Asian Americans in the twenty-first century :

Title :

Asian Americans in the twenty-first century : oral histories of first- to fourth-generation Americans from China, Japan, India, Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Laos / [compiled by] Joann Faung Jean Lee.

Title:

Asian Americans in the twenty-first century :

Varying Form of Title:

Asian Americans in the 21t century

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

ix, 277 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

ISBN:

9781595581525

Production / Publication Information:

New York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton, 2008.

Contents:

Asian Americans as a movement / From Toi Shan to the Olympic Peninsula gateway / The promise of America / It's about more than hitting the books / No dating, just get married / Making a new life / Changing the tide of history / Into the governor's mansion / Restaurant, public office, even Bruce Lee / Grassroots victories / Marriage and the green card / Building an orphanage in China / Cowboy from Japan / Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele / The fortune cookies / From Laos to Iowa / Harlan, Kentucky / Growing up in Los Angeles / Portland, Oregon / Growing up in Hawaii / Between continents / Cultural anchors / Of work and family / An editor of entertainment news / Chinatown, New York / Of Japanese towns and cultural communities / Hmong community / Vietnamese in Maryland / Living outside of Koreatown / Claiming space / Very tough times / New York's Chinatown : getting back on its feet / Within the South Asian community / Reconnecting / Marriage / Being Asian, being gay / Adopted, from Seoul to New Jersey / Found / Of personal challenges and triumphs / Journeys of self discovery / Hapa with strong Chinese roots

Bibliography note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [265]-269) and index.

Language:

English

Added Author:

Lee, Joann Faung Jean, 1950-

Subject Term:

Asian Americans -- Biography

Asian Americans -- Social conditions

Asian Americans -- Ethnic identity

Asian Americans -- Cultural assimilation.

Oral history -- United States.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	920.009 ASI	31990003273112	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The collective term "Asian American" comprises more than twenty distinct nationalities and ethnic groups, and today there are more than 12 million Asian Pacific Americans living in the United States. In this all-new collection of fascinating interviews with students, lawyers, engineers, politicians, stay-at-home moms, and activists, Joann Faung Jean Lee again draws upon her great skill and sensitivity as a journalist to reveal a rich mosaic of Asian American identities.

We hear a range of voices: Dale Minami recounts his historic involvement in a landmark legal case that changed the way America understands the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; Ruby Chow remembers how she used her position as a beloved restaurateur to launch a successful campaign for county councilwoman in Seattle, Washington; and Daniel Jung speaks of the complexities of African American and Korean relations in Los Angeles, where his father owned a liquor store when Daniel was a teenager in the 1990s.

Candid and compelling, the interviews reveal intimate and often conflicting thoughts about Asian American identities, immigration, family, relationships, and educational and professional achievement.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Professor, journalist and educator Lee revisits the format of her 20-year-old oral history collection, Asian Americans, to bring 27 perspectives on the current state of the Asian American experience, "distinct in many ways from that of Asians living either in Asia or as immigrants encountering diaspora elsewhere in the world." Several profiles stand out: Ruby Chow, the first Asian American elected to Washington State's King County Council, pops with personality, and her story includes a close relationship with future movie star Bruce Lee. Also interesting are the stories of musicians like ukelele player Jake Shimabukuro and "Japanese Cowboy" Hank Sasaki. Perhaps the most relevant and compelling subject is Gita Deane, a lesbian struggling to stay in America with her partner of 20 years and their two children. As suggested in the subtitle, Lee has cast a wide net and her book suffers from overcrowding, and a subsequent shortage of compelling material, but for those interested in the current moment of everyday Asian Americans, these voices will illuminate. Photos. (Sept.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Booklist Review

Published more than a decade after Lee's Asian Americans (1992), this riveting collection of 27 new interviews shows some surprising changes across generations, especially in the wake of 9/11 (could internment happen again?) and the effects of the Internet explosion. Both in those born here and in recent immigrants, the core issues are still strong: you don't know how much to give up and how much to keep, says a first-generation Hmong. A Korean dad thinks he knows more, but he doesn't, say his children educated here. But then there is the woman who wore jeans when she first came here as a kid from India but now wears South Asian clothes. Many still send money home, but, for some, life in modern China may be better than here. No rambling oral history, the personal voices are lively, detailed, tightly edited. With the raging debate about immigration, they talk about contemporary mainstream issues, too, including women's rights, gay marriage, interracial adoption, and, always, the conflicts about assimilation and the meaning of cultural identity.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist

Library Journal Review

This book provides glimpses into the distinct experiences of today's Asian Americans--specifically Asian Pacific Americans--as they struggle to find their place in the United States, where now over 12 million of them live. Lee's (communications, William Paterson Univ.) first collection of Asian American oral histories was published in 1992, so this collection constitutes a sequel of sorts, albeit with different interviewees. The first-person chapters relate the experiences of students, politicians, individuals adopted into Caucasian families, musicians, lawyers, business owners, and homosexuals, all of whom discuss their lives, arrival and assimilation, when applicable, and their coming-of-age and their social and professional experiences. The world and the Asian American experience have changed a lot since 1992. A delightful and important book that opens a window into the lives of a vital segment of American society. Highly recommended for all public and college libraries.--Melissa Aho, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Dale MinamiArk ChinHoan DangSusim ChenQing Shan LiangFrank BaiDale MinamiGary LockeRuby ChowCheryl ChowShamita Das DasguptaArk ChinHank SasakiJake ShimabukuroJoann LeeSteve ThaoAlbert LeeDaniel JungJeff AndradaJake ShimabukuroDavid TangLaura JungAgnes BragaAlbert LeeCorky LeeDale MinamiSteve ThaoHoan DangLaura and Daniel JungShamita Das DasguptaVeronica LeungCorky LeeShamita Das DasguptaNaomi McWattGita DeaneAlbert LeeKarl LudwigKristen HoughtonArk ChinCandace ChinSusha Pratt

Introduction	p. 1
I Living in America
Circle of Life
Asian Americans as a Movement	p. 11
From Toi Shan to the Olympic Peninsula Gateway	p. 16
The Promise of America	p. 23
Settling In
It's About More Than Hitting the Books	p. 31
No Dating, Just Get Married	p. 37
Making a New Life	p. 44
II Aspects of Americanization
Answering the Call
Changing the Tide of History	p. 51
Into the Governor's Mansion	p. 59
Restaurant, Public Office, Even Bruce Lee	p. 71
Grassroots Victories	p. 76
Marriage and the Green Card	p. 84
Building an Orphanage in China	p. 87
Passion for Music
Cowboy from Japan	p. 93
Jimi Hendrix of the Ukulele	p. 101
The Fortune Cookies	p. 107
Growing Up
From Laos to Iowa	p. 111
Harlan, Kentucky	p. 115
Growing Up in Los Angeles	p. 119
Portland, Oregon	p. 128
Growing Up in Hawaii	p. 133
Between Continents	p. 137
Education, Expectations, Work
Cultural Anchors	p. 142
Of Work and Family	p. 149
An Editor of Entertainment News	p. 153
Views from Within
Chinatown, New York	p. 157
Of Japanese Towns and Cultural Communities	p. 163
Hmong Community	p. 167
Vietnamese in Maryland	p. 178
Living Outside of Koreatown	p. 183
Claiming Space	p. 186
After September 11
Very Tough Times	p. 191
New York's Chinatown: Getting Back on Its Feet	p. 195
Within the South Asian Community	p. 198
III Journeys and Passages
Passages
Reconnecting	p. 203
Marriage	p. 212
Being Asian, Being Gay	p. 225
Journeys
Adopted, from Seoul to New Jersey	p. 228
Found	p. 239
Three Generations
Of Personal Challenges and Triumphs	p. 247
Journeys of Self Discovery	p. 252
Hapa with Strong Chinese Roots	p. 258
Notes	p. 265
Index	p. 271

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents