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spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
Really just essential reading on the topic.
n8hanson's review against another edition
3.0
An exhaustingly meticulous record of the major struggles for equality of various Asian ethnicities in America, historically and currently. It was a slow but important read. Accounts of news media and Hollywood perpetuation of stereotypes, political willful ignorance, and struggles for unity between and within Asian ethnicities intensified hundreds of examples of racial injustices.
As a white reader with skeletal knowledge of Asian-American history, some historical accounts shocked me:
Japanese-American troops in WW2 suffered the highest casualty rates of any other fighting units.
Filipino veterans of WW2 were promised equal benefits, and then were denied in 1946. They didn't get citizenship until the '90s, VA medical benefits in 2003, and financial compensation in 2009.
The brutal hate crime murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit in 1983 resulted in a mere no contest probation and fine. The judge said "These aren't the kind of men you send to jail...You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime." Two civil trials returned not guilty verdicts. Only 19 of 180 jury pool citizens had even "casual contact" with an Asian, and some of those who did were rejected on that basis.
Lost in the narrative of the 1992 Rodney King riots is the intense anti-Korean racism. More than half the city's damaged properties and financial losses were borne by Koreans.
Deeply segregated and harshly unfair working conditions for Filipino migrant cannery workers in Alaska persisted into the '70s, culminating in mob assassinations of activist labor leaders. Decades of political apathy and corporate lobbying culminated in 1991 federal legislation that established workplace protections, but specifically barred those cannery workers from class action lawsuits. The last time the Senate cared enough to unsuccessfully fight back was 1995.
There were many more examples in these dense 319 pages, but the above were the most egregiously passed over incidences in my inadequate rubric of k-12 American history.
As a white reader with skeletal knowledge of Asian-American history, some historical accounts shocked me:
Japanese-American troops in WW2 suffered the highest casualty rates of any other fighting units.
Filipino veterans of WW2 were promised equal benefits, and then were denied in 1946. They didn't get citizenship until the '90s, VA medical benefits in 2003, and financial compensation in 2009.
The brutal hate crime murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit in 1983 resulted in a mere no contest probation and fine. The judge said "These aren't the kind of men you send to jail...You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime." Two civil trials returned not guilty verdicts. Only 19 of 180 jury pool citizens had even "casual contact" with an Asian, and some of those who did were rejected on that basis.
Lost in the narrative of the 1992 Rodney King riots is the intense anti-Korean racism. More than half the city's damaged properties and financial losses were borne by Koreans.
Deeply segregated and harshly unfair working conditions for Filipino migrant cannery workers in Alaska persisted into the '70s, culminating in mob assassinations of activist labor leaders. Decades of political apathy and corporate lobbying culminated in 1991 federal legislation that established workplace protections, but specifically barred those cannery workers from class action lawsuits. The last time the Senate cared enough to unsuccessfully fight back was 1995.
There were many more examples in these dense 319 pages, but the above were the most egregiously passed over incidences in my inadequate rubric of k-12 American history.
jackedfruit's review against another edition
“The path ahead, blazed by so many bold and daring Asian Americans whose words and deeds have carved a place in America for us, is clear. To be seen, we must make ourselves visible, showing blemish as well as beauty.”
pkgonzales7's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Thoughtful book. A little dated at this point but I learned a lot of history I did not know about and I like the way she weaves in her own story.
rcholst's review against another edition
3.0
I found the personal essays at the beginning of each chapter more interesting than the content itself. However, this is a monumental undertaking from someone who was personally involved in many of the events described. I really appreciated having an historical context (if sometimes dry) for the AAPI movement.
lchall's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing book! Incredibly informative and an enjoyable read to boot.
iymain's review against another edition
5.0
I learned so much! I loved the framing: short vignette from the author's lived experience as an intro and then a deep dive into a political issue that faced a particular segment of the AAPI population at a particular point in history, then a wrap up that connects this incident into the larger flow of AAPI/American history.
My only complaint is that I didn't read this closer to its publication date. How I wish this continued up to 2020!! The demographic trends pointed out then have continued on predicted trajectories.
Two days after Atlanta, GA, however, I had a sense of dejavu. The echoes of history were hard to ignore and yet... The response has been immediate and the demands to recognize the racial component of this crime contrast with the murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit.
I definitely have more to learn, but with this book to provide background and perspective I feel so much more connected to AAPI history, which is American history, too: warts and all.
My only complaint is that I didn't read this closer to its publication date. How I wish this continued up to 2020!! The demographic trends pointed out then have continued on predicted trajectories.
Two days after Atlanta, GA, however, I had a sense of dejavu. The echoes of history were hard to ignore and yet... The response has been immediate and the demands to recognize the racial component of this crime contrast with the murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit.
I definitely have more to learn, but with this book to provide background and perspective I feel so much more connected to AAPI history, which is American history, too: warts and all.
missmanks's review
The memoir parts of the book was so much more interesting than the historical parts... too bad they only accounted for the first one or two pages or each chapter. The history was too dry for me.
mrjess_bhs's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This was a very informative read by Helen Zia! It definitely delved into some topics I was less informed on in Asian American history. I especially liked the many discussions of events that splintered Asian American solidarity intraracially and between AAPI and Black activists. The interracial conflict between those outside the dominant white caste is complicated and yet if we are to truly build a rainbow coalition, we have to dig in to them.