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A review by ashluhley
Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America by Julia Lee
5.0
“We were all trapped in this fantasy called the American dream, and none of us were brave enough to disavow it completely. It gave meaning to my parents’ lives, it turned my sister and me into exemplars, and it glossed over the parts that were inconvenient or ugly.”
This was a phenomenal read. Julia Lee dives deep into the oppressive systems that run rampant in America, and the way that White Supremacy is deeply ingrained in our history and society. This book wraps memoir, reflection and revelation into one beautifully written experience.
Julia writes of her experiences growing up as a Korean-American woman; the imposter syndrome, the rage, the sadness, the frustration. She candidly and openly expresses times in her life where she now recognizes that she was acting within the parameters of White Supremacist thinking, influenced by the oppressive culture around her. She humanizes the experience of growth, atonement and educating oneself on the ways that these systems need to be refused and dismantled.
The retelling of her memories is poignant and transparent; each one seamlessly tied into the next. She speaks of countless instances in which she was subject to micro-aggressions, blatant racism and fetishization. She speaks of intergenerational trauma as a Korean-American. She speaks on the struggle of existing within expectations of conforming to the model minority stereotypes that are so often associated with Asian-Americans, and the whiplash of being deemed as “too Asian, and yet not Asian enough”.
This was a beautifully written reflection on what it means to recognize, and turn away from White Supremacist ideology. To look at these systems, infiltrate them, and change them. To bite the hand that feeds you.
This was a phenomenal read. Julia Lee dives deep into the oppressive systems that run rampant in America, and the way that White Supremacy is deeply ingrained in our history and society. This book wraps memoir, reflection and revelation into one beautifully written experience.
Julia writes of her experiences growing up as a Korean-American woman; the imposter syndrome, the rage, the sadness, the frustration. She candidly and openly expresses times in her life where she now recognizes that she was acting within the parameters of White Supremacist thinking, influenced by the oppressive culture around her. She humanizes the experience of growth, atonement and educating oneself on the ways that these systems need to be refused and dismantled.
The retelling of her memories is poignant and transparent; each one seamlessly tied into the next. She speaks of countless instances in which she was subject to micro-aggressions, blatant racism and fetishization. She speaks of intergenerational trauma as a Korean-American. She speaks on the struggle of existing within expectations of conforming to the model minority stereotypes that are so often associated with Asian-Americans, and the whiplash of being deemed as “too Asian, and yet not Asian enough”.
This was a beautifully written reflection on what it means to recognize, and turn away from White Supremacist ideology. To look at these systems, infiltrate them, and change them. To bite the hand that feeds you.