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A review by cameliarose
Mixed: An Anthology of Short Fiction on the Multiracial Experience by Mary Yukari Waters, Wayde Compton, Mat Johnson, Emily Raboteau, Stewart David Ikeda, Rebecca Walker, Carmit Delman, Lucinda Roy, Chandra Prasad, Mamle Kabu, Neela Vaswani, Marina Budhos, Cristina García, Brian Ascalon Roley, Ruth Ozeki, Diana Abu-Jaber, Peter Ho Davies, Danzy Senna, Kien Nguyen
4.0
This is a collection of short stories about multiracial experiences. Written by writers who are multi-racial themselves, however, they are not mini-biographies. I enjoyed most of them, although they are not always the same quality and depth.
My favourites:
The anthropologists' kids by Ruth Ozeki
A poignant and innocent tale with a dark edge, very fitting in today's global political climate. I am fan of Ruth Ozeki's lucid and effortless writing.
Minotaur by Peter Ho Davies
A modern fable of a half-man half-beast, short but forceful. It's a pure linguistic pleasure to read this prose poem.
Unacknowledged by Brian Ascalon Roley
A very sharp story. Multiracial identity crisis clashes with sexual development, double dosage of growing up in pain.
Caste system by Mary Yukari Waters
A beautiful short story. It is more about Japan than multiracial experience. It captures the subtlety of eastern culture very well.
Wayward by Chandra Prasad
Dark and violent, Wayward catches me off guard, the only problem of which is too short. It could be a brilliant thriller.
Mrs. Turner's lawn Jockeys by Emily Raboteau
A cute story, it makes me laugh out loud.
Others:
Effigies by Lucinda Roy
Gender issue or race issue? Can you always make a clean cut? The survival of a suppressed coloured man sometimes includes being ignorant if not dominant to the even more suppressed coloured women.
Footnote by Carmit Delman
Is this story the "weird" one mentioned by another reviewer? A woman's searching for her partial identity in her blood but missing from her upbringing.
My Elizabeth by Diana Abu-Jaber
A snapshot of American Indian history in 1970s, told through a young girl of mixed parentage. The writing style is not my favourite. I find it broken or incessant at times.
Falling sky by Cristina Garcia
A story about a troubled teenage boy of multiracial parentage, set in Vietnam. Aren't all teenagers troubled?
Hollywood by Marina Budhos
A story about a troubled teenage girl of multiracial parentage and her equally troubled mother.
Human mathematics by Mamle Kabu
A race-incident in an English boarding school and a mixed race girl who is on both sides therefore on neither side.
Bing-Chen by Neela Vaswani
Is this story the "pointless" one mentioned about another reviewer?
The lost sparrow by Kien Nguyen
The bleakest story in this collection. It's more about Vietnam than multiracial experience.
Triad by Danzy Senna
A literature experiment.
My favourites:
The anthropologists' kids by Ruth Ozeki
A poignant and innocent tale with a dark edge, very fitting in today's global political climate. I am fan of Ruth Ozeki's lucid and effortless writing.
Minotaur by Peter Ho Davies
A modern fable of a half-man half-beast, short but forceful. It's a pure linguistic pleasure to read this prose poem.
Unacknowledged by Brian Ascalon Roley
A very sharp story. Multiracial identity crisis clashes with sexual development, double dosage of growing up in pain.
Caste system by Mary Yukari Waters
A beautiful short story. It is more about Japan than multiracial experience. It captures the subtlety of eastern culture very well.
Wayward by Chandra Prasad
Dark and violent, Wayward catches me off guard, the only problem of which is too short. It could be a brilliant thriller.
Mrs. Turner's lawn Jockeys by Emily Raboteau
A cute story, it makes me laugh out loud.
Others:
Effigies by Lucinda Roy
Gender issue or race issue? Can you always make a clean cut? The survival of a suppressed coloured man sometimes includes being ignorant if not dominant to the even more suppressed coloured women.
Footnote by Carmit Delman
Is this story the "weird" one mentioned by another reviewer? A woman's searching for her partial identity in her blood but missing from her upbringing.
My Elizabeth by Diana Abu-Jaber
A snapshot of American Indian history in 1970s, told through a young girl of mixed parentage. The writing style is not my favourite. I find it broken or incessant at times.
Falling sky by Cristina Garcia
A story about a troubled teenage boy of multiracial parentage, set in Vietnam. Aren't all teenagers troubled?
Hollywood by Marina Budhos
A story about a troubled teenage girl of multiracial parentage and her equally troubled mother.
Human mathematics by Mamle Kabu
A race-incident in an English boarding school and a mixed race girl who is on both sides therefore on neither side.
Bing-Chen by Neela Vaswani
Is this story the "pointless" one mentioned about another reviewer?
The lost sparrow by Kien Nguyen
The bleakest story in this collection. It's more about Vietnam than multiracial experience.
Triad by Danzy Senna
A literature experiment.