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kathleenitpdx's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot tell you how this book works. It is 10 novellas written in a variety of styles--narrative (1st, 2nd and 3rd persons), film scripts, poetry, graphic and some I can't even identify. But I quickly came to care about the characters and their causes. There is beautiful synchronicity in the stories.
The book is based around the International Hotel in San Francisco and is set the 70's when the residents were evicted to make way for "urban renewal". It follows a number of Asian-Americans and their causes.
I was familiar with the injustices done to Chinese and Japanese immigrants and their descendants but the Filipino story was completely new to me.
Highly recommended.
The book is based around the International Hotel in San Francisco and is set the 70's when the residents were evicted to make way for "urban renewal". It follows a number of Asian-Americans and their causes.
I was familiar with the injustices done to Chinese and Japanese immigrants and their descendants but the Filipino story was completely new to me.
Highly recommended.
dansbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This is a remarkable novel - actually, a series of novellas about the various strands of what became known as the Yellow Power movement, and anchored in the struggle to save the International Hotel in San Francisco in the '70s. Long, at times difficult, but deeply rich and rewarding.
kdrmbroms's review against another edition
4.0
Relentlessly intelligent, both in terms of literary style and substance. Alternating poetry, prose, screenplay and line narrative, I Hotel runs the gamut from hip and light-hearted to horribly sad. Full of truths and insights into an explosively intense and volatile period of recent history - the life of the left in the late '60's and early '70's. The frame is the Asian American experience, particularly in NoCal, most particularly in San Francisco. Readers are treated to compelling historical fiction regarding Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese experiences including interments, human smuggling, sweatshops, and blatant discrimination. At the same time, diverse characters provide insight into a rich variety of political, cultural and intellectual traditions and achievements.
Told as a series of loosely interwoven stories, I Hotel can be a bit of a challenge at times. In fact, I decided to finally let go of trying to find threads between stories and characters. I found it more rewarding to enjoy each segment on its own. May be worth a re-read someday.
Told as a series of loosely interwoven stories, I Hotel can be a bit of a challenge at times. In fact, I decided to finally let go of trying to find threads between stories and characters. I found it more rewarding to enjoy each segment on its own. May be worth a re-read someday.
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