A review by candelibri
The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority by Ellen D. Wu

informative slow-paced

3.5

While there is no doubt about how important this work is, in an academic sense, the readability level comes in at around a 2. Incredibly dense and at times difficult to digest, the information is still well-researched and offers many other resources to explore. 

Focusing specifically on the Chinese and Japanese American experiences, it was illuminating to see both groups juxtaposed against the Chinese Exclusion Act as well as the Japanese internment during WWII. 

Ultimately, the “model minority” stigma did exactly what it was designed to do - ostracize East Asian Americans from other minority groups and “othered” them just enough so they were in a class all their own: not quite aligned with Black and Brown people (despite having similar experiences as the hands of white supremacy) and not aligned close enough with white people.