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
In Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience, Angelo N. Ancheta demonstrates how United States civil rights laws have been framed by a black-white model of race that typically ignores the experiences of other groups, including Asian Americans. When racial discourse is limited to antagonisms between black and white, Asian Americans often find themselves in a racial limbo, marginalized or unrecognized as full participants.

Ancheta examines legal and social theories of racial discrimination, ethnic differences in the Asian American population, nativism, citizenship, language, school desegregation, and affirmative action. In the second edition of this influential book, Ancheta also covers post-9/11 anti-Asian sentiment and racial profiling.He analyzes recent legal cases involving political empowerment, language rights, human trafficking, immigrant rights, and affirmative action in higher education--many of which move the country farther away from the ideals of racial justice.On a more positive note, he reports on the progress Asian Americans have made in the corporate sector, politics, the military, entertainment, and academia.

A skillful mixture of legal theories, court cases, historical events, and personal insights, this second edition brings fresh insights to U.S. civil rights from an Asian American perspective ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Esssential Read to Understand the Asian American Experience
Ancheta offers a sketch of the history of discrimination against Asian Americans. Ancheta moves to outline what he defines as a legal subordination of Asian Americans. Deftly articulating the insidious impact of nativism on race relations and the production of citizenship, Ancheta leaves no one out as he takes aim at the very Constitution itself outlining that it, "can... restrict the scope of anti-discrimination laws" (Ancheta, Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience 52). Ancheta argues that not all anti-discrimination laws consider the inherent racial bias contained therein. Ancheta sees race as a dynamic, social construction as opposed to something intrinsic or natural. Feeling that Ancheta was going to take this further, I was disappointed in that it seems clearer than ever that the rulings were devoid of any real basis in law and fact but rather relied on "familiar observation and knowledge" as if some `common-sense' or hegemony ruled over such things as objective science and the law (Ancheta, Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience 67). Ancheta writes, "In United States v. Thind, the Supreme Court ruled that Asian Indians were barred from naturalization, even though scientific evidence at the time indicated that Indians belonged to the Caucasian race" (Ancheta, Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience 24).The popular conception of Caucasian, the Court noted, clearly excluded Indians: "It is a matter of familiar observation and knowledge that the physical group characteristics of the Hindus renders them readily distinguishable from the various persons in this country commonly recognized as white" (Ancheta, Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience 67). The Court also indicated that the racial bar applied to other Asians as well: "There is much in the origin and historic development of the statute to suggest that no Asiatic whatever was included" (Ancheta, Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience 24). Some critics argue that Ancheta ignores a wider global perspective. I argue that despite the very international scope of the book, globalization and such issues is not within the thesis or framework of the book.

Ancheta points to the shifts in the demographic landscape as perhaps the single most significant force responsible for problematizing the black-white bifurcation. As a case in point, in Ho v. San Francisco "model minority" is a handicap to those defined as such. In perhaps the most telling of cases in United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923). Ancheta posits that we have come far since the 1790 Nationality Act that allowed only "Free White" aliens admitted to U.S. Citizenship yet more work has to be done. Even well into the turn of the century, in Ozawa v. United States (1922) and in United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923), Japanese Americans as well as Asian Indians both failed in their push to be classified as white so that they could obtain citizenship. Since only whites could become citizens, there was a race to prove that one was "white."

Excellent read
Why America Should See More than Black & White By Samuel R. Cacas

Race, Rights & The Asian American Experience By Angelo N. Ancheta, Rutgers University  Press:  1998, 224 pp, Hardcover.

        While taking a civil rights class in law school during the late 1970s, I felt cheated by what I felt was a significant gap in the course and text material which almost exclusively focused on the achievements for and by African Americans.  As a very politically conscious Asian American in college, I knew that while immigrant groups like Asians were a very minuscule minority population-wise in this country, they had still made a significant contribution to the eradication of "Jim Crow" policies and other racial segregation laws.

    And I would often expound on such contributions  during class.  For instance, the Yick Wo v. Hopkins case - in which a  Chinese American laundry owner in San Francisco successfully sued to  overturn a racially discriminatory city ordinance - has been cited in countless legal briefs and court cases involving the Fourteenth Amendment1s Equal Protection clause.  Or U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark which has long been the major legal precedent establishing birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.  While my civil rights teacher and fellow classmates were warm and respectful to my tendencies, I still felt the contributions of non-Black minority groups deserved to be covered more thoroughly in print. So reading civil rights lawyer Angelo Ancheta's "Race, Rights & The Asian American Experience" was a refreshing affirmation of my daily, righteous meanderings in that civil rights class.         Ancheta pulls no punches in citing his motivation for writing this ground-breaking text on civil rights and race relations.  In the book¹s preface, he relates his racial experiences growing up in San Francisco during the 1960s:  racist landlords that limited the sections of the city where his family could live, discriminatory employment practices which prevented ! his parents from the career they desired, and the endless anti-Asian racial taunts he endured throughout elementary and high school.  And even when such experiences receded as he grew older, Ancheta was still exposed to significant, though subtle, forms of racism such as law school classmates who marveled that Ancheta - a second generation, American-born Filipino American - could not understand Chinese or Japanese.     The book's bifurcated focus - how Asian Americans are affected by civil rights laws and how civil rights laws are affected by Asian Americans - forms the basis for why all Americans should read this book even if they are not of Asian descent.  If anything, they will come away with a more encompassing mind-set on civil rights that accommodates the racial experiences of the fastest-growing minority group in this country. A major polemic addressed throughout the book is the problem that civil rights protections available to Asian Americans are most often contingent upon the rights granted to African Americans.  In effect, says Ancheta, Asian Americans "have been treated primarily as constructive blacks," forced to make "unseemly, curious choices" when they sue for their civil rights, such as asserting that they are white in order to attend the best public schools.     But Ancheta emphasizes that periods where Asian Americans were treated by courts as "honorary whites" were "short-lived and more unusual." And not always beneficial.  The recent exclusion of Asian Americans from affirmative action programs due to their repeatedly being lumped with whites is an example of the latter, according to Ancheta, even where "Asian American still face racial discrimination and remain underrepresented." Such exclusions are built into all civil rights protections and policies which are premised largely premised on the color discrimination premised on the treatment of African Americans.  While such bias may apply to Asian Americans, Ancheta contends, the stigma!of being labeled foreign-born - even if one is American-born - has been one of the primary bases for Asians in this country being the target of hate violence, media-based stereotypes, as well as benefit-entitlement laws like California's Proposition 187 premised on citizenship, among others. Ancheta¹s solutions for such racial inequities which feed on the anti-Asian tendencies in the law and among most Americans is very concrete:  develop new laws or amend old ones that rely on theories that comprehend the complexity of race relations beyond the black-white racial paradigm.     Essentially this means including immigration status in hate crime laws. As well as recognizing that discrimination can be based on ethnicity and being labeled and treated as foreign-born, not just race.  In asserting such remedies where the interracial friction involves African Americans as victimizers, such as the current conflicts occurring between Asian Americans and African Americans in San Francisco's housing projects, Ancheta encourages transracial, innovative solutions such as the Asian Law Caucus suing the city housing authority instead of racially targeting individual tenants.  After all, he posits, "expanding the civil rights agenda to include Asian Americans cannot come at the expense of African Americans."     While presented in tightly written, sometimes analytical prose, this book could probably be well understood to the average lay person not well-versed in the law.  Many of the principles Ancheta expounds on are based on real-life stories that Ancheta and other Asian Americans have lived.  Stories, along with perspectives, often missing in the media1s coverage of important issues such as immigration, affirmative action, and hate violence.  Their absence in headlines as well as history books are complemented by the law¹s insensitivity to immigrant groups such as Asian Americans.  And Ancheta addresses that insensitivity very eloquently. ... 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The second edition of Unraveling the ''Model Minority'' Stereotype: Listening to Asian American Youth extends Stacey Lee's groundbreaking research on the educational experiences and achievement of Asian American youth. Lee provides a comprehensive update of social science research to reveal the ways in which the larger structures of race and class play out in the lives of Asian American high school students, especially regarding presumptions that the educational experiences of Koreans, Chinese, and Hmong youth are all largely the same. In her detailed and probing ethnography, Lee presents the experiences of these students in their own words, providing an authentic insider perspective on identity and inter ethnic relations in an often misunderstood American community. This second edition is essential reading for anyone interested in Asian American youth and their experiences in U.S. schools.

''Stacey Lee is one of the most powerful and influential scholarly voices to challenge the 'model minority' stereotype. Here in its second edition, Lee's book offers an additional paradigm to explain the barriers to educating young Asian Americans in the 21st century -- xenoracism (i.e., racial discrimination against immigrant minorities) intersecting with issues of social class.'' -- Xue Lan Rong, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

''Breaking important new theoretical and empirical ground, this revised edition is a must read for anyone interested in Asian American youth, race/ethnicity, and processes of transnational migration in the 21st century.'' -- Lois Weis, State University of New York Distinguished Professor

''Clear, accessible, and significantly updated.... The book's core lesson is as relevant today as it was when the first edition was published, presenting an urgent call to dismantle the dangerous stereotypes that continue to structure inequality in 21st century America.'' -- Teresa L. McCarty, Alice Wiley Snell Professor of Education Policy Studies, Arizona State University

''Sure to stimulate further research in this area and will be of interest to teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and students alike.'' -- Teachers College Record

''A must read for those interested in a different approach in understanding our racial experience beyond the stale and repetitious polemics that so often dominate the public debate.'' -- The Journal of Asian Studies

''Well written and jargon-free, this book...documents genuinely candid views from Asian-American students, often laden with their own prejudices and ethnocentrism.'' -- MultiCultural Review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Finally a book that addresses Asian-American isssues.
"Unraveling" is a book that is easy to understand and read for both students and the general public who have been interested or have been party to what is going on with Asian-American issues in today's society. This book brings these issues to light from a series of actual interviews held in high schools. Stacey Lee hits the target and I hope she continues her writing. I look forward to more from this new writer who obviously has talent. ... 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

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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.

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

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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

Product Description
An essential resource for mental health practitioners, this clinically oriented handbook illuminates the relationship between cultural and interpersonal issues in therapeutic work with Asian American clients. Drawing on both research and clinical practice, contributing authors describe the normative family dynamics and practices of a range of Asian American groups, address important developmental and life cycle issues, offer guidelines for understanding and treating specific disorders, and discuss the use of different therapeutic modalities within this diverse population. Special topics covered include language barriers in treatment, Asian Americans and PTSD, lesbian/gay and women's concerns, domestic violence, religion and spirituality, and intermarriage.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent resource!
Great resource tool for any mental health clinician looking to improve their cultural competency skills with Asian/Pacific Islanders.

Necessary text, mediocre results
This is an anthology written predominantly by Asian-American psychotherapists for their peers of all races.In this book, they attempt to elucidate how Asian and Asian-American clients may be different from others and how to serve them most effectively.The topics are divided into descriptions of specific ethnicities, Asians in different phases of the life cycle, and special Asian populations (refugees, the monolingual, gay Asians, etc.).This book is neither too academic for lay readers or too plain for academic readers.This book varies on its authors' views about whether Asian clients should be given same-ethnicity therapists.The chapters are quite short.My big problem is that the chapters in total repeat themselves often and verge into the stereotypical.After reading a chunk of the book, you'd think all Asians were shy, academic, family- and community-cloistered, etc.I would recommend that all therapists in Boston, Hawaii, and the West Coast get this text.Still, it left me unfulfilled in some areas. ... Read more

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Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the United States. When Asian immigrants arrive in the United States, they regularly encounter a vast number of difficulties integrating themselves into their new culture. In Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families, distinguished researchers and clinicians discuss the process of acculturation for individuals and their families, addressing the mental health needs of Asian Americans and thoroughly examining the acculturative process, its common stressors, and characteristics associated with resiliency. This first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional title synthesizes current acculturation research, while presenting those concepts within a clinical framework. In addition to providing an in-depth look at both past and present research and offering directions for future topics to explore, the book also offers a range of practical tools such as research scales to measure levels of acculturation, interview techniques, and clinical approaches for special populations including children, the elderly, and their families. Thought-provoking and informative, Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families will enhance the understanding of the clinical and sociocultural problems Asian Americans face, providing clinicians with all the necessary insights to better care for their patients.

Customer Reviews (1)

A wonderful resource for clinicians working with Asian Americans
Although cultural assessment and formulation is the very necessary foundation for the creation of a narrative for our patients, building further awareness of how the patient experiences his or her own world may include a discussion about certain aspects of acculturative change, such as ethnic/racial identity, immigration, acculturation stress, and intergenerational conflict.
The process of acculturation has a direct influence on Asian American mental health.In this ground-breaking volume, Trinh and colleagues explore in-depth some of the current research in acculturation, as well as how to incorporate these concepts in our clinical work.This volume may be used as a reference, and each chapter provides a brief outline of what is to be discussed.The first section describes past and current research on acculturation, while the second section presents clinical concepts, dilemmas, and recommendations.Several seminal studies and clinical themes are revisited throughout, as each chapter builds upon the last. Read straight through, this book provides the reader with the historical context of acculturation research and the importance of acculturation in clinical practice with Asian Americans.Read by chapter, the book provides the reader with information on specific topics of interest.
Although difficult to generalize the Asian American experience, given the tremendous diversity in this population, what Trinh and colleagues convey through these chapters is a conceptual framework to guide researchers and clinicians and a deepened understanding of acculturation in Asian Americans. Recognizing common themes that are relevant to the Asian experience is valuable, and these concepts may be incorporated into all clinical work, be it an initial clinical evaluation, ongoing therapy, consultation, or medication management.Each author highlights some common issues as well as contributes further thoughts and observations specific to certain populations; some have included original hypotheses and research. And many will consider further the challenges regarding psychiatric research and clinical practice for Asian American mental health.
Resiliency and strength-based assessment is referred to throughout this volume.The ability to stand strong and healthy in the face of obstacles and misfortunes is something that we tend to overlook in our clinical worlds.There is a value in recognizing the particular strengths present in the Asian American population and its individuals especially given the stigma and shame that is associated with seeking help.Much still needs to be done with regards to formal research on resiliency in Asian populations, but many of the authors do provide suggestions and cite literature that will help guide clinicians and researchers alike to think about how to incorporate more strength-focused work into their work on acculturation in immigrant populations.
This volume is a significant contribution to the increasingly sophisticated discussion of how best to care for our patients and their families and provide a "next step" to the never-ending journey towards clinical and research excellence.


Albert Yeung, M.D., ScD
Director of Primary Care Research at the
Depression Clinical and Research Program,
Massachusetts General Hospital


... Read more

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In this groundbreaking collection of personal writings, young Asian American girls come together for the first time and engage in a dynamic converstions about the unique challenges they face in their lives. Promoted by a variety of pressing questions from editor Vickie Nam and culled from hundreds of submission from all over the country, these revelatory essays, poems, and stories tackle such complex issues as dual identities, culture clashes, family matters, body image, and the need to find one's voice.

With a foreword by Phoebe Eng, as well as contributions from accomplished Asian American women mentors Janice Mirikitani, Helen Zia, Nora Okja Keller, Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Elaine Kim, Patsy Mink, and Wendy Mink, Yell-Oh Girls! is an inspiring and much-needed resource for young Asian American girls.

Customer Reviews (25)

Half and half.
Well, I have read this book twice (the second time, I found it in a high school library and finished it all in one day).

I do applaud Nam for having the courage and patience to put out a book like this, but every single one of the stories is from a young Asian female in high school or college. Also, despite the obvious differences in surroundings, characters, and plots, they all seem to be so staged as the stories always come up to the same conclusion: I did terrible, or Mom/Dad did me wrong, but I can always keep trying. It's a good message, but when you hear it in about three or four dozen stories over a course of a book literally as thick as your thumb, it does get pretty redundant.

Like the other reviewers pointed out, I'm wondering what happened to these writers. I'm sure they'd all be in their thirties or at least twenties now; this was all written and published in 2000 and 2001.

Good for the high school and college Asian American girls; may be a bit boring and repetitive for the rest.

Just what I wanted
The book was just what I wanted, I second-hand copy. The condition is fine and I'm happy with my purchase.

great!!!
When i first started reading Yell-oh girls, it was kind of boreing and i didn't think i would like it. What drew me to it was the reveiw ont he back of the book. Eventually after i got through the first few pages, i found the book to be really interesting and informative. I thought the author did a great job putting this book together, with all the stories she added into it. I really enjoyed all of them. I never knew what these young girls had to go through. Being called a foreigner everywhere you go,and being stuck between two countries and not knowing which to choose. It must have been really hard!! overall, i thought this book was great!!! :)

Worth YELL-ing about!
"YELL-Oh Girls!: Emerging Voices Explore Culture, Identity, and Growing Up Asian American," an anthology edited by Vickie Nam, contains more than 80 pieces (both poetry and prose) written by young Asian American women.There are also a few "mentor pieces" by established Asian American women.The book is organized thematically into 5 main sections: "Orientation: Finding the Way Home," in which writers "explore the Asian American landscape"; "Family Ties," which focuses on relationships with family members; "Dolly Rage," which deals with the intersections of physical appearance, difference, and discrimination; "Finding My Voice," about "wrestling with language, trying to somehow find the words to portray ourselves"; and finally "Girlwind: Emerging Voices for Change," which celebrates the activism of "the women warriors of tomorrow."

Each author is identified by her name (except for a small number of anonymous or pseudonymous pieces), age, and town they have lived or currently live in.Cities from many parts of the United States (California, Hawai'i, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas, etc.) are represented, and there is at least one writer from Canada.The young writers, who range in age from 14 to 22, have cultural/ancestral roots in many different nations: Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Laos.

Over 300 pages long, this anthology is full of fascinating selections.Most of them are very short.Some seem like seeds of what could become longer pieces.Some pieces seem to whet the appetite more successfully than satisfy it, but the best pieces are really noteworthy.

Some of the selections I found most impactful are as follows."Her Three-Inch Feet," by Jenny Yu: a moving portrait of a great-aunt who had evidently undergone footbinding."The Other Sister," by Kim McKee: about being adopted and having Caucasian family members."Going Undercover," by Wendy M. Thompson: a reflection on having both Chinese and African American parentage."Zine Grrrl," by Kristy Chan: a fascinating piece about alternative literary creativity."Waving Fans," by Mia Chan Mi Park: about being the drummer for an all-Asian American female rock band.This last piece has my favorite line from the whole book: "YES, Asian American women also rock. . . and we rock hard, dammit!"

This book challenges stereotypes and offers bold new images of young Asian American women.And while rooted in the Asian American female experience, the book addresses many themes that are equally relevant to men and to women of other ethnic/cultural groups.Overall, this is a fine anthology, and a fitting companion to such groundbreaking anthologies as "Home Girls" and "This Bridge Called My Back.""YELL-Oh Girls!" is, in my opinion, a good choice for college courses, for reading groups, or for individual reading.

Expected more
I went into this book with the expectation of learning more about the asian american story- instead I got very generic stories.I think it would be better if the writters weren't all just teenagers and early twenties. ... Read more

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Active for more than two decades, the Asian American movement began a middle-class reform effort to achieve racial equality, social justice, and political empowerment. In this first history and in-depth analysis of the Movement, William Wei traces to the late 1960s, the genesis of an Asian American identity, culture, and activism.

Wei analyzes the Asian American women's movement, the alternative press, Asian American involvement in electoral politics. Interviews with many key participants in the Movement and photographs of Asian American demonstrations and events enliven this portrayal of the Movement's development, breadth, and conflicts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Don't waste your time
This book was notable in being the first mass-market book on the Asian American Movement.As far as I'm concerned, that was its only selling point. I was struck by his hostility towards the movement [and all things radical, it seems], and I would have let that slide if only he could even get the facts right.

As a former board member of one of the organizations mentioned in his book, the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, I know for a fact that it was not related to the Asian American movements on the west coast.CAAAV was founded in the 1980's in New York City and its founders had nothing to do with the "Serve the People" programs.So, wrong time and place.Also, I was invoved with the flag-burning issue and am certain that the Revolutionary Communist Party never claimed that flag-burning would or could lead to revolution.The RCP does support revolution and flag-burning so it might be easy for the casual observer to conflate the two, but for a piece of research, it's unacceptable.I am not in a position to refute the other historical claims he makes, but I believe more than a little skepticism is in order.

Don't get me wrong, I don't insist that authors be "unbiased", which is impossible, only that they be open about their biases and try to utilize facts to support their arguments.Wei doesn't do the first and doesn't do a great job of the second..

For a better reading, try the State of Asian America edited by Karen Aguilar-San Juan and Legacy to Liberation edited by Fred Ho.

Good for its historical insight
Years ago, I took a class called "Producing Asian-American Sexuality" at Brown University in which we read this book.I may be a little sketchy on the details.But I think it contributes nicely to Asian-American studies with its focus on the history of activism.The articles talk about Asian Americans, particularly on the West Coast, who were influenced by Black Power, feminism, and the antiwar movement, and decided to start their own political groups.Its focus is on the 1960s and 1970s.I would add it to any Asian American studies collection.Further, I am sure that this book is required reading in a number of ethnic studies courses around the nation.So I'm a little shaky on the facts, but I recall this being a decent book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book provides concise coverage of the major Asian Americangroups from both an historical and socio-cultural perspective.Coverage of each major group—Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Koreans, Pacific Islanders, and newer Asian American groups—especially those from Southeast Asia and South Asia—provides readers with a balanced overview of all cultures within US Asian society. Content reflects developments of the late 1990s and includes updated demographic information.For research in sociology, history, and ethnic studies professions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

College book
Delivery was quick, and the book is in great condition. Extremely pleased! Thank you!! :)

Too many statistics and not enough humanism
I appreciated this book in the sense that it provides some very useful statistics concerning the various ethnic groups within the Asian American population.Yet, I felt that this book lacked personality and soul.I wanted more than numbers.I wanted to see the big picture about the lives of Asian Americans.I wanted to see them as people.

On top of that, I think that the title perpetuates the stereotype that Asians are foreigners.An "emerging minority?" It implies that persons of Asian descent are just being noticed and just beginning to do things that are worthy of notice. Its true that not much is known in mainstream society about this community, but we have a long history in the U.S. Granted, most of the Asian American population are new immigrants, but our presence and legacy in the U.S. and in the Western hemisphere goes way back.

This book is a nice introduction to the Asian American experience, but I would use it as a supplement and not a primary sourse of information. Takaki (Strangers from a Different Shore), Chan (Asian Americans:An Interpretive History) and Espiritu (Asian American Women & Men:Labor, Laws & Love)do a much better job. ... Read more

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During the height of racist anti-Chinese U.S. immigration laws, illegal aliens were able to come into the States under false papers identifying them as the sons of those who had returned to China to marry and have children. "American Paper Son" is the story of one such Chinese immigrant who came to Wichita, Kansas, in 1935 as a thirteen-year-old 'paper son' to help in his father's restaurant there. This vivid first-person account addresses significant themes in Asian American history through the lens of Wong's personal stories. Wong served in one of the all-Chinese units of the 14th Air Force in China during World War II and he discusses the impact of race and segregation on his experience. After the war he found a wife in Taishan, brought her to the US, and became involved in the government's infamous Confession program (an amnesty program for immigrants).Wong eventually became a successful real estate entrepreneur in Wichita. Rich with poignant insights into the realities of life as part of a very small Chinese American population in a midwestern town, this memoir provides an important new view of the Asian American experience away from the West Coast.Benson Tong adds a scholarly introduction and useful annotations. ... Read more

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Arkansas, 1943. The Deep South during the heart of Jim Crow-era segregation. A Japanese-American person boards a bus, and immediately is faced with a dilemma. Not white. Not black. Where to sit?

By elucidating the experience of interstitial ethnic groups such as Mexican, Asian, and Native Americans—groups that are held to be neither black nor white—Leslie Bow explores how the color line accommodated—or refused to accommodate—“other” ethnicities within a binary racial system. Analyzing pre- and post-1954 American literature, film, autobiography, government documents, ethnography, photographs, and popular culture, Bow investigates the ways in which racially “in-between” people and communities were brought to heel within the South’s prevailing cultural logic, while locating the interstitial as a site of cultural anxiety and negotiation.

Spanning the pre- to the post- segregation eras, Partly Colored traces the compelling history of “third race” individuals in the U.S. South, and in the process forces us to contend with the multiracial panorama that constitutes American culture and history.

Product Description
Tufts Univ., Quincy, MA. Fills the gap and challenges the stereotypes by examining the psychological development of Asian-American women. Contains historical content, empirical studies, case examples, and experiential data. Brings together the voices of women from a wide range of cultures. For psychologists. ... Read more

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"These artists show how we can be funny and witty and profound all at once, turning stereotypes inside out and upside down to create new images that empower individuals to write the scripts of their own lives."
--Frank H. Wu, author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White

There's this guy we know--quiet, unassuming, black hair and thick glasses. He's doing his best to fit in, in a world far away from the land of his birth. He knows he's different and that his differences make him alien, an outsider--but they also make him special. Yet he finds himself unable to reveal his true self to the world . . .

For many Asian Americans, this chronicle sounds familiar because many of us have lived it. But it also happens to be the tale of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, better known as Superman. And the parallels between those stories help explain why Asian Americans have become such a driving force in the contemporary comics renaissance as artists and writers--and fans.

But there's one place where Asians are still underrepresented in comics: between the four-color covers themselves. That's why, in Secret Identities, top Asian American writers, artists, and comics professionals have come together to create twenty-six original stories centered around Asian American superheroes--stories set in a shadow history of our country, exploring ordinary Asian American life from a decidedly extraordinary perspective.

Entertaining, enlightening, and more than a little provocative, Secret Identities blends action, satire, and thoughtful commentary into a groundbreaking anthology about a community too often overlooked by the cultural mainstream. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Terrific concept, mediocre execution
So, why in the history of comic books have there been no Asian Americans portrayed as the primary hero? There are sidekicks, like Kato, the Green Hornet's chauffeur, but always in a very subordinate role. And this at a time when a number of Asian Americans were among the leading comic book authors and artists. Like Blacks, of course, Asians are highly visible in a mostly white society. The nuances separating those of Irish and German and even Italian descent are far less obvious. Anyway, Yang and some of his friends decided it was time to rectify matters and they put together this collection in which the protagonists are Asian. Unfortunately, the result isn't especially successful. There are more than forty pieces in a book totaling 190 pages, and a few are pretty lengthy, which means most of them run only three or four pages -- not enough to present and develop an entirely new character, much less to lay out a plot or a narrative. "Heroes Without a Country" is a classic G.I. Joe sort of tale, with a crew of enhanced American troops assaulting a Nazi stronghold filled with super-villains. The problem is that, as in a great many of these stories, the characters don't look "Asian." If you hadn't read them in this volume, you would never had guessed that was the artist's intent. Others, like "The Citizen," start off in an interesting way -- but then stop dead, as if the author/artist team came up against their page limit and through away the rest of their work. "The Blue Scorpion and Chung" is probably the best story in the book, with a point to make regarding Anglo-Asian relations and loyalties. In "Trinity," the three main characters are Filipino, Japanese, and American, and the rather shaky plot has to do with the legacy of American troops in the Far East. In "No Exit," the characters are Saudis (or perhaps Iraqis, it's very unclear) in America in 1941 -- but Anglo readers don't ordinarily lump Moslems from that part of the world in with Japanese and Chinese and Koreans. Asia is a very big place. "You Are What You Eat," a not-bad piece is about Chinese customs and culture -- but, again, the art makes the characters look more Latin than Asian. (No, they shouldn't be visual clichés, but if they and their surroundings and even their names are indistinguishable from European-Americans, what's the point of the book?) In "Learn to Share," the characters are Thai, but I had to reread the story several times to figure it out. For me, the best piece was "A Day at Costumeco," in which the characters are generic "Far Eastern," but the plot is a lot more fun than in most of these efforts, involving an embarrassed young girl discovering just what sort of superhero she is. I understand what the writers and artists were attempting to do with this collection, and I applaud them for it, but the idea and its execution are worlds apart. Perhaps they should have planned on a series and restricted themselves to only five or six stories per volume, taking the time to develop each one properly.

The Stories Are as Powerful as the Superheroes Within
Coming of age, as it were, during the days of World War II, comic books have not always presented progressive models of the Asian American experience. In fact, they could be downright racist in their heyday back then. And while much has changed since then, one thing that hasn't is the blatant underrepresentation of Asian characters in comic books.

Enter Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology, a broad collection of 26 stories featuring Asian protagonists. The timing is right for such a book, and it capitalizes on it nicely. The method of delivery the book often employs is satire, chronicling a "shadow history" of the United States but with Asian players. It works quite well most of the time (the biggest drawback of the book is the cover itself; the bright green cover doesn't do justice to the entertaining and provocative stories contained within).

Four editors worked on bringing Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology to press. Within, a multitude of writers and artists lent their talents to the storytelling. Some of them are big names in the industry, including Gene Luen Yang, Greg Pak, and Christine Norrie. It's a superhero anthology at heart, through and through, which works for the shadow history format. Parallelling the secret, hidden lives of Asian Americans with the hidden identities of superheroes makes sense, as does using comics to redress the glowering oversight of one of the country's largest population groups.

The stories are as powerful as the superheroes within, and they deal with pivotal events ranging from the birth of the country up to modern times. A particularly moving story focuses on James Kim. You may not remember the name, but you probably know the story of the family who was stuck in their car for a week during a horrific snowstorm in late 2006. Kim left his wife and two children in the car while he walked to try to find help. He made it approximately 16 miles before succumbing to hypothermia. That Kim's story, one that the entire nation felt and mourned, is told in Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology is apt and moving.

Happier stories are found inside its pages as well. All kinds of stories, and all kinds of art styles, make it in, in fact. All of which makes Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology such an enjoyable experience. It's never heavy-handed, nor does it take itself too seriously. Its characters, much like its creators, see the format for what it is and they want in on the fun. Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology lets them, and it lets the rest of us in on the fun too.

-- John Hogan

mixed bag
i'm asian and it was so-so.a few were decent but some that tried too hard to be cool just turned kinda dumb and so cheesy at times.the editors of this book seemed kinda self serving especially in the preface.

A Must Have!!!
Get yourself a copy!! I Highly recommend it. I really enjoyed almost ALL of the stories that were told here. Most of the stories were told by actual incidents using superhero characters. The stories are all told through the views from Asian Americans perspective. The stories have very strong messages. I wished they actually produced these characters in actual comic books, because Asian Americans doesn't have any cool superheroes all they get are the stereotypical characters such as a martial arts master, ninja, samurais etc, nothing further. It is as if they are restricted of ever becoming a superhero. This book shows that Asian Americans can be and need superheroes too.

Satiric, funny and sometimes serious
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3V1YP2W24TIIL Secret Identities is one of the few comic anthologies I enjoy tremendously. There are 48 chapters, all drawn by Asian Americans -- of course -- but a few are 1-page superhero profiles and stories. So really, there are only 40 longer stories.

For most of the 1-page stories, it's an artist talking about the concept of superheroes, Asian Americans and the influence of Asia on western comics. The longer stories are really fun, bizarre and creative.

The book starts off with a comic book cover art of "The Y-Men", featuring super lame superheroes with quotes like "Feel the suicidal wrath of KamiKazei", "Sweaty Feet of Coolie are express ticket to hell", "The myopic blasts of Four Eyes" and "Special delivery from Riceman pork-fried pain". This pretty much sets the satiric tone for the book, although there are more serious stories as well.

My favourite story is "James", written by Michael Kang and drawn by Erwin Haya. James's power is super-agility and super-strength. His partner has the ability to emit light, like a light bulb. Somehow amazingly, James began to lose the limelight (pun intended) to his partner and his career crashed. In the end, he had to start over going to like N.O.A.S.S* and A.S.S.H.O* networking events. *Which translate to National Organization of Supers and Sidekicks, and Asian Student Super Hero Organization.

My second favourite "A day at Customeco". This family is shopping at a groceries supermarket dedicated to superhero shoppers and suddenly a how-dumb-can-you-get villain strikes! Now imagine every superhero rushing in for the kill.

The story concept and creativity are really commendable. The superheroes are shown in many different aspect of life, in different communities, going about their daily chores. It's mix and match everywhere, littered it with funny quotes.

This book is highly amusing and should appeal to more than just Asian Americans.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.) ... Read more

Product Description
Drawing from a broad range of articles, speeches, pamphlets, sermons, debates, laws, and resolutions, this documentary collection focuses on support for the rights of Japanese and Chinese immigrants and their descendants in the United States. The book traces a 130-year period, culminating with the governmental redress for survivors of the Japanese evacuation and internment of World War II. Illustrating the scope and types of American dissent against anti-Asian thought, the volume highlights expressions from the clergy, the labor movement, the abolitionists, and figures such as Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner, Frederick Douglass, Mark Twain, John Stuart Mill, and Carey McWilliams. Citing material never before published, it demonstrates Black support for Asian rights and the consistency of the IWW's solidarity with Chinese and Japanese-American workers. It is also the first work to treat seriously clergymen's efforts against anti-Asian discrimination. ... Read more

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When we imagine the activities of Asian American women in the mid-twentieth century, our first thoughts are not of skiing, beauty pageants, magazine reading, and sororities. Yet, Shirley Jennifer Lim argues, these are precisely the sorts of leisure practices many second generation Chinese, Filipina, and Japanese American women engaged in during this time.

In A Feeling of Belonging, Lim highlights the cultural activities of young, predominantly unmarried Asian American women from 1930 to 1960. This period marks a crucial generation—the first in which American-born Asians formed a critical mass and began to make their presence felt in the United States. Though they were distinguished from previous generations by their American citizenship, it was only through these seemingly mundane "American" activities that they were able to overcome two-dimensional stereotypes of themselves as kimono-clad "Orientals."

Lim traces the diverse ways in which these young women sought claim to cultural citizenship, exploring such topics as the nation's first Asian American sorority, Chi Alpha Delta; the cultural work of Chinese American actress Anna May Wong; Asian American youth culture and beauty pageants; and the achievement of fame of three foreign-born Asian women in the late 1950s. By wearing poodle skirts, going to the beach, and producing magazines, she argues, they asserted not just their American-ness, but their humanity: a feeling of belonging.