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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Fast and funny. Innovative concept. Didactic. As you’d expect.
- i like how all generations/members of the family have their version of "getting out," and i like how Yu wasn't shy about describing these feelings
- i think i like how the act of "playing a role" was taken to metaphorically represent the immigrant dilemma of assimilation-- i think it could have been a bit more subtle
- i think i like how the act of "playing a role" was taken to metaphorically represent the immigrant dilemma of assimilation-- i think it could have been a bit more subtle
“In the world of Black and White, everyone starts out as Generic Asian Man. Everyone who looks like you, anyway. Unless you’re a woman, in which case you start out as Pretty Asian Woman”.
Thematising the exposition of social identity, the author sheds light on the otherness of the Asian American experience through the form of a screenplay, in which characters ought to stay on script and play their assigned role – but how can we break out of playing these stereotypical roles we are destined to live? This book addresses the contemporary issue of model minority in a creative way: darkly humorous, yet deeply thought-provoking. Highly recommending this book.
- There are a few years when you make almost all of your important memories. And then you spend the next few decades reliving them.
- You’re here, supposedly, in a new land full of opportunity, but somehow have gotten trapped in a pretend version of the old country.
- The widest gulf in the world is the distance between getting by, and not getting by.
- She says that telling a love story is something one person does. Being in love takes both of them. Putting her on a pedestal is just a different way of being alone.
- Who gets to be an American? What does an American look like?
- As, everyone knows, water hates poor people. Given the opportunity, water will always find a way to make poor people miserable, typically at the worst time possible.
- You came here, your parents and their parents and their parents, and you always seem to have just arrived and yet never seem to have actually arrived.
- This is it. The root of it all. The real history of yellow people in America. Two hundred years of being perpetual foreigners.
- He’d always be Your Father, but somehow was no longer your dad.
- Working your way up the system doesn't mean you beat the system. It strengthens it. It's what the system depends on.
- This is the dream. Sustainable employment. Some semblance of work-life balance. Talk white. Not a lot. Get contact lenses. Smile. They will assume you’re smart. The less you say, the better. Try to project: Responsible, Harmless.
- You’re here, supposedly, in a new land full of opportunity, but somehow have gotten trapped in a pretend version of the old country.
- The widest gulf in the world is the distance between getting by, and not getting by.
- She says that telling a love story is something one person does. Being in love takes both of them. Putting her on a pedestal is just a different way of being alone.
- Who gets to be an American? What does an American look like?
- As, everyone knows, water hates poor people. Given the opportunity, water will always find a way to make poor people miserable, typically at the worst time possible.
- You came here, your parents and their parents and their parents, and you always seem to have just arrived and yet never seem to have actually arrived.
- This is it. The root of it all. The real history of yellow people in America. Two hundred years of being perpetual foreigners.
- He’d always be Your Father, but somehow was no longer your dad.
- Working your way up the system doesn't mean you beat the system. It strengthens it. It's what the system depends on.
- This is the dream. Sustainable employment. Some semblance of work-life balance. Talk white. Not a lot. Get contact lenses. Smile. They will assume you’re smart. The less you say, the better. Try to project: Responsible, Harmless.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.65/5
This book was great. The way it mirrors the experience of a our lead character, Willis Wu, as a Chinese-American man living in the US with the experience of being type-cast as such in American TV/film is such a unique way of telling this story. I've never read a book that feels as much like a movie as this one. Now obviosly that's because it is told like a script, through scene descriptions and stage directions, but it really lent itself to creative ways of moving through the scenes and experiencing Willis Wu as a character. This book is very tongue and cheek and is written with a lot of humour while still dealing with a lot more important and deep subject matter: racism in the US, intergenerational trauma, stereotypes, belonging, and the experiences of many Asian-American individuals trying to assimilate into a culture that was built on colonization and oppression. Through an entertaining method of delivery, Interior Chinatown shows you the life of this character through a super creative way of storytelling and in a very fun and clever format! I am really excited now to watch the show that recently came out based on this book!
This book was great. The way it mirrors the experience of a our lead character, Willis Wu, as a Chinese-American man living in the US with the experience of being type-cast as such in American TV/film is such a unique way of telling this story. I've never read a book that feels as much like a movie as this one. Now obviosly that's because it is told like a script, through scene descriptions and stage directions, but it really lent itself to creative ways of moving through the scenes and experiencing Willis Wu as a character. This book is very tongue and cheek and is written with a lot of humour while still dealing with a lot more important and deep subject matter: racism in the US, intergenerational trauma, stereotypes, belonging, and the experiences of many Asian-American individuals trying to assimilate into a culture that was built on colonization and oppression. Through an entertaining method of delivery, Interior Chinatown shows you the life of this character through a super creative way of storytelling and in a very fun and clever format! I am really excited now to watch the show that recently came out based on this book!
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Given that the show just came out, I decided to give this book a try and... oops, I read it all in one day.
Quick synopsis: The story is centered around Willis Wu, who is relegated to playing the role of "Generic Asian Man" in a fictionalized cop show and his longing to be something more: "Kung Fu Guy". There's this sort of meta thing going on where the story weaves through the show and Willis's personal life, so this book already had me hooked on a narrative level.
The style of Yu's writing was also another reason I adored this book so much. The story was written in a second person POV and was often structured like a screenplay. It gave the impression that the readers themselves were cast into the role of Willis, which accentuated the theme of performing the roles society has thrust upon us.
It's this theme that really made the book hit home for me, though, especially being Asian myself. We often define ourselves and others by the roles we play. Roles that are deemed appropriate for our "character." It's only natural to want to fit in, to assimilate, to be accepted. So we contentedly play into these roles, ultimately perpetuating a never-ending cycle of hoping to land a larger part in a show that never intended to cast us in the first place. Contributing to a production that will not pay us our dues.
In the end, however, all we need to do is just be. It's in this aspect that the book provides more questions than answers as this is a topic that warrants further discussion, but I'm ok with that.
I really enjoyed my time with this book. It's surreal, funny, and heartfelt. Highly recommend!
Quick synopsis: The story is centered around Willis Wu, who is relegated to playing the role of "Generic Asian Man" in a fictionalized cop show and his longing to be something more: "Kung Fu Guy". There's this sort of meta thing going on where the story weaves through the show and Willis's personal life, so this book already had me hooked on a narrative level.
The style of Yu's writing was also another reason I adored this book so much. The story was written in a second person POV and was often structured like a screenplay. It gave the impression that the readers themselves were cast into the role of Willis, which accentuated the theme of performing the roles society has thrust upon us.
It's this theme that really made the book hit home for me, though, especially being Asian myself. We often define ourselves and others by the roles we play. Roles that are deemed appropriate for our "character." It's only natural to want to fit in, to assimilate, to be accepted. So we contentedly play into these roles, ultimately perpetuating a never-ending cycle of hoping to land a larger part in a show that never intended to cast us in the first place. Contributing to a production that will not pay us our dues.
In the end, however, all we need to do is just be. It's in this aspect that the book provides more questions than answers as this is a topic that warrants further discussion, but I'm ok with that.
I really enjoyed my time with this book. It's surreal, funny, and heartfelt. Highly recommend!