What the community thinks
summary of 803 ratings (see reviews)
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Racism (9 reviewers), Death (4 reviewers), Rape (4 reviewers), Xenophobia (4 reviewers), Mental illness (3 reviewers), Racial slurs (3 reviewers), Sexual assault (3 reviewers), Murder (3 reviewers), Hate crime (2 reviewers), Misogyny (2 reviewers), Sexism (2 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (2 reviewers), Grief (2 reviewers), Alcoholism (1 reviewer), Body shaming (1 reviewer), Child abuse (1 reviewer), Drug abuse (1 reviewer), Drug use (1 reviewer), Eating disorder (1 reviewer), Physical abuse (1 reviewer), Self harm (1 reviewer), Sexual violence (1 reviewer), Suicide (1 reviewer), Toxic relationship (1 reviewer), Violence (1 reviewer), Blood (1 reviewer), Police brutality (1 reviewer), and Suicide attempt (1 reviewer)Moderate
Racism (5 reviewers), Rape (5 reviewers), Murder (5 reviewers), Mental illness (4 reviewers), Violence (4 reviewers), Drug use (3 reviewers), Racial slurs (3 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (3 reviewers), Toxic relationship (3 reviewers), Death (2 reviewers), Domestic abuse (2 reviewers), Eating disorder (2 reviewers), Emotional abuse (2 reviewers), Sexual assault (2 reviewers), Sexual violence (2 reviewers), Grief (2 reviewers), Suicide attempt (2 reviewers), Ableism (1 reviewer), Addiction (1 reviewer), Bullying (1 reviewer), Child abuse (1 reviewer), Genocide (1 reviewer), Hate crime (1 reviewer), Misogyny (1 reviewer), Physical abuse (1 reviewer), Sexism (1 reviewer), Slavery (1 reviewer), and Xenophobia (1 reviewer)Minor
Domestic abuse (3 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (3 reviewers), Suicide (3 reviewers), Alcoholism (2 reviewers), Child abuse (1 reviewer), Confinement (1 reviewer), Cursing (1 reviewer), Drug abuse (1 reviewer), Drug use (1 reviewer), Mental illness (1 reviewer), Rape (1 reviewer), Islamophobia (1 reviewer), Dementia (1 reviewer), and Suicide attempt (1 reviewer)Moods
reflective 85%
informative 78%
challenging 65%
emotional 55%
dark 16%
inspiring 16%
funny 12%
sad 10%
tense 8%
hopeful 6%
adventurous 0%
lighthearted 0%
mysterious 0%
relaxing 0%
informative 78%
challenging 65%
emotional 55%
dark 16%
inspiring 16%
funny 12%
sad 10%
tense 8%
hopeful 6%
adventurous 0%
lighthearted 0%
mysterious 0%
relaxing 0%
Pace
medium 73%
fast 15%
slow 11%
fast 15%
slow 11%
Average rating
Buy Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
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A ruthlessly honest, emotionally charged exploration of the psychological condition of being Asian American, by an award-winning poet and essayist
Asian Americans inhabit a purgatorial status: neither white enough nor black enough, unmentioned in most conversations about racial identity. In the popular imagination, Asian Americans are all high-achieving professionals. But in reality, this is the most economically divided group in the country, a tenuous alliance of people with roots from South Asia to East Asia to the Pacific Islands, from tech millionaires to service industry laborers. How do we speak honestly about the Asian American condition—if such a thing exists?
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively confronts this thorny subject, blending memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America. Binding these essays together is Hong's theory of "minor feelings." As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Cathy Park Hong grew up steeped in shame, suspicion, and melancholy. She would later understand that these "minor feelings" occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality—when you believe the lies you're told about your own racial identity.
With sly humor and a poet's searching mind, Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today. This intimate and devastating book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and artmaking, and to family and female friendship. A radically honest work of art, Minor Feelings forms a portrait of one Asian American psyche—and of a writer's search to both uncover and speak the truth.
Asian Americans inhabit a purgatorial status: neither white enough nor black enough, unmentioned in most conversations about racial identity. In the popular imagination, Asian Americans are all high-achieving professionals. But in reality, this is the most economically divided group in the country, a tenuous alliance of people with roots from South Asia to East Asia to the Pacific Islands, from tech millionaires to service industry laborers. How do we speak honestly about the Asian American condition—if such a thing exists?
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively confronts this thorny subject, blending memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America. Binding these essays together is Hong's theory of "minor feelings." As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Cathy Park Hong grew up steeped in shame, suspicion, and melancholy. She would later understand that these "minor feelings" occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality—when you believe the lies you're told about your own racial identity.
With sly humor and a poet's searching mind, Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today. This intimate and devastating book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and artmaking, and to family and female friendship. A radically honest work of art, Minor Feelings forms a portrait of one Asian American psyche—and of a writer's search to both uncover and speak the truth.
Buy Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
United States
Bookshop US
Other countries
Bookshop UK
Blackwell's
The StoryGraph is an affiliate of the featured links. We earn commission on any purchases made.
A ruthlessly honest, emotionally charged exploration of the psychological condition of being Asian American, by an award-winning poet and essayist
Asian Americans inhabit a purgatorial status: neither white enough nor black enough, unmentioned in most conversations about racial identity. In the popular imagination, Asian Americans are all high-achieving professionals. But in reality, this is the most economically divided group in the country, a tenuous alliance of people with roots from South Asia to East Asia to the Pacific Islands, from tech millionaires to service industry laborers. How do we speak honestly about the Asian American condition—if such a thing exists?
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively confronts this thorny subject, blending memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America. Binding these essays together is Hong's theory of "minor feelings." As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Cathy Park Hong grew up steeped in shame, suspicion, and melancholy. She would later understand that these "minor feelings" occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality—when you believe the lies you're told about your own racial identity.
With sly humor and a poet's searching mind, Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today. This intimate and devastating book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and artmaking, and to family and female friendship. A radically honest work of art, Minor Feelings forms a portrait of one Asian American psyche—and of a writer's search to both uncover and speak the truth.
Asian Americans inhabit a purgatorial status: neither white enough nor black enough, unmentioned in most conversations about racial identity. In the popular imagination, Asian Americans are all high-achieving professionals. But in reality, this is the most economically divided group in the country, a tenuous alliance of people with roots from South Asia to East Asia to the Pacific Islands, from tech millionaires to service industry laborers. How do we speak honestly about the Asian American condition—if such a thing exists?
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively confronts this thorny subject, blending memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America. Binding these essays together is Hong's theory of "minor feelings." As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Cathy Park Hong grew up steeped in shame, suspicion, and melancholy. She would later understand that these "minor feelings" occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality—when you believe the lies you're told about your own racial identity.
With sly humor and a poet's searching mind, Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today. This intimate and devastating book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and artmaking, and to family and female friendship. A radically honest work of art, Minor Feelings forms a portrait of one Asian American psyche—and of a writer's search to both uncover and speak the truth.
What the community thinks
summary of 803 ratings (see reviews)
Content warnings
View warnings
Graphic
Racism (9 reviewers), Death (4 reviewers), Rape (4 reviewers), Xenophobia (4 reviewers), Mental illness (3 reviewers), Racial slurs (3 reviewers), Sexual assault (3 reviewers), Murder (3 reviewers), Hate crime (2 reviewers), Misogyny (2 reviewers), Sexism (2 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (2 reviewers), Grief (2 reviewers), Alcoholism (1 reviewer), Body shaming (1 reviewer), Child abuse (1 reviewer), Drug abuse (1 reviewer), Drug use (1 reviewer), Eating disorder (1 reviewer), Physical abuse (1 reviewer), Self harm (1 reviewer), Sexual violence (1 reviewer), Suicide (1 reviewer), Toxic relationship (1 reviewer), Violence (1 reviewer), Blood (1 reviewer), Police brutality (1 reviewer), and Suicide attempt (1 reviewer)Moderate
Racism (5 reviewers), Rape (5 reviewers), Murder (5 reviewers), Mental illness (4 reviewers), Violence (4 reviewers), Drug use (3 reviewers), Racial slurs (3 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (3 reviewers), Toxic relationship (3 reviewers), Death (2 reviewers), Domestic abuse (2 reviewers), Eating disorder (2 reviewers), Emotional abuse (2 reviewers), Sexual assault (2 reviewers), Sexual violence (2 reviewers), Grief (2 reviewers), Suicide attempt (2 reviewers), Ableism (1 reviewer), Addiction (1 reviewer), Bullying (1 reviewer), Child abuse (1 reviewer), Genocide (1 reviewer), Hate crime (1 reviewer), Misogyny (1 reviewer), Physical abuse (1 reviewer), Sexism (1 reviewer), Slavery (1 reviewer), and Xenophobia (1 reviewer)Minor
Domestic abuse (3 reviewers), Suicidal thoughts (3 reviewers), Suicide (3 reviewers), Alcoholism (2 reviewers), Child abuse (1 reviewer), Confinement (1 reviewer), Cursing (1 reviewer), Drug abuse (1 reviewer), Drug use (1 reviewer), Mental illness (1 reviewer), Rape (1 reviewer), Islamophobia (1 reviewer), Dementia (1 reviewer), and Suicide attempt (1 reviewer)Moods
reflective 85%
informative 78%
challenging 65%
emotional 55%
dark 16%
inspiring 16%
funny 12%
sad 10%
tense 8%
hopeful 6%
adventurous 0%
lighthearted 0%
mysterious 0%
relaxing 0%
informative 78%
challenging 65%
emotional 55%
dark 16%
inspiring 16%
funny 12%
sad 10%
tense 8%
hopeful 6%
adventurous 0%
lighthearted 0%
mysterious 0%
relaxing 0%
Pace
medium 73%
fast 15%
slow 11%
fast 15%
slow 11%
Average rating