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oyceterContrary to expectation, this is not actually a history of Asian Americans. For that, I would grab Ronald Takaki's Strangers from a Different Shore. Instead, this is a history of the politicization of Asian Americans as a group and the formation of an "Asian-American" identity, as opposed to many separate groups (Chinese Americans, Cambodian Americans, Thai Americans, etc.).
(I will be nitpicky and say that the subtitle by no means conveys this, but that is more my problem with the definition of "American" than Helen Zia's; looking at it more, it does make sense in a way that "American" equates "politicization.")
This was an excellent read. Zia was actually instrumental in some of the events of the book, and may have covered others as a journalist. Her writing is immediate and gripping, and I never had a problem keeping my attention on the book. On the other hand, sometimes Zia can editorialize a little too much for me, particularly when she's noting how wrong or ironic something is.
The book starts out with the pivotal Vincent Chin case, which is when Zia basically places the beginning of the Asian-American movement. She also notes the context for those wondering why it took so long for Asian Americans to mobilize: the strict immigration laws that largely kept out Asian-American women meant that the population of an entire generation of Asian Americans largely dwindled and died. It's hard to mobilize when there are only a scattered few of you. The Asian-American population rapidly grew after the 1965 repeal of old immigration laws, and I don't think it's very surprising that it took the next generation to really begin to politicize.
Zia picks out significant moments in the politicization of Asian Americans and dedicates a chapter to each case. Each chapter is prefaced with personal memories. She covers the controversy over casting Jonathan Pryce in the role of the Engineer for Miss Saigon (yellowface), tension between black shoppers and Korean American storekeepers in both NY and LA (and Cambodian Americans' role in the LA race riots), Filipino Americans' struggle over the Wards Cove lawsuit both in Alaska and Washington DC, the Hmong Americans' condemnation of a racist radio show in Minnesota, Japanese Americans in Hawaii pushing for gay marriage, and a coalition of South Asian taxi drivers striking in NY.
I read this not knowing a lot, but also with an odd sense of startled recognition, much like how I felt reading Takaki's history of Asian Americans. "This is my history," I thought. "I'm in here. This affects me." It is not that I can't identify with white American men of the past, but that I am so often asked to. Here was a place where I didn't have to, where my concerns about language and culture and immigration and nationality were discussed. I hope one day that I will no longer be surprised to see this aspect of myself reflected back in books.
It also isn't limited to race, ethnicity and nationality; Zia touches upon issues of class and gender and sexuality as well, though not at all on issues of age and ability. I also liked that she included South Asians and Southeast Asians; I didn't get as much as I wanted, but I wonder if part of that is because of how relatively new those communities are?
The other neat bit was reading and seeing some familiar names pop up ("David Mura! Oh hey, this bit with the Hmong Americans is what he wrote about in his friendship essay!"). I'm still absolutely awful at non-white American history, but it is good to see my bits and pieces of reading here and there suddenly gain context.
I also liked Zia's look at intra-POC and intra-Asian conflicts and coalitions; it gave me a lot of hope. Even though I was deeply disappointed at times -- when the black-Korean association in LA fell apart prior to the race riots, when non-Korean Asian Americans failed to help out the Korean Americans in LA -- I drew strength from knowing that pan-Asian coalitions had existed and worked before, that the NAACP had supported Asian American initiatives, and that Japanese Americans had supported GLBT organizations on gay marriage even when it wasn't specifically a Japanese issue. If it was unjust, it did concern them, they decided; they had keenly felt the lack of support in the past and struggled within their own organization to provide this support to others.
I probably sound dorky and sappy, and I am glossing over many of the difficulties in these coalitions, particularly as they were (are?) the exception and not the rule. But just knowing that these things had happened, regaining these pieces of history -- it made me feel proud and hopeful and comforted and visible and not alone. Even here, where I feel like I don't have that many roots, even here I have a history.
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nojojojo's review
(I will be nitpicky and say that the subtitle by no means conveys this, but that is more my problem with the definition of "American" than Helen Zia's; looking at it more, it does make sense in a way that "American" equates "politicization.")
This was an excellent read. Zia was actually instrumental in some of the events of the book, and may have covered others as a journalist. Her writing is immediate and gripping, and I never had a problem keeping my attention on the book. On the other hand, sometimes Zia can editorialize a little too much for me, particularly when she's noting how wrong or ironic something is.
The book starts out with the pivotal Vincent Chin case, which is when Zia basically places the beginning of the Asian-American movement. She also notes the context for those wondering why it took so long for Asian Americans to mobilize: the strict immigration laws that largely kept out Asian-American women meant that the population of an entire generation of Asian Americans largely dwindled and died. It's hard to mobilize when there are only a scattered few of you. The Asian-American population rapidly grew after the 1965 repeal of old immigration laws, and I don't think it's very surprising that it took the next generation to really begin to politicize.
Zia picks out significant moments in the politicization of Asian Americans and dedicates a chapter to each case. Each chapter is prefaced with personal memories. She covers the controversy over casting Jonathan Pryce in the role of the Engineer for Miss Saigon (yellowface), tension between black shoppers and Korean American storekeepers in both NY and LA (and Cambodian Americans' role in the LA race riots), Filipino Americans' struggle over the Wards Cove lawsuit both in Alaska and Washington DC, the Hmong Americans' condemnation of a racist radio show in Minnesota, Japanese Americans in Hawaii pushing for gay marriage, and a coalition of South Asian taxi drivers striking in NY.
I read this not knowing a lot, but also with an odd sense of startled recognition, much like how I felt reading Takaki's history of Asian Americans. "This is my history," I thought. "I'm in here. This affects me." It is not that I can't identify with white American men of the past, but that I am so often asked to. Here was a place where I didn't have to, where my concerns about language and culture and immigration and nationality were discussed. I hope one day that I will no longer be surprised to see this aspect of myself reflected back in books.
It also isn't limited to race, ethnicity and nationality; Zia touches upon issues of class and gender and sexuality as well, though not at all on issues of age and ability. I also liked that she included South Asians and Southeast Asians; I didn't get as much as I wanted, but I wonder if part of that is because of how relatively new those communities are?
The other neat bit was reading and seeing some familiar names pop up ("David Mura! Oh hey, this bit with the Hmong Americans is what he wrote about in his friendship essay!"). I'm still absolutely awful at non-white American history, but it is good to see my bits and pieces of reading here and there suddenly gain context.
I also liked Zia's look at intra-POC and intra-Asian conflicts and coalitions; it gave me a lot of hope. Even though I was deeply disappointed at times -- when the black-Korean association in LA fell apart prior to the race riots, when non-Korean Asian Americans failed to help out the Korean Americans in LA -- I drew strength from knowing that pan-Asian coalitions had existed and worked before, that the NAACP had supported Asian American initiatives, and that Japanese Americans had supported GLBT organizations on gay marriage even when it wasn't specifically a Japanese issue. If it was unjust, it did concern them, they decided; they had keenly felt the lack of support in the past and struggled within their own organization to provide this support to others.
I probably sound dorky and sappy, and I am glossing over many of the difficulties in these coalitions, particularly as they were (are?) the exception and not the rule. But just knowing that these things had happened, regaining these pieces of history -- it made me feel proud and hopeful and comforted and visible and not alone. Even here, where I feel like I don't have that many roots, even here I have a history.
Links:
-
nojojojo's review
(no subject)
Wed, Aug. 15th, 2007 06:28 pm (UTC)Two of the five main characters in my urban adventure comic are Chinese-Canadian (mainland) and Korean-Canadian Christian, so I'd love your input, especially because we at least share the same politics.
Oh! Cool! Is it a script or something, or sketched out?
Re: Japanese-American support of gay marriage - could this also be because Japan has a history of accepting same-sex relationships?
I don't really think so -- the historical same-sex relationships in Japan were almost all male-male, and were presented as a sort of alternative to marriage, family and home. Also, most of the literature on same-sex relationships was written over two hundred years ago, so while I think it can influence modern attitudes, I don't think it's that likely. Also also, the yaoi/bl subculture in Japan doesn't focus much on gay men as politicized beings; there's a lot of the "Oh, I'm not gay, I'm just in love with a guy" type thing and not much focus on homosexuality as an identity outside of romance.
(no subject)
Wed, Aug. 15th, 2007 07:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Thu, Aug. 16th, 2007 12:12 am (UTC)