Product Description
Includes: Day Standing on its Head (Philp Kan Gotanda) * Tokyo Bound (Amy Hill) * Hiro (Denise Uyehara) * S.A.M. I Am (Dwight Omata) * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great plays marred by bad editing
This anthology is a well-selected one.It has a wide range of plays of different styles, from romantic comedy to absurdist family drama to post-modern weirdness.In response to the reviewer (and many other critics) who say that this is not a distinctly Asian collection of plays, I say, that's mostly the point: what really separates an Asian-American playwright and a white playwright?Or the Asian-American experience against the Caucasian experience?Just what you see.

This anthology is proof positive that the Asian-American can and does do as much and as well as any other race.We are, in the end, all people experiencing the world through our own respective eyes.Maybe it just happens that a lot of people experience similar things.

The big problem, at least with the edition I read, is that there are numerous typographical errors.Sometimes a line is attributed to a character who shouldn't be in the scene.Some are misspelled (among the most egregiously, the name of Dwight Omata in the table of contents) and can be distracting to reading and, therefore, understanding the play.It is the only gripe that makes this product less than a perfect 5-star.

Nothing really distinctively Asian here.
I could care less for any of these plays.The authors seem to try and create a new brand of Asian literature.With the plays that I've read here, I hope that won't happen.Some of them are badly written and the characters aren't all too complex.But, this book shouldn't be called "Asian American Drama."Because there isn't anything Asian about it, except that the plays were written by Asians.Aside note:David Henry Hwang writes, "Frank Chin's play The Chicken Coop Chinaman was criticized for reinforcing stereotypes of broken-English-speaking Chinatown tour guides."If you read Chickencoop Chinaman, there is no Chinatown tour guide!Anyway, If you want something distinctively Asian, you have to narrow it down somewhere.You can't make up something culturally phony like some of these authors.

Fantastic, every play worth reading and producing
I am an actor, and I found this collection, just outstanding!Every play is excellent and readable even on the page.Several plays by women as well. Read and Enjoy.Then go out and put it together and act, produce anddirect it! I will ... Read more

Product Description
"What Jeung has told us is a story very much in progress of unfolding.It gives us a window into salient features of American religion, a window into which it will be worth looking again as time goes on."—From the foreword by Robert N. Bellah, Elliott Professor of Sociology Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and winner of a National Humanities Medal in 2000

"A rich and insightful study, Faithful Generations brings much needed perspective to current discussions of pan-Asian American identity. This book will be important reading for scholars of religion, ethnicity, and the Asian American experience."—Nazli Kibria, Department of Sociology, Boston University

"An indispensable resource for the understanding of Asian American churches and their status in society today."—Fumitaka Matsuoka, professor of theology and executive director, PANA Institute, Pacific School of Religion

Religion—both personal faith and institutional tradition—plays a central role in the lives of the 12.5 million Asians in the United States. It provides comfort and meaning, shapes ethical and political beliefs, and influences culture and arts. Faithful Generations details the significance of religion in the construction of Asian American identity. As an institutional base for the movement toward Asian American panethnicity, churches provide a space for theological and political reflection and ethnic reinvention.

With rich description and insightful interviews, Russell Jeung uncovers why and how Chinese and Japanese American Christians are building new, pan-Asian organizations. Detailed surveys of over fifty Chinese and Japanese American congregations in the San Francisco Bay area show how symbolic racial identities structure Asian American congregational life and ministries. The book concludes with a look at Asian American–led multiethnic churches.

This engaging study of the shifting relationship between religion and ethnicity is an ideal text for classes in ethnicity, religion, and Asian American studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

forward the panAsians!
The book relates how the body of Christ is now manefesting itself with Asian- Americans as Asian. As a white who was over the last several decades trained to be sensistive to the different types of Asian heritages, this new panAsian church is something strange to me. The book is extremely useful in detailing new trends ... Read more

Product Description
Asian-American women writers of all ages explore a complex range of identities through poetry, fiction, essays, and memoirs, most of which have never been published. The contributors take on littleexplored topics and expand the limits of ethnic-based identity, resisting stereotypes and breaking silences. Candid and memorable, their essays, stories, and poetry change popular assumptions and engage readers.Amazon.com Review
Hailing by lineage or immigration from Asian posts such as Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea, Vietnam, and India, the contributors to Making More Waves are as well known as Lisa See (On Gold Mountain) and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (The Mistress of Spices ), and as new to print as 16-year-old poet Juno Parrenas. The story "Summer of My Korean Soldier" and the essay "Hambun-Hambun"neatly mirror one another, and illustrate an experience shared by all of these writers: the sense of being an outsider. In polished or jagged prose, the authors recount their lives and dig into feminist issues such as violence against women in war and peacetime, sexuality, and the nexus of race, class, and gender. They deftly explore how being Asian in America shapes such concerns and casts up others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Read!!!
I bought a copy of "Making Waves" by the same authors. It was a powerful book, to say the least. I really admired the honesty by all of the Asian American ladies that contributed to the book.
This book, which is the follow-up, is also a powerful book, too. You see, even though I'm a Caucasian male, I'm a Christian and an ordained minister. Most of the ministry and worship I do is with Asian Americans(most of the are college age and young adult). Since I didn't grow up Asian, this book and its predecessor were a valuable resource to me.
After seeing this book, I'm more sympathetic to the struggles that Asian Americans go through, and especially the females. Too often Hollywood and the Far Eastern Movie companies have portrayed Asian Females as the sultry and sexy "Gesha Girl" stereotype. This book lets the ladies speak and takes the reader into their hearts and minds. It lets the reader know what they've actually been through, what they struggle with(and still do), and what they do to surivive. I'm glad they've shared what they did. I think it's long overdue that their voices were heard.
I would reccommend this book to anyone doing ministry to Asian American females as I do or to any male dating or married to an Asian American female. Praise God for Elaine Kim and the Asian Women United!

~*~ a thick chunk of asian heritage ~*~
i suppose you expect a formal review of some sort, but i'm just writing something freshly thought out:

i LOVE this book! it's pretty rare to discover asian american works of writing published in today's world. Itiincludes stories, essays, poems, photography, and pictures of artwork doneas well.

Anyone who is interested in heritage, asian americanliterature, or just would like a good collection of writing to read, ihighly reccomend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book assists health care providers, researchers, educators, students, and policy makers who work with and for Asian American populations, meet the increased demand for culturally competent health care and education. Chapters of this book focus on issues, needs, and assets of underserved, under-researched Asian American populations. Authors critically analyze interplay of culture, immigration, and social and political contexts in relation to the vulnerability of Asian American populations. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

opening a window to teh struggle for east asian American rights
Charlotte Brooks, a fellow member of the History Department of Baruch College/CUNY, has given us a very important and very well written book. It has, as its center the development of the Chinese/Chinese American immigrant community in San Francisco and the Japanese/Japanese American community in LA. It traces the evolution of these communities over the course of the late 19th and the twentieth centuries. While an academic book, it is jargon-free and very accessible. The author shows us how much she has done and how much she knows without getting her ego or her personal poltics get in the way. The story she tells is a sober one of deep discrimnation and suprising alliances in the development of the patterns ofdiscrimination housing in California. Yet it is also the story of hope and change. We see how Asian Americans win a place for themselves, bit by painful bit, in this pivotal state that faces the Pacific and East Asia.

One comes away knowing much more and thanking the author for her gift of knowledge and her ability to tell us this story in afashion that is dramatic and yet not histrionic.

All those interested in American history and in Asian American studies and in the history of US urban development should read this fine and timely book. ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the literary works ofChinese-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Filipino-Americans, andKorean-Americans, this book focuses on the self-images and socialcontexts of the nineteenth-century immigrants, their descendants, andthe Americanized writers of today.

Although the book examines the novels, autobiographies, poems, andplays themselves, the social history of Asians in American is asignificant backdrop—as Maxine Hong Kingston herself argues itshould be. These racially distinctive Americans have confronted intheir lives and writings American stereotypes of the "Oriental,"racial discrimination, and the cultural gulf between East and West.

After a chapter on Fu Manchu, Charlie Chan, and other Anglo-Americancaricatures of Asians, the author turns to a discussion of the firstimmigrant writers, many of whom were educated aristocrats playing therole of cultural ambassadors, and then to the less privileged, moresocially critical generations of writers who followed.

From works like Flower Drum Song, Eat a Bowl of Tea, The WomanWarrior, China Men, and a host of lesser-known writings, the authorshows how portrayals of Chinatown, the Japanese-American family, andthe roles of all the Asian-American women and men havechanged. Drawing on her personal interviews with Asian-Americanwriters, Kim also conveys their attitudes towards their own group,other Asian-Americans, other racial minorities, and whiteAmericans—a complex mix of bitterness, acceptance, and militance. ... Read more

Product Description
This book describes the historical and legal experiences of Americans of Asian ancestry who began to come to the United States in the mid-19th century. Like all immigrants in America, they arrived with hopes of making a better life and home in a free country. Instead, Asian-Americans have been mistreated and discriminated against by their fellow Americans--even by Congress and the Supreme Court, which should have made and judged laws without prejudice. This study examines the way immigration and naturalization laws were unfairly administered against Asian immigrants and throws light on a less than admirable period of American legal history. It will be of great interest to scholars in Asian American studies, legal history, and American history. ... Read more

Product Description
Master storyteller Laurence Yep has collected 25 short stories, poems, and excerpts from plays about the crises and questions faced by Asian American teenagers. The contributors include such published authors as Maxine Hong Kingston, Darrell Lum, and Bill Wu, as well as brand-new writers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

WEAVING A TAPESTRY OF THE AMERICAN HOPESCAPE
This anthology features 25 Asian-American voices (writers of short stories, poetry and drama) which editor Lawrence Yep has carefully chosen as representative of the Asian American experience.The authors reflect a variety of backgrounds: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai, yet they share basic commonalities of the immigrant experience. Yep'sintroduction explains why he refers to these Voices as Dragons; he also includes brief explanatory paragraphs among various sections of the book.Primarily it offers points of view from teenagers or young people who are struggling to define their roles in this new world of America, while retaining their cultural heritage.

Most of the protagonists are torn between the desire for acceptance in the broad spectrum of American pop culture, while trying not to betray the dreams and memories of their odler generations. The cover on the paperback edition wordlessly portrays the Chinese rice bowl (symbolic of food) and the Japanese art of orgami (creativity), both depicted against a stark landscape. These "American Dragons" have caused it to bloom with fertility and beauty--thus deserving our literary respect;in fact, their experiences reflect and validate those of most immigrants to our seemingly affluent shores.

Advice from someone who knows what she's talking about!
Considering that there is such an enormous godless vacuum for Asian-American voices in ANY medium, and that most novels about 'Asians' are written by non-Asians, just being published earns 'American Dragons'three stars. Notice I gave it _only_ three stars?When I first sawthis book at the Berekeley public library I snatched it up quick thinking"Wow!A book of all Asian-Americans writing about beingAsian-American?This is sooo cool!" And was quickly disappointed. The writing was sub-par and a lot of the stories revealed internalizedanti-Asian sentiments and stereotypes.IF THESE AUTHORS WERE NOTASIAN-AMERICAN THEIR STORIES WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. That is notto say that the writing is 'terrible'.As a collection, I think it isWONDERFUL that such a wide array of Asian-American viewpoints andexperiences have the opportunity to be shared with such a wide audience.Iencourage all Asian-Americans to speak of their experiences and in thatrespect, this book is a worthwhile endeavor.Also, the problems Ihave with 'American Dragons' are the same problems I have with many otherAsian-American writings which share the same shortcomings (namely politicalcorrectness, low writing quality, extremely soft and non-informed stanceson society and race, exotification of self, internalized racism, and asomewhat cliche title for starters).HOWEVER-- As far as being apolitical statement this is not something that I'd label a 'boat rocker'. Politically speaking, I would rate the authors/pieces as a 3 overall.On apolitical scale of 1-10, 1 being 'I shop at the Gap.I like MTV.If Ipretend like I don't see, maybe my problems will go away.'and 10 being'Arrgh!I am an enraged revolutionary!Down with the hegemony!'Considering the book is edited by Laurence Yep (I really enjoy his writing)and is something of a watershed for Asian-American youth literature, it isa let-down.The best adjective to describe 'American Dragons' as a wholeis 'lukewarm' (leaning towards cold).Another description is 'bland'.Athird is 'extra mild, hold the revolution' This book was obviously meantto be an inocuous bookshelf companion for teens.And there's nothingnecessarily wrong with that.But considering there are so few outlets andresources for Asian-American youth I would have hoped for something thatpacked more punch.My biggest gripe with this compilation is that itattempts to 'speak of the 'Asian-American' experience' so to speak.Butthe field of writers it draws upon is too narrow and it holds back,ultimately failing in its purpose. As far as I recall, there are noaccounts or viewpoints of 'urban life', teen violence, homosexuality,feminism, poverty, hate crimes, 'liberal' Asian parents (as opposed to thecliche traditional ones), non-conformists, or other realms that are veryrelevant to, but not often addressed by Asian-Americans. Racism,assimilation, identity-searching, and the ensuing _rage_ and confusion thatmany Asian-American teens feel but may be unable to verablize are notdiscussed at all in an emotionally honest, forthright dialogue.There areinnuendos and undercurrents but nothing you can sink your teeth into.Andin my humble opinion, very little that speaks of how Asian-American teenstoday must live and interact in a mulit-ethnic society and with mainstreampopular culture.Most of the pieces dealt with connecting with theauthor's 'Asian' heritage.Which is refreshing.It is impressive that theauthorscome from a wide variety of ethnic and national backgrounds.Thestories, likewise, encompass a wide variety of locales and moods.It wasworthwhile reading about different Asian-American perspectives.I actuallyenjoyed a few of the stories, and to be fair the writing quality and stylesvaried greatly.One of the stories, about a Vietnamese-American boy andhis night actually struck a chord with me (even though I'm not Vietnamese) The writing level overall is acceptable considering it is aimed at arelatively young audience. Although I am not thrilled with 'AmericanDragons', I *am* thrilled that a compilation such as this was evenattempted and I PRAY that many more will follow and improve.Hooray forthe authors, publishers, and supporters of this book.Even though I findmuch to criticize, it is because I expect so much from Asian-American'voices'.Many of the shortcomings I see could have been improved upon bythe addition of different authors.I would recommend this book toAsian-American youth.For anyone else, I would not discourage you frombuying 'American Dragons'.

It Lacking
This book lacks content, and is deprived of moral constituency ... Read more

Product Description
In an extraordinary blend of eloquent narrative history, vivid personal recollection, and oral testimony, Ronald Takaki relates the diverse 150-year history of Asian Americans. Through richly detailed vignettes--by turns bitter, funny, and inspiring--he offers a stunning panorama of a neglected part of Americanhistory. 16 pages of photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

The First Step to World Peace is Understanding Another's Culture
There is so much misunderstanding and miscommunication in this planet and home we call Earth.

Over the years, people of different ethnic groups started to drift apart and create their own unique and functional societies. As you've seen over the years, tensions from different ethnic groups have caused racism, suffering, death, and war.

I believe that, even though this was assigned to me in a class, everyone can still find something useful in this book. Many times, I would turn to another chapter that I was purely interested about, say for example the Koreans. I have no idea how they think or what happened in their history.

With that said, pick this book up because you might contribute to an eventual world peace and unity. Understanding another's culture and spreading that curiosity and knowledge is a small feat but makes a huge difference.

Great catch
I am very pleased with the book. It's an essential item to have in a library and the hardback cover makes it that much better. The low price is amazing and the book is in great condition. I hate it when my used books I buy are all marked up. Took a little while to deliver though, but worth it for the most part. Thank you!

a review from an asian
I purchased this book in order to save a couple dollars from buying the same book at my school's book store. Little did I know, I didn't need the book for class. But regardless, the book does have some interesting stories and information about Asian American history, and best of all, at least for my experience, it's a damn good paper weight. I'm satisfied with this book and I advise all people to purchase this book for its sheer paper weight qualities alone.

Scenes of Asian American History
"Strangers" is a comprehensive history of Asian American immigration into the US. This is history that one will not get from mainstream history classes.Dr. Takaki weaves his story with extensive research and eyewitness accounts.

For me, it brought home their struggles to come to America, to make a living and to be accepted as American.On a personal note, some of the types of incidents described in the book were experienced by my relatives and myself.

Dr. Takaki shows that the characteristics that establishedAmericans reviled in these "strangers" were a by-product of exclusionary policies.For example, exclusionary immigration policies constrained the population of eligible immigrant females forcing immigrant males to find company with white females. This led to interracial dating/marriage and raised the ire of white Americans.Laws against miscegenation, interracial marriage, followed.

It's not an easy read, but definitely worthy of your consideration.

Best Book I Have Ever Read
its about how Asians are still not welcomed here after a few centuries. People of all races should read this book. America targets Asians and finding ways to extort money from them, which is still happening today. ... Read more

Product Description
Recovered Legacies: Authority and Identity in Early Asian American Literature employs contemporary and traditional readings of representative works in prose, poetry, and drama to suggest new ways of understanding and appreciating the critically fertile but underexamined body of Asian American writing from the late 1800s to the early 1960s. The essays in this volume engage this corps—composed of multiple genres from different periods and by authors of different ethnicities—with a strong awareness of historical context and a keen sensitivity to literary form. As a collection, Recovered Legacies re-establishes the rich and diverse literary heritage of Asian America and argues persuasively for the significance of these works to the American literary canon. ... Read more

Product Description

This book examines U.S. multiculturalism from the perspective of Asian American writings, drawing contrasts between politically acquiescent multiculturalism and politically conscious multiculturalism. Chae discusses the works of writers who have highlighted a critical awareness of Asian Americans’ social and economic status and their position as 'unassimilable aliens', 'yellow perils', 'coolies', 'modern-day high tech coolies', or as a 'model minority', which were ideologically woven through the complex interactions of capital and labor in the U.S. cultural and labor history. Chae suggests that more productive means of analysis must be brought to the understanding of Asian American writings, many of which have been attempting to raise awareness of the politicizing effects of U.S. multiculturalism.

Product Description
A recent explosion of publishing activity by a wide range of talented writers has placed Asian American literature in the limelight. As the field of Asian American literary studies gains increasing recognition, however, questions of misreading and appropriation inevitably arise. How is the growing body of Asian American works to be read? What holds them together to constitute a tradition? What distinguishes this tradition from the "mainstream" canon and other "minority" literatures? In the first comprehensive book on Asian American literature since Elaine Kim's ground-breaking 1982 volume, Sau-ling Wong addresses these issues and explores their implications for the multiculturalist agenda.

Wong does so by establishing the "intertextuality" of Asian American literature through the study of four motifs--food and eating, the Doppelg,nger figure, mobility, and play--in their multiple sociohistorical contexts. Occurring across ethnic subgroup, gender, class, generational, and historical boundaries, these motifs resonate with each other in distinctly Asian American patterns that universalistic theories cannot uncover. Two rhetorical figures from Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior, "Necessity" and "Extravagance," further unify this original, wide-ranging investigation. Authors studied include Carlos Bulosan, Frank Chin, Ashley Sheun Dunn, David Henry Hwang, Lonny Kaneko, Maxine Hong Kingston, Joy Kogawa, David Wong Louie, Darrell Lum, Wing Tek Lum, Toshio Mori, Bharati Mukherjee, Fae Myenne Ng, Bienvenido Santos, Monica Sone, Amy Tan, Yoshiko Uchida, Shawn Wong, Hisaye Yamamoto, and Wakako Yamauchi. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Written with care, concern, wit, and respect for texts.
Everything Sauling Wong writes she writes with care, concern, wit, tact, and an immense respect for literary texts.This study is a classic by now, and the more "transnational" work beyond it can only renew itsrelevance and care. No diasporic opportunism would find a home here in suchclose and caring readings of the US Asia/Pacific texts of worldliness andquest. ... Read more

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Asian American men represent a complex group with distinct psychological and mental health concerns, yet the current counseling literature is lacking in resources for clinicians working with this population.  The purpose of this text is to provide practitioners with a comprehensive overview of the current research and theory related to the important and unique issues that Asian American men experience.  It offers clinicians culturally-responsive, practical counseling techniques and strategies to help inform them on how to work effectively with this group.  Chapters are written by leading figures in the field and explore such topics as intergenerational conflict, racism, challenges associated with masculinity and fatherhood, sexual orientation identity development, substance abuse, and career counseling.  Numerous clinical vignettes and case conceptualizations are included to assist clinicians who work with Asian American men and to demonstrate appropriate treatment responses.

Product Description
This powerful study reconceptualizes ideas of ethnic literature while investigating the construction of ethnic heroines, shifting the focus away from cultural politics and considering instead narrative or poetic qualities which involve surprising relationships between Anglo-American women's writing and fiction produced by Asian American and African American women authors. ... Read more

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Guiyou Huang traces the history of Asian American literature from the end of World War II to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Huang covers six genres: anthology, autobiography/memoir, drama, fiction, poetry, and short fiction; reviews major historical developments and social movements; explains key literary terms; and offers a narrative, A-to-Z guide of major Asian American writers and their works, plus their critical reception.This guide covers Canadian and U.S. authors with cultural and ethnic origins in East Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands. It begins with a discussion of works written shortly after World War II that explore the personal and political impact of the conflict, such as John Okada'sNo-No Boy and Hisaye Yamamoto's short fiction. Huang then focuses on the 1980s, when Asian American literature blossomed into a diverse, heterogeneous field characterized by a variety of themes, genres, and styles, and writers with multiple ethnic and cultural backgrounds.He considers the work of novelists Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston, the poets Ai and Agha Shahid Ali, and more than 100 additional authors, including Frank Chin, David Henry Hwang, Jessica Hagedorn, Nora Okja Keller, Bharati Mukherjee, Gish Jen, Chang-rae Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chitra Divakaruni, and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha.Huang points the reader toward further study for individual authors, and his selected bibliography suggests works of a more general nature, including literary criticism and histories, reference works, and collections of essays. Comprehensive though concise, clearly written but richly detailed,The Columbia Guide to Asian American Literature Since 1945 is an invaluable resource. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

More than "Stangers from a Different Shore"
Chan wrote an introduction to the history of Asians in the United States from the 1840s to the present. Chan begins her book by positing that Asian Americans have been looked at traditionally from four perspectives: 1) as deviant or deficient, 2) in a celebratory and in terms of their cultural contributions, 3) as victims, and 4) as agents of history (Chan, Asian Americans xiii). Using existing scholarship, Chan represents Asian-Americans not simply as victims of racial discrimination, but rather as agents of change trying to, "...make choices that shape their lives, even when these may be severely limited by conditions beyond their control (Chan, Asian Americans xiii). One of the major arguments Chan makes in Asian Americans is that they have been treated as a collective entity because, "for the most part, the host society has treated them as alike" (Chan, Asian Americans xiii).As a function of resistance to exclusionary laws and occurrences of anti-Asian violence, Chan counteracts the victim narrative with examples of legal and/or political responses by individuals or groups to impact their conditions (Chan, Asian Americans 67, 75, 80-81, 94-100, 111, 117-118, 167, 171-181). The last chapter is a comprehensive view of the status of Asian Americans and examines their contribution to American life through film, writing, and other areas (Chan, Asian Americans 167-185). Notwithstanding Asian "success", Chan - much like Okihiro, Kim, and Takaki -- warn against unreflective acceptance of Asians as "model minority" Chan, Asian Americans 167-168, 169, 171, and 188).Chan argues from very early on in the book that there are marked differences between Asian groups and cross comparisons - particularly within this thesis of the "model minority" is both unfair and does not reflect the reality on the ground. As a function of learning from and eventually teaching the story of Asian Americans, Chan includes a very useful chronology and filmography and is a coherent and accessible counterpoint to Takaki's tome Strangers from a Different Shore.

Chan writes, "The first Asians to set foot in the New World came with the Manila galleon trade. Filipino and Chinese sailors and stewards were employed in the specially constructed ships that carried cargoes of Chinese luxury goods between Manila and Acapulco from 1565 to 1815. A number of Filipinos apparently had settled in Acapulco by the late sixteenth century, while some Chinese merchants had setup shop in Mexico City by the seventeenth. Marina E. Espina and Fred Cordova have surmised that the Filipinos known as Manilamen found in the marshlands of Louisiana's Barataria Bay (about thirty miles south of New Orleans) in the 1760s were descendants of sailors who had worked on the Manila galleons (Chan 25). In Chan's Asian Americans, she writes in broad contexts but ground her descriptions in specifics. According to Chan, the narratives of early Asian immigrants primarily lived their everyday lives through social organizations that became the loci of their being. Asian Americans banded together by forming fraternal organizations as well as robust cultural, religious, and community organizations (Chan, Asian Americans 75). Notwithstanding their involvement with civic organizations, what differentiated Asian from a non-Asian immigrant in the United States was the sticking point of race. Viewed along this framework of racial/ethnic difference, what set the Asian American experience apart from a non-Asian was that the Asian was also seen as a sexual threat (Chan, Asian American 60-61). World War II, according to Chan, served as political motivation for granting American citizenship by linked to the state-of-war situation of the United States against the Asian homeland, as it was important to strengthen its relationship with its allies and protectorates (Chan 121-142). Given American influence in Philippines, Chan argues that the needs in the New World outweighed the Old World kinship ties and the manongs opting for more pragmatic alternatives (Chan 75). Becoming "normal" as deviant/dysfunctional Asians need to, "assimilate into the majority Anglo-American" milieu (Chan iii) has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, as indicated by Chan, it grew out of the need to reconcile with the New World shedding of Old World provincial roots. We need to reconcile what Espiritu's cultural reification (in Home Bound - Filipino American Lives Across Cultures, Communities, and Countries), with Bonus's claim of performative function (in Locating Filipino Americans: Ethnicity and the Cultural Politics of Space) Chan's claim to the contradiction of becoming more community based by shedding one's more passive, less "in your face" imported home bound values.

difficult experiences for over a century
Not a casual read. Chan describes well over a hundred years of Asians emigrating to and growing up in the United States. Many of the pages describe years of backbreaking toil, especially in the California goldfields, and in the building of the transcontinental railroads. Exacerbated by periodic bouts of discrimination by the European settlers and immigrants.

In a relatively short book, the account cannot be comprehensive. Complexity is added, due to the different nationalities of Asians that came over. Chinese. Japanese. Filipinos. Koreans. There never was one unitary Asian bloc in the US. Thus descriptions of various benevolent social and cultural organisations that arose are often split by ethnicity or nationality.

The text also shows that the civil rights movement of the 1950-1970s, while primarily for Negroes, also benefited Asians. Something not necessarily widely known or appreciated today.

Excellent Reference
This book give a little overview of a multitude of topics, nothing indepth, but rather a 'light read'.

Excellent general resource
Sucheng Chan offers a statistic-rich, informative history ofAsian-Americans, from their first immigration to current issues of As-Amsas "model minorities". I definitely prefer Chan's style toTakaki's quote-heavy, anecdotal approach; she is both thorough and concise. ... Read more

Product Description
Speak It Louder: Asian Americans Making Music documents the variety of musics-from traditional Asian through jazz, classical, and pop-that have been created by Asian Americans.This book is not about "Asian American music" but rather about Asian Americans making music. This key distinction allows the author to track a wide range of musical genres. Wong covers an astonishing variety of music, ethnically as well as stylistically: Laotian song, Cambodian music drama, karaoke, Vietnamese pop, Japanese American taiko, Asian American hip hop, and panethnic Asian American improvisational music (encompassing jazz and avant-garde classical styles).In Wong's hands these diverse styles coalesce brilliantly around a coherent and consistent set of questions about what it means for Asian Americans to make music in environments of inter-ethnic contact, about the role of performativity in shaping social identities, and about the ways in which commercially and technologically mediated cultural production and reception transform individual perceptions of time, space, and society. Speak It Louder: Asian Americans Making Music encompasses ethnomusicology, oral history, Asian American studies, and cultural performance studies.It promises to set a new standard for writing in these fields, and will raise new questions for scholars to tackle for many years to come. ... Read more

Product Description
Challenges existing paradigms of knowledge as they relate to Asian Americans. ... Read more

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In the past fifty years the narratives of many popular Asian American texts have been dominated by economic questions - what money can buy, how money is lost, how money is circulated, and what labour or objects are worth. Focusing on texts that have achieved mainstream popularity, "Economic Citizens" shows that while Asian Americans have been disenfranchised from the larger national body - in fact prohibited from circulation - Asian American texts that emphasize economic and social exchange circulate widely. In contrast to readings of Asian American literature as a story of alienation or assimilation, this book argues that the narrative of economic circulation highlights the contradictions of Asian American visibility in the United States. Although Asians have been traditionally imagined as the threat of capitalism gone awry, "Economic Citizens" demonstrates that the logic of economic exchange has been an overlooked but critical means for Asian Americans to negotiate political and cultural equivalence. ... Read more