Bulletproof Buddhists

Intersections: Asian and Pacific American Transcultural Studies

by Frank Chin

“America doesn’t want us as a visible native minority. They want us to keep our place as Americanized foreigners ruled by immigrant loyalty. But never having been anything else but born here, I’ve never been foreign and resent having foreigners telling me my place in America and America telling me I’m foreign. There’s no denial or rejection of Chinese culture going on here, just the recognition of the fact that Americanized Chinese are not Chinese Americans and that Chinese Americans cannot be understood in the terms of either Chinese or American culture, or some ‘chow mein/spaghetti’ formula of Chinese and American cultures, or anything else you’ve seen and loved in Charlie Chan.” ―from “Confessions of a Chinatown Cowboy”

Genres: Nonfiction, Asian American

438 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Frank Chin was born in Berkeley, California, but was raised to the age of six by a retired Vaudeville couple in Placerville, California. At six his mother brought him back to the San Francisco Bay Area to live in Oakland Chinatown. He attended college at the University of California, Berkeley. He received an American Book Award in 1989 for a collection of short stories, and another in 2000 for Lifetime Achievement. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Chin is considered to be one of the pioneers in Asian American theatre. He founded the Asian American Theatre Workshop, which became the Asian American Theater Company in 1973. He first gained notoriety as a playwright in the 1970s. His play The Chickencoop Chinaman was the first by an Asian American to be produced on a major New York stage. Stereotypes of Asian Americans, and traditional Chinese folklore are common themes in much of his work. Frank Chin has accused other Asian American writers, particularly Maxine Hong Kingston, of furthering such stereotypes and misrepresenting the traditional stories. Chin, during his professional career, has been highly critical of American writer, Amy Tan, for her telling of Chinese-American stories, indicating that her body of work has furthered and reinforced stereotypical views of this group.

In addition to his work as an author and playwright, Frank Chin has also worked extensively with Japanese American resisters of the draft in WWII. His novel, Born in the U.S.A., is dedicated to this subject.

Chin is also a musician. In the mid-1960s, he taught Robbie Krieger, a member of The Doors how to play the Flamenco guitar.

Reviews

[JANIII · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I remember about these essays (and it's been awhile) is that even if I don't agree (and I often did not) with Chin, he told interesting stories that raise further questions. Some parts drag on, but I remember it without any pain that a great deal of cultural criticism can hold. The back cover (especially the author description and "portrait") tell you a lot about the character f the book.

[Ke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be a generalization, but most writers can be divided into those who prioritize craft and those who prioritize politics. Chin belongs to the latter. I don't mean that he can't write well. The first essay of the collection shows that he is knowledgeable of the writing craft, but with the additional essays, it becomes clear that he cares more about his message.