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Asian America
When Half Is Whole: Multiethnic Asian American Identities
"I listen and gather people's stories. Then I write them down in a way that I hope will communicate something to others, so that seeing these stories will give readers something of value. I tell myself that this isn't going to be done unless I do it, just because of who I am. It's a way of making my mark, leaving something behind . . . not that I'm planning on going anywhere right now." So explains Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu in this touching, introspective, and insightful examination of mixed race Asian American experiences. The son of an Irish American father and Japanese mother, Murphy-Shigematsu uses his personal journey of identity exploration and discovery of his diverse roots to illuminate the journeys of others. Throughout the book, his reflections are interspersed among portraits of persons of biracial and mixed ethnicity and accounts of their efforts to answer a seemingly simple Who am I? Here we meet Norma, raised in postwar Japan, the daughter of a Japanese woman and an American serviceman, who struggled to make sense of her ethnic heritage and national belonging. Wei Ming, born in Australia and raised in the San Francisco of the 1970s and 1980s, grapples as well with issues of identity, in her case both ethnic and sexual. We also encounter Rudy, a "Mexipino"; Marshall, a "Jewish, adopted Korean"; Mitzi, a "Blackinawan"; and other extraordinary people who find how connecting to all parts of themselves also connects them to others. With its attention on people who have been regarded as "half" this or "half" that throughout their lives, these stories make vivid the process of becoming whole.
246 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 15, 2015
(Sorry I keep editing this, noticed some mistakes.)
Puerto Rican, Chinese, African American. Afro-Chino. Mestiza. A not-so-serious Catholic. Who am I?
This whole book is Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu and a load of other similar writers who struggled with this one question, "Who am I, exactly?" The author is Japanese and Irish, sometimes he calls himself the "Celtic Samurai." He was born in Japan and lived in the U.S. and then went back to Japan as an adult. Everybody in this book talks about their life experiences as a mixed race East Asian person. The author struggled with growing up in two worlds where he is not accepted fully. In Japan, he's a foreigner that speaks Japanese, in the United States, he's a Japanese that looks somewhat White, but is still not accepted because he isn't "White enough." Then there's a Mexipino, a Blackinawan, a Jewish Korean adoptee, and a many others who feel foreign wherever they go. This book covers a lot of history about post-World War II Japan and Okinawa that I highly suggest people should read, it really opened up my mind and cleared up a lot of the skewed perceptions people have about other countries. A lot of people don't want to see both sides when people hear about xenophobia.
The perspectives I can relate to the most was the Mexipino, Rudy, and the Blackinawin, Mitzi. Rudy's was close because I'm Puerto Rican, I don't speak Spanish and I can't dance, in this case it's salsa, to save my life and I am too timid to do so. So of course, right away, I know that I don't fit in with most Puerto Ricans. Despite that Mexican and Puerto Rican cultures are different, they do share similarities, like how Japanese and Chinese culture share some similarities but they are all different, and they are vastly different from Filipino culture. Mitzi's story relates to me because like most African Americans, I struggled a lot with the "bad hair" complex, and both of us are not visibly Asian looking, knowing that colorism and anti-Blackness is so prevalent in Asian communities. We constantly have to prove who we are. Being Black, but also Asian and Latinx at the same time means receiving Asian microaggressions despite not being full Asian, getting yelled at for speaking Spanish like a gringo and for actually not knowing Spanish at all, and feeling awkward because I literally do not know most of what it's popular in Black pop culture. It also doesn't help that my first and last name is Chinese and for some reason I'm constantly mistaken as Filipino. This is what this book is all about, healing, accepting, and exploring one's self.
One aspect of a culture doesn't represent a people as a whole. You don't need to speak fluent Spanish or Mandarin to be "authentic" Puerto Rican or Chinese, you don't need to know the latest hip hop hits to be an "authentic" African American. Actually African Americans have invented so much of our American culture, way more than hip-hop, that I honestly get confused when people say that rock music is White people's music. However, the reason for that is two words, White supremacy and cultural appropriation. There was an article by Zoë Kravitz that was very relatable to me, but I can't find it at the moment. (I would like to talk more about identity and stuff, but then this review will get too long.)
And now here's some points I didn't like about this book:
- Too many books about mixed race Asian experiences focus too much on East Asians, especially Japan. I know that since the author is half Japanese, he will automatically gravitate toward everyone who is Japanese. But in general, there is little representation of mixed-race Asians who aren't East Asian and are non-White. Afro-Asians are always the least represented. What about Latinx Japanese people? What about Afro-Arabs? What about Arab Chinese? What about Afro-Vietnamese or Afro-Indians?
- Possibly by pure coincidence and because of the generation the writers were born in, too many books about mixed race Asians have military parents. Not all of us have parents from the military or are military kids. My Singaporean Chinese father was a chef and my mother is a teacher. I am aware that most are from the military, but not ALL of us are.
- There needs to be more from those who are American born. A lot of these essays tend to be from people who were born on their native lands and moved here or elsewhere. (Does this make sense what I'm saying?) I read this point over and realized how underdeveloped and silly it sounded. Thank you Melanie Page, for bringing up a good point. One of the people Murphy-Shigematsu covered was a woman, I can't recall her name at the moment, who is a second or third generation Japanese American. Of course, I mean I want stories that are not only U.S. centric. I meant that I wanted to hear more stories about people like the woman I just mentioned, who were disconnected with their culture over the generations, and decided to reconnect. But I also want to hear about the diasporas that take place in other countries like let's say Ireland or somebody like how Kazuo Ishiguro who is Japanese, not mixed race or mixed ethnicity, but lives as a British Japanese who is British all the way through. But since the author is American, of course, he will have more American experiences.
Rating: 3.5/5
P.S. Some people misinterpreted the title of this book and thought that it was about mixed race Asians identifying as Full Asian. No, he's saying that mixed race Asians are becoming whole, becoming whole as in accepting both sides. Not just the Asian side, not just the other side. What he means is taking all of you and becoming whole. No fractions.
Originally published here: http://notesontheshore.blogspot.com/2...
Puerto Rican, Chinese, African American. Afro-Chino. Mestiza. A not-so-serious Catholic. Who am I?
This whole book is Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu and a load of other similar writers who struggled with this one question, "Who am I, exactly?" The author is Japanese and Irish, sometimes he calls himself the "Celtic Samurai." He was born in Japan and lived in the U.S. and then went back to Japan as an adult. Everybody in this book talks about their life experiences as a mixed race East Asian person. The author struggled with growing up in two worlds where he is not accepted fully. In Japan, he's a foreigner that speaks Japanese, in the United States, he's a Japanese that looks somewhat White, but is still not accepted because he isn't "White enough." Then there's a Mexipino, a Blackinawan, a Jewish Korean adoptee, and a many others who feel foreign wherever they go. This book covers a lot of history about post-World War II Japan and Okinawa that I highly suggest people should read, it really opened up my mind and cleared up a lot of the skewed perceptions people have about other countries. A lot of people don't want to see both sides when people hear about xenophobia.
The perspectives I can relate to the most was the Mexipino, Rudy, and the Blackinawin, Mitzi. Rudy's was close because I'm Puerto Rican, I don't speak Spanish and I can't dance, in this case it's salsa, to save my life and I am too timid to do so. So of course, right away, I know that I don't fit in with most Puerto Ricans. Despite that Mexican and Puerto Rican cultures are different, they do share similarities, like how Japanese and Chinese culture share some similarities but they are all different, and they are vastly different from Filipino culture. Mitzi's story relates to me because like most African Americans, I struggled a lot with the "bad hair" complex, and both of us are not visibly Asian looking, knowing that colorism and anti-Blackness is so prevalent in Asian communities. We constantly have to prove who we are. Being Black, but also Asian and Latinx at the same time means receiving Asian microaggressions despite not being full Asian, getting yelled at for speaking Spanish like a gringo and for actually not knowing Spanish at all, and feeling awkward because I literally do not know most of what it's popular in Black pop culture. It also doesn't help that my first and last name is Chinese and for some reason I'm constantly mistaken as Filipino. This is what this book is all about, healing, accepting, and exploring one's self.
One aspect of a culture doesn't represent a people as a whole. You don't need to speak fluent Spanish or Mandarin to be "authentic" Puerto Rican or Chinese, you don't need to know the latest hip hop hits to be an "authentic" African American. Actually African Americans have invented so much of our American culture, way more than hip-hop, that I honestly get confused when people say that rock music is White people's music. However, the reason for that is two words, White supremacy and cultural appropriation. There was an article by Zoë Kravitz that was very relatable to me, but I can't find it at the moment. (I would like to talk more about identity and stuff, but then this review will get too long.)
And now here's some points I didn't like about this book:
- Too many books about mixed race Asian experiences focus too much on East Asians, especially Japan. I know that since the author is half Japanese, he will automatically gravitate toward everyone who is Japanese. But in general, there is little representation of mixed-race Asians who aren't East Asian and are non-White. Afro-Asians are always the least represented. What about Latinx Japanese people? What about Afro-Arabs? What about Arab Chinese? What about Afro-Vietnamese or Afro-Indians?
- Possibly by pure coincidence and because of the generation the writers were born in, too many books about mixed race Asians have military parents. Not all of us have parents from the military or are military kids. My Singaporean Chinese father was a chef and my mother is a teacher. I am aware that most are from the military, but not ALL of us are.
Rating: 3.5/5
P.S. Some people misinterpreted the title of this book and thought that it was about mixed race Asians identifying as Full Asian. No, he's saying that mixed race Asians are becoming whole, becoming whole as in accepting both sides. Not just the Asian side, not just the other side. What he means is taking all of you and becoming whole. No fractions.
Originally published here: http://notesontheshore.blogspot.com/2...
January 2, 2018
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As soon as I saw When Half is Whole on the Asian Lit Bingo list of possible reads for the non-fiction slot, I knew that I needed to read it. I'm multiracial, and even though the novel examined the experiences of Asian Americans, I thought I might find some things that I can relate to.
This is an #ownvoices book.
__
I was mislead by the blurb and thought that this book would discuss experiences of Asian American from a variety of ethnicities. However, most of the people interviewed had some connection to Japan or East Asia. There weren't many with connections to other parts of Asia, and I was not expecting this at all. Thus, I was quite disappointed here. Also most of the people had some kind of connection to the military, and they were all of the same age, i.e. at least a generation older than me. I thought that this would be a book that would provide a more general overview of Asian American experiences, however the author was focussed on discussing his personal story and most of the experiences of others that he discusses, he analyses them in respect to his own experiences. Thus, I assume, the choices for the people represented fell on the people who were mentioned in this book.
This doesn't mean that the book wasn't fascinating, I'd just like the blurb to be rewritten because it certainly made my reading experience less fun as I kept waiting for a more diverse discussion with portraits of people with connections to more place in Asia, and people of different generations.
It's an intersectional book, not only discussing racial issues but also talking about sexuality. Sometimes, a person focusses on only one aspect of oppression and doesn't delve into how this intersects with other types of discrimination. He discusses how his viewpoint on LGBTQIAP+ rights changed throughout the years, and I loved this.
The author also touched on racism in the Asian American community, and I think this is an aspect that Asian (diaspora) people in general have to keep in mind. We cannot complain about racism happening to us, but do it to others at the same time.
The word "hapa" as a synonym for multiracial Asian Americans is used in this book, and in a later chapter, there is a discussion on whether this term should be used by Asian Americans or if it's appropriation. I'm not Native Hawaiian. If you are and would like to weigh in on how this part was handled, you can comment down below or link your review.
The word "Indian" is used in this book, instead of Native American at one point.
I highlighted so much while reading this book, as there were so many good quotes that meant a lot to me. I'd like to finish this part of the review with some of my favourite quotes from this book:
"While others may see me as "half", I know that I am whole. This whole me is greater than the sum of its parts and connects me to something beyond my self, to communities of others and to a collective self."
"Some feel they have the best of both worlds, while others struggle with an ambiguous identity."
"When we disobeyed my mother's rules or screamed, we were being ""too American"."
"I stifle my curiosity about someone's background and wait to see whether the person decides to tell me or not."
__
So while I liked this book, I was not satisfied as the blurb promises a wholly different book. However, I was able to identify with quite a few experiences and found that I'm not alone in my confusion. It's an interesting book that will introduce you to some experiences that people from more than one culture have, if you yourself are only of one culture. If you yourself, are multicultural, then you might find some concepts familiar.
Content warnings: racist language.
As soon as I saw When Half is Whole on the Asian Lit Bingo list of possible reads for the non-fiction slot, I knew that I needed to read it. I'm multiracial, and even though the novel examined the experiences of Asian Americans, I thought I might find some things that I can relate to.
This is an #ownvoices book.
__
I was mislead by the blurb and thought that this book would discuss experiences of Asian American from a variety of ethnicities. However, most of the people interviewed had some connection to Japan or East Asia. There weren't many with connections to other parts of Asia, and I was not expecting this at all. Thus, I was quite disappointed here. Also most of the people had some kind of connection to the military, and they were all of the same age, i.e. at least a generation older than me. I thought that this would be a book that would provide a more general overview of Asian American experiences, however the author was focussed on discussing his personal story and most of the experiences of others that he discusses, he analyses them in respect to his own experiences. Thus, I assume, the choices for the people represented fell on the people who were mentioned in this book.
This doesn't mean that the book wasn't fascinating, I'd just like the blurb to be rewritten because it certainly made my reading experience less fun as I kept waiting for a more diverse discussion with portraits of people with connections to more place in Asia, and people of different generations.
It's an intersectional book, not only discussing racial issues but also talking about sexuality. Sometimes, a person focusses on only one aspect of oppression and doesn't delve into how this intersects with other types of discrimination. He discusses how his viewpoint on LGBTQIAP+ rights changed throughout the years, and I loved this.
The author also touched on racism in the Asian American community, and I think this is an aspect that Asian (diaspora) people in general have to keep in mind. We cannot complain about racism happening to us, but do it to others at the same time.
The word "hapa" as a synonym for multiracial Asian Americans is used in this book, and in a later chapter, there is a discussion on whether this term should be used by Asian Americans or if it's appropriation. I'm not Native Hawaiian. If you are and would like to weigh in on how this part was handled, you can comment down below or link your review.
The word "Indian" is used in this book, instead of Native American at one point.
I highlighted so much while reading this book, as there were so many good quotes that meant a lot to me. I'd like to finish this part of the review with some of my favourite quotes from this book:
"While others may see me as "half", I know that I am whole. This whole me is greater than the sum of its parts and connects me to something beyond my self, to communities of others and to a collective self."
"Some feel they have the best of both worlds, while others struggle with an ambiguous identity."
"When we disobeyed my mother's rules or screamed, we were being ""too American"."
"I stifle my curiosity about someone's background and wait to see whether the person decides to tell me or not."
__
So while I liked this book, I was not satisfied as the blurb promises a wholly different book. However, I was able to identify with quite a few experiences and found that I'm not alone in my confusion. It's an interesting book that will introduce you to some experiences that people from more than one culture have, if you yourself are only of one culture. If you yourself, are multicultural, then you might find some concepts familiar.
Content warnings: racist language.
June 1, 2020
This book resonated with me and my experiences as a "haafu" in ways beyond what I could have imagined. Murphy-Shigematsu put into words feelings that I have increasingly realized throughout my life, such as those described in the following excerpt:
"I was painfully aware that I was often cast outside the realm of 'the Japanese' because the narrow conception of 'Japanese' excluded people like me. It is not just outsiders who isolate and insulate the Japanese, but the country's own cultural essentialists and neonationalists who make a fetish of the supposed singularity of the national character."
The stories Murphy-Shigamatsu shared also expanded on what I realize has been a personally-confined view of being "part" Asian. There are countless other permutations of "Asian-ness" that others experience, and this book helped me become aware of some of those experiences.
"I was painfully aware that I was often cast outside the realm of 'the Japanese' because the narrow conception of 'Japanese' excluded people like me. It is not just outsiders who isolate and insulate the Japanese, but the country's own cultural essentialists and neonationalists who make a fetish of the supposed singularity of the national character."
The stories Murphy-Shigamatsu shared also expanded on what I realize has been a personally-confined view of being "part" Asian. There are countless other permutations of "Asian-ness" that others experience, and this book helped me become aware of some of those experiences.
May 22, 2025
As a multiethnic asian american, I really enjoyed this book. It presented a lot of perspectives I've never thought about, and I reflected a lot about how the landscapes have changed in the 10+ years since this book was written, as I'm now part of a new younger generation that the author hadn't yet encountered. The book does center largely on Japanese identities, as the author is Japanese, and I found the discussions on Okinawa and relating mixed identities to war to be particularly interesting.
February 28, 2022
It was very interedting to read about all these different stories and point of view
This book educated me
This book educated me
January 7, 2022
really cool discussions on topics New I hadn’t thought much about before like:
- connection between being biracial and bisexual :o
- transracial adoption’s similarities to being biracial
- minority - minority biracial people vs majority - minority
a cozy read full of stories that make me feel more at
home, and more confident in asserting my identity!
- connection between being biracial and bisexual :o
- transracial adoption’s similarities to being biracial
- minority - minority biracial people vs majority - minority
a cozy read full of stories that make me feel more at
home, and more confident in asserting my identity!
November 7, 2012
Through the exploration of Asian American identities, Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu touches on universal themes of fitting in and identity. Murphy-Shigematsu is a compelling story teller. This is a must read.
October 22, 2020
I wanted to like this book and it had several good points to make. BUT, it became so repetitive that I finally just scanned first and last sentences in order to finish. At first, I was surprised that there was still such an issue about being Asian-American with parents from two different cultures. I knew that during and after WW II, the Japanese were angry about the large number of women with children from American soldier fathers who simply left Japan and never looked after nor even acknowledged the children. I also knew there was a similar on-going problem in Okinawa because of the US military bases there. However, by the time I was in college (in the early 1960s) it seemed to me that it did not matter if you were Asian-American any more than if you were Canadian-American (me) or Finnish-American (many people where I lived), etc. Apparently I am wrong. And, it seems to matter just as much if you live in the other country (i.e. Japan or Philippines, etc.) with as much or more racism directed at you as in the US.
I found the various discussion of prejudice among Asian-Americans themselves very interesting. I remember reading a book about the hierarchy among Black Americans based on skin color that I found quite disturbing. I guess this is the same issue. He also talks about the issue of integration versus non-integration and comments that oppressed people can also be the oppressors.
The discussion of international adoption was also nteresting. I know there are/were major problems with adoption of children of American Native People, especially by religious zealots. I also have many friends who adopted children from Russia, China, Mexico and other countries who have struggled with the best way to incorporate the child’s origins into their lives. I would like to read more about the topic – he is more or less condemning.
So not terrible, but after while almost boring with its repetition.
I found the various discussion of prejudice among Asian-Americans themselves very interesting. I remember reading a book about the hierarchy among Black Americans based on skin color that I found quite disturbing. I guess this is the same issue. He also talks about the issue of integration versus non-integration and comments that oppressed people can also be the oppressors.
The discussion of international adoption was also nteresting. I know there are/were major problems with adoption of children of American Native People, especially by religious zealots. I also have many friends who adopted children from Russia, China, Mexico and other countries who have struggled with the best way to incorporate the child’s origins into their lives. I would like to read more about the topic – he is more or less condemning.
So not terrible, but after while almost boring with its repetition.
May 31, 2020
Despite the subtitle stating “Multiethnic Asian American Identifies”, this book heavily focuses on children from White American and Japanese immigrant relationships. The author often also adds his feedback unnecessarily to others’ experiences. The stories in this book are important, specifically the author’s experience, but it seems this book would be better as a memoir than trying to force itself into the Ethnic Studies category.
December 12, 2020
This is the book I have been needing. It’s a brilliant mixture of genre, with honest storytelling and insightful mentality research, historical facts and hopeful view towards the future.
The things I learned from this book made me confront my own fears and prejudice regarding the alleged racism of Japanese people. It’s harder to be sensitive when you know where people’s pain comes from. I wish all Japanese, all mixed race individuals, and pretty much anyone in the rapidly globalizing world would read this book, in order to raise awareness and inspire love and understanding towards each other.
As a mother of a “half”, I do wish he and all others like him can find a way to feel “whole”. Thank you, Mr. Murphy-Shigematsu for this very valuable and relevant work!
The things I learned from this book made me confront my own fears and prejudice regarding the alleged racism of Japanese people. It’s harder to be sensitive when you know where people’s pain comes from. I wish all Japanese, all mixed race individuals, and pretty much anyone in the rapidly globalizing world would read this book, in order to raise awareness and inspire love and understanding towards each other.
As a mother of a “half”, I do wish he and all others like him can find a way to feel “whole”. Thank you, Mr. Murphy-Shigematsu for this very valuable and relevant work!
January 1, 2022
I loved this book. While I am not a multiethnic Asian American, I am multiethnic and found it highly relatable.
August 4, 2015
This book collects the stories of how different people have struggled to define/accept/understand their identity between multiple cultures by way of relating personal stories and anecdotes. Overall, I found the book insightful; it has given me some things to consider for my own 3-nation family.
It is on the scholarly side, so some sections can be a bit dry. Personally, my favorite chapters were 7-11, so if there is any doubt I encourage you to push through to the end.
That said, I have 2 minor issues with the book that prevented me from fully enjoying the read: one structural and the other dealing with sampling.
Structurally, Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu approaches each chapter from his prospective. He is telling us a story, about a person telling him a story to illustrate a point. Since he jumps back and forth between the perspectives it can get confusing to keep things straight. I understand the need to provide context and a framing in his narrative, but the structure makes many chapters more complicated than if it were just told from one perspective throughout.
As for sampling, each chapter was a different persons story, but I couldn't help but notice the overly common trope of: struggle with identity, study something related to identity, go to grad school (probably in California), get a PhD. This in no way negates their perspectives, but as a reader it struck me as a non-representative sample and makes me wonder what other perspectives we are missing?
It is on the scholarly side, so some sections can be a bit dry. Personally, my favorite chapters were 7-11, so if there is any doubt I encourage you to push through to the end.
That said, I have 2 minor issues with the book that prevented me from fully enjoying the read: one structural and the other dealing with sampling.
Structurally, Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu approaches each chapter from his prospective. He is telling us a story, about a person telling him a story to illustrate a point. Since he jumps back and forth between the perspectives it can get confusing to keep things straight. I understand the need to provide context and a framing in his narrative, but the structure makes many chapters more complicated than if it were just told from one perspective throughout.
As for sampling, each chapter was a different persons story, but I couldn't help but notice the overly common trope of: struggle with identity, study something related to identity, go to grad school (probably in California), get a PhD. This in no way negates their perspectives, but as a reader it struck me as a non-representative sample and makes me wonder what other perspectives we are missing?
June 26, 2014
This is a scholarly exploration of several different individuals and groups of half-Asian descent. Being half Japanese and half Irish, I particularly wanted to read this because I've never read any kind of scholarly work on my particular racial/ethnic composition. The author covers those of white and Asian descent, Asian and black, Asian and Latino, adopted Asians, and the abandoned half Japanese, half American children of Okinawa and their particular situation.
All of the individuals mentioned within the book were so very interesting and each had their own outlook on their racial identities. I can't say I agree with the author's own personal assertion that he is a "multiethnic Asian"---doesn't that favor the Asian half? Being the daughter of an immigrant from Japan and a fourth-generation Irish-American, I don't consider myself to be either white or Asian---I'm both. At the same time. But then, as one reads in this book, identity and how a person identifies is a very personal thing, depending on one's circumstances and upbringing. All in all, I found the book super absorbing.
All of the individuals mentioned within the book were so very interesting and each had their own outlook on their racial identities. I can't say I agree with the author's own personal assertion that he is a "multiethnic Asian"---doesn't that favor the Asian half? Being the daughter of an immigrant from Japan and a fourth-generation Irish-American, I don't consider myself to be either white or Asian---I'm both. At the same time. But then, as one reads in this book, identity and how a person identifies is a very personal thing, depending on one's circumstances and upbringing. All in all, I found the book super absorbing.
January 19, 2015
My first encounter with critiques of the word "hapa" to describe mixed API heritage as having been appropriated from Native Hawaiians:
"This is a question of power....Native Hawaiians, in addition to all of the other ways that their sovereignty has been abrogated, lost for many years the right to their own language through oppressive English-language education....Given this history and given the contemporary social and political reality (and realty--as in real estate) of Hawaiian, the appropriation of this one word has a significance deeper than many Asian Americans are willing to recognize...A word used to give power to one community, while taking power away from another is not a word I can use in good conscience" (Wei Ming, as quoted in the essay "Bi Bi Girl," p. 92).
And of course I liked the essay titled "Grits and Sushi," and the essay about Mexipinos.
"This is a question of power....Native Hawaiians, in addition to all of the other ways that their sovereignty has been abrogated, lost for many years the right to their own language through oppressive English-language education....Given this history and given the contemporary social and political reality (and realty--as in real estate) of Hawaiian, the appropriation of this one word has a significance deeper than many Asian Americans are willing to recognize...A word used to give power to one community, while taking power away from another is not a word I can use in good conscience" (Wei Ming, as quoted in the essay "Bi Bi Girl," p. 92).
And of course I liked the essay titled "Grits and Sushi," and the essay about Mexipinos.
October 15, 2013
In depth look at people who are "half" (part Asian and part something else). In this book, it is mostly Japanese and American that is discussed. It especially looks at Okinawa and its Amerasian kids.
April 29, 2017
Amazing book. While I'm not Asian myself, the discussion of multi-ethnic backgrounds is a very relevant idea in my life. Growing up in South Korean and America, born to a Greek-American father and Ethiopian mother, my life is filled with different ethnicities and social environments. I don't feel that I've ever felt a feeling of I don't belong, but these days sometimes I struggle to identify myself as Ethiopian, and to a larger extent Greek. Some days, only my name is Greek. Some days, only my mother is Ethiopian. This book is helping me associate myself. It's helping me discover myself. I can be Greek-Ethiopian-American, or I can just be American. I can be African American. I can be what ever I want. I've never felt anything other than whole. Even if I'm not Asian, I feel close to these stories, and I hope one day to write a book on African American identities, whether to be Black, or to be African, or to be both.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews