Different Racisms: On Stereotypes, the Individual, and Asian American Masculinity

by Matthew Salesses

In Different Racisms, Matthew Salesses explores the unique racism Asian Americans face, including the model minority myth, the impact of Jeremy Lin’s fame on Asian American representation in national media, and America’s perception of “Gangnam Style” singer and K-Pop sensation, Psy.

Salesses' essays (and his insightful and anecdote-filled footnotes) also give an honest and personal account of growing up as a Korean adoptee raised by white parents, all the while struggling with the many conflicts associated with double-consciousness, and reflecting on the common experience the adopted child has when he looks into the mirror and all of a sudden realizes that his skin color is not the same as his parents’.

Genres: Nonfiction, Asian American, Race

75 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2014

About the author

Bestselling author of The Hundred-Year Flood and Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear, among other books. Craft in the Real World comes out Jan, 2021. I’m adopted.

Reviews

[Matthew Salesses · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know. Pretty good. Dude has a lot of neuroses.

[Erin Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

With my husband being Chinese, I was especially interested in reading this to better understand what it’s like growing up Asian in America—the struggles, challenges, and how those experiences shape identity and success.

What makes Salesses’ story unique is that he was adopted by a white family, which adds another layer to his search for belonging. Hearing how he now approaches raising his own daughter, and the perspective he hopes to pass on, was both thoughtful and eye-opening.

While not every part resonated deeply, I think this is a valuable read, particularly for white readers. Books that push us to examine our own assumptions and beliefs are always worth the time.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful words. “I was afraid, back then, of myself, as if there were a little Korean person living within me that was corrupting my being, taking me away from the white person I thought I was.” His footnotes are the most illuminating part of his essays. I found it fascinating to see what I identified with and what I have come to believe are universal struggles (friends who disappear, recovering from bullying, lack of self-confidence, dislike or frustration with one’s physical self) and see what nuances his background as an adoptee, and as non-white child raised by white parents, and as an Asian American in the USA, and as an Asian American in Korea, brought to his specific experiences. I hope that more people write about their experiences in terms of race because unless we talk about it, we won’t learn. Some of his racial slurs and racist situations were understandable to me instantly. However, some I had to puzzle over to figure out the undertones and some were new for me. I am glad to have expanded awareness now.

I was appalled at some of the circumstances surrounding Jeremy Lin. I’m not a sports fan, so I only knew his name from one radio essay by an Asian American woman commenting on how exciting it was to have a player who looked similar to herself and that she could “claim” as her own. From my own experiences as an Other at work, it is so annoying to see how justified the main group (i.e. white males) feel in throwing up stereotypes (i.e. loyalty, humility) as reasons why someone should accept less than what a non-Other person is given without question. Oddly, in response to that same essay, I also find myself drawn to animal characters as protagonist (and it is what I write) and given my reactions to some of the author’s other points, I wonder if it is because I also have not identified with the protagonist in so many books and craved characters that were not so obviously “not like me.” The way he weaves big news items, like Jeremy Lin’s contract negotiations, with intimate, life like choosing books for his young daughter, makes the author seem real, which also made me realize that most essayists come off as some distant, floating God-voice for me.

Finally, something to ponder from essay three: “Maybe the difference I see between fiction and nonfiction then is in construction: that in nonfiction, one constructs meaning from the world as it already is, but in fiction, one constructs meaning by constructing the world.”

Overall, this set of essays and annotations made me think. I saw my personal experiences appearing variously on both sides of his essays – sometimes as the white person and sometimes as the Other. I highly recommend this book.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This essay collection strikes a perfect balance of analytic investigation and personal revelation. The essays are compelling and smart. The vulnerability is striking and these essays serve as excellent conversation starters. I hope they are used as conversation starters because as Salesses points out, Americans hide or dismiss racism, stereotypes, and bullying toward Asian Americans. Highly recommend.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings about this very short book, and I kind of want to process it more. The book gave me some insight into the Asian-American experience, though I often wondered how many Asian-Americans share his feelings and perspective. He certainly does point out some big problems with bullying and sort of blindness to racism against Asians in America. He also comes across as deeply neurotic and incredibly bitter. The book, too, despite being just a couple hours long, manages to repeat itself several times--just in case you didn't know, Salesses is married to a Korean woman. Hey, he's married to a Korean woman born in Korea. A Korean woman. (He mentions this many times as if it were the first time.)

At one point, Salesses mentions something about Asians being the most discriminated against minority group in the USA (I can't remember his exact wording), and that is something I would definitely want to check in to.

[Zack Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read not as deep or thoughtful as I expected. seemed more like venting.

[Rosita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays on how one Korean adoptee man has coped with racism in America.