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cal337's review against another edition
4.0
Kang bases this book on a couple main premises. The first is that most Asian-American immigrants came after the Hart-Celler act changed immigration in 1965 and their history is unexpectedly disconnected from the history of Asian-Americans before them. This premise is counter to the prevailing existing Asian-American discourse which always seems to go back to the Chinese Exclusion act, and I whole-heartedly buy his argument.
Another main premise is that America operates under a racial binary of black and white and Asian-Americans have to choose where they fall within it. I never fully bought into this premise which doesn't fit my life experience and Kang doesn't seem to feel much need to justify his case. With so much of his other arguments built upon this premise, much of the book fell flat.
I like the book when it is a sociology study. When it turns into a personal memoir though, I lost interest. Personal anecdotes can be used to accentuate arguments, but here they seemed disjointed and clashed with the previously established tone.
Another main premise is that America operates under a racial binary of black and white and Asian-Americans have to choose where they fall within it. I never fully bought into this premise which doesn't fit my life experience and Kang doesn't seem to feel much need to justify his case. With so much of his other arguments built upon this premise, much of the book fell flat.
I like the book when it is a sociology study. When it turns into a personal memoir though, I lost interest. Personal anecdotes can be used to accentuate arguments, but here they seemed disjointed and clashed with the previously established tone.
truittclark's review against another edition
3.0
The Loneliest Americans is one of the first books I've read about the history of Asian immigrants to America. It was thought-provoking and brought up many events that I was previously unaware of. However, Kang seems too often to extrapolate his lived experience to other Asian-Americans, making generalizations based on his own life. After reading other reviews, it seems like this is a good starting point for examining Asian-American history, but the analysis should be taken as a look at Kang's life and not as thoughts shared by most Asian-Americans.
brmills's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
iqs's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up for the writing and for some unique insights.
I agree with some other reviewers that JCK generalizes a lot in order to be cooler than, and pass judgement on everyone else, but he's also often self-deprecating so I'll allow it.
I agree with some other reviewers that JCK generalizes a lot in order to be cooler than, and pass judgement on everyone else, but he's also often self-deprecating so I'll allow it.
ghannig's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the insights into the life of Asian Americans provided by Jay in this book. Many of the ideas I was aware of and many I was not. I especially enjoyed the context provided into the friction between Koreans and African Americans in the LA area. I have spent a few years there, which was during the Rodney King Riots. I was aware of the frictions, which were played out as violence during those riots. However, it was very interesting to hear more of the historical context that had produced the feelings beneath those actions. I think that Jay did a good job of sharing personal stories that highlighted the systemic problems that Asian Americans have faced historically and continue to navigate today.
erafael2022's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5