship between men and women in China and how men are surperior, yet in America, it seemed to men that the Chinese women became surperior in secret. This story is very ironic and informative, with a great theme. Kingston really does a great job in helping America understand the complications women have had and overcame during the cource of history.

It Helped Me Understand My Own Heritage
I have a different perspective from many readers who view this book primarily as a work of Women's Literature.As a half-asian male with a emigree mother, I read this book many years ago, in those formless, questioning years of the late 'teens.Even though I could not directly associate with many of the stories that Ms. Kingston wrote, I could associate with some of them, and I could also begin to enunciate my own observations and questions about a my mother's life and culture - a culture and life that I couldn't truly know, yet had much to do with who I was, and am.It gave me a perspective beyond that of a selfish, self-oriented teenager, and helped me better understand things (or at least try to see things) from my mother's point of view.It helped me see my own culture as a blend of the alien and familiar.Truly do I believe this book is one of the most important ones in my own life, as it helped create answers to deep, personal questions - some of which I never knew existed, until I read this book.

Amazon can't get it right
I guess the book might be good if only Amazon could have sent me the correct edition that they have listed.Amazon tried twice to send me what I ordered, got it wrong twice, and then Amazon gave up.Any correspondence with Amazon to resolve the matter has been met with insipid computerized responses.The 1 star rating is for Amazon. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    3. Literature: Classics    4. Women    5. History   

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Eastern - General    3. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    4. Fate and fatalism    5. General    6. Philosophy    7. Philosophy, Chinese    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. China    11. Oriental & Indian philosophy   

Editorial Review

A great memoirist can burnish even an ordinary childhood into something bright--see, for instance, Annie Dillard's Read more

Reviews (102)

A far-above-average mix of memoir and travel narrative...
A great book in many ways - Andrew Pham succeeds in creating a seemingly straightforward memoir that is actually several subtle things skillfully weaved together:a travel narrative, a fight for personal independence, an investigation of one's ethnic roots (which partially arises from a great deal of meditation over one's own family history).Pham shifts between these eclectic elements with great skill, creating what is both a great Vietnamese story and a very classic sort of American one.
Excellent look at Vietnam
I thought this book was, for the most part, extremely well-written. There were some clunky phrases here and there, but most of the writing was vivid and a lot of difficult things expressed quite well. The honesty of much of this book was astounding.
Catfish and Mandala
Awesome book, it reflect every Vietnamese American experience, there was alot of emotion going through me as I read this book.I finish it in less than a week, I could'nt put it down. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1967-    2. 20th Century Description And Travel    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Ethnic Cultures - General    6. General    7. History    8. History: American    9. Military - Vietnam War    10. Minority Studies - General    11. Pham, Andrew X.,    12. Travel    13. Vietnamese Americans    14. Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Asian American Studies   

Reviews (7)

Brings back old memories
Although I have never met the author, I did know her brother Yonichi. I also know his 4 daughters.This book brought back memories of my time in the relocation camp in Minidoka, ID.

Wow! What a story, what a book!
For sixty years, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald chose not to talk about her experiences in the Japanese-American internment camps during the Second World War. Forced into those camps as a confused, na?ve seventeen-year-old, she was unable to comprehend her situation, and until the early twenty-first century was not prepared to explore this region of her personal - and her country's - history. When in her seventies, her children grown, her parents and brother gone, she finally admitted to herself the importance of stepping beyond "the self-imposed barbed-wire fences" (p. x) and telling her story.
Looking Like the Enemy:My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese American Internment Camps
I sometimes have a difficult time getting past the first few pages of a new book but this story captured me from the start.This book gave a personal insight to the hardships and fears the Matsuda family and other families endured before and during the internment.I highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1925-    2. Asians In The U.S.    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Evacuation and relocation, 194    7. Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945    8. General    9. Gruenewald, Mary Matsuda,    10. History - General History    11. History - U.S.    12. Japanese Americans    13. Military - World War II    14. Personal Memoirs    15. United States - 20th Century    16. World War II   

Reviews (8)

An Underworld Education