Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now

by Jeff Yang

""Hip, entertaining...imaginative.""—Kirkus, starred review *""Essential."" —Min Jin Lee * ""A Herculean effort.""—Lisa Ling * ""A must-read.""—Ijeoma Oluo * ""Get two copies.""—Shea Serrano * ""A book we've needed for ages."" —Celeste Ng * ""Accessible, informative, and fun."" —Cathy Park Hong * ""This book has serious substance...Also, I'm in it.""—Ronny Chieng

RISE is a love letter to and for Asian Americans--a vivid scrapbook of voices, emotions, and memories from an era in which our culture was forged and transformed, and a way to preserve both the headlines and the intimate conversations that have shaped our community into who we are today.

When the Hart-Celler Act passed in 1965, opening up US immigration to non-Europeans, it ushered in a whole new era. But even to the first generation of Asian Americans born in the US after that milestone, it would have been impossible to imagine that sushi and boba would one day be beloved by all, that a Korean boy band named BTS would be the biggest musical act in the world, that one of the most acclaimed and popular movies of 2018 would be Crazy Rich Asians, or that we would have an Asian American Vice President. And that’s not even mentioning the creators, performers, entrepreneurs, execs and influencers who've been making all this happen, behind the scenes and on the screen; or the activists and representatives continuing to fight for equity, building coalitions and defiantly holding space for our voices and concerns. And Asian America is just getting started.

The timing could not be better for this intimate, eye-opening, and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and beyond. Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang chronicle how we’ve arrived at today’s unprecedented diversity of Asian American cultural representation through engaging topics (including a step-by-step guide to a night out in K-Town, a note on historic Asian American landmarks, a handy “Appreciation or Appropriation?” discussion, and celebrations of both our ""founding fathers and mothers"" and the nostalgia-inducing personalities of each decade), plus essays from major AAPI artists, exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons, and more, anchored by extended insider narratives of each decade by the three co-authors. Rise is an informative, lively, and inclusive celebration of both shared experiences and singular moments, and all the different ways in which we have chosen to come together.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Race, Asian American, Asian Literature, Aapi, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published March 1, 2022

About the author

American writer, journalist, businessman, and business/media consultant who writes the Tao Jones column for The Wall Street Journal.[2] Previously, he was the "Asian Pop" columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Reviews

[Sahitya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I frankly can’t describe the experience of reading this book in a small review. I’m not exactly Asian American because I came to the states only about a decade ago but it’s natural that I want to engage with atleast some part of the Asian American culture, and get to know more of this history. So, this is an excellent book in terms of getting a little introduction to this history and pop culture and I adored every single page of it. There’s essays and comics and interviews, very cool looking spreads about boba tea and Asian festivals and some interesting playlists of Asian American artists and so much more. I definitely have added a few indie movies to my watch list which I had never heard of before, the playlists are in my Spotify saved, and I managed to finish watching both the Linsanity and 38 in the Garden documentaries.

Overall, this book gave me a lot of joy and huge amounts of appreciation for everyone in the Asian American community who have fought for these rights and visibility over the decades, and while hate crimes against Asians are on a high since the pandemic, we can’t lose hope and only work together to make more strides in the future.

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

So smart and fun and a great look into Asian America. I loved the tone and sections. The illustrations, syllabi, and recurring segments held the book together. I really appreciated the interviews they got. It was lacking a bit in intersectionality and I wished there had been more diversity in the nationalities featured. It was a bit long and repetitive toward the end.

[Ankita Goswami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I have been a fan of Phillip Wang's Youtube content for a while, and so was quite excited to dive into this book. I found 'Rise' extremely interesting, comprehensive and important. I am an Asian-Asian/Indian (not Asian-American), but American pop culture has been a huge part of my life since childhood so I could recognise a lot of people and references in the book. The chapters were fun and easy to read and I really liked the artwork. I don't think I could have asked for a better guide to Asian-American history.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yay for a book that celebrates my community! However if reviewing the book for its contents and not for the first of its kind, I thought the book was too west coast and entertainment field oriented. I felt like there were things left out from the east coast (and probably Midwest and elsewhere) especially successful Asian American stories from those locations. I commend the efforts and love what the book is doing for the community but I did feel it was lacking. I know as a society, we lean in toward entertainment and don’t celebrate successes in other fields as much but for a community that has embraced non-entertainment fields, I think we should have highlighted more successes not in entertainment. And for that reason, I find it hard recommending the book to others.

[My Tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I didn’t know I needed and will never part with. A dear friend gifted a signed copy made out to me and though it was on my list, I was unaware of its significance. This book is necessary for any American, especially Asian Americans. I don’t say that lightly. At a time when we are being attacked and reviled, this book is a necessary reflection of who we actually are. Part history book, part encyclopedia, and part joyous celebration - I highly recommend this to anyone looking to find themselves and their fellow American woven into this magnificent quilt of a country. Bravo!

[sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

definitely a lot more dense and jam-packed with info than i thought it would be but it’s a great read! i loved being able to recognize so many asian american pop culture references, and i feel like this is a great starting point for people who want to learn more about the growth of asian america. i definitely feel like it could have been more nuanced even though it attempted to do so, but overall, still a really great read!

[Katherine Bigelow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good primer on Asian Americans in media over the ages，but falls short when it tries to explore other areas. Self-acknowledges that it is pretty east asian focused and it does try to include some SEA/SA voices, but it does have a very strong Cupertino/San Marino feel to it.

The majority of chapters feel like just pure shout-out chapters, where neighborhoods or songs or movies or items in scenes are name dropped and not really delved into. For the topics that I do know more about it just feels so surface level to reference them and then continue on (referring to Daly City as having gone through "some gentrification" without acknowledging the intense redlining the city went through, shouting out random politicians and activists regardless of their views as long as they're Asian - naming both anti-war activists raising awareness of US war crimes committed in Laos and Vietnam and Trump-era cabinet members in the same chapter).

As a record of Asian American representation in the US, it does a pretty good job of recording the history of which movies were major or influential, and how the US government & Hollywood has viewed Asian Americans - especially for the parts after the 2000s, as many of the essayists and interviewees could be direct sources. Could probably be the boba liberal's bible.

+ Good record of history that organizes influential media and can be a starting point for more research
+ Lots of interviews with people who have found themselves tasked with having to become the representation lacking in Hollywood - gives a voice to their frustrations, successes, and struggles
- Shouts out activists and calls for community support but never takes a strong stance
- Very surface level history and lacks in intersectionality

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book that reminded me again that my experience living as an Asian American is shared by other Asian Americans. We have to work so much harder than white people to find success (true story for all people of color), but I am so grateful for those that paved the way. We are making waves.

[Mónica Alexandra]

4º livro para o Asian Readathon 2022 (li a maioria em maio, por isso conta!)

[Audrey]

a good coffee table book. I learned some things & appreciated the effort at intersectionality. the underlying assumption is that if we are more visible & better represented, that will … lessen anti-Asian racism, I guess. it’s quite interesting that they wanted this to be a sweeping triumphant story of progress for Asian Americans and then COVID-19 happened. all this to say it raised some old questions for me about the purpose and value of “representation.” but as a chronicle of Asian American pop culture, it’s successful and entertaining.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this book which contained essays and comics and interviews about Asian American history and pop culture from 1990s-2020. There was a little bit of a history lesson at the beginning and then the writers delved into the decades. They included lots of different voices and highlighted a wide variety of Asian pop culture from food, to film, to literature, to movie stars, and racist incidents.

Would definitely recommend this.

[Eti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Yang is an essential addition to your classroom. library, and home. It is engaging, informative, entertaining, eye-opening, filling a much needed gap on our shelves. Rise shares stories of Asian American pop culture through essays, timelines, lists, comics, graphs, illustrations, postcards from Asian America, roundtable conversations, incredible primary resources like photographs and firsthand accounts. I especially appreciate the Asian American Syllabus sections where the authors provide lists and analysis of must-consume media by decade. It is a powerful educational resource that I hope classroom teachers will utilize, whether you spotlight a specific essay or comic or adopt it as a class text. It is sure to inspire readers to dig deeper into the topics and explore other media that spotlights Asian American pop culture. Just behold that incredible table of contents! I kept thinking how valuable this book is to help implement lessons supporting the Illinois Teaching Equitable Asian American History or TEAACH Act. And also you can and should incorporate this history in your lessons or library without a law... A fantastic book for fans of NPR's Code Switch and Pop Culture Happy Hour, and of course, Throughline, this book is for everyone. I'd love to see this book on the Alex Award List and reach more young adult readers. It's definitely a book with lots of crossover appeal for teens and adults.

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audio and also read they book. It has fun drawings and statistics that illustrate and sections.

[Vicki Moran · Rating 3 out of 5]

It pains me to give 3 stars because I love that this book is bringing Asian Americans into the spotlight, but I found it a bit redundant and dry at times. Another disclaimer is that I listened to the audiobook, so the illustrations might improve the overall experience. I really enjoyed the essays and interviews, which included nuanced insights and perspectives. But I felt that some conversations were a bit too casual for my taste, and the lists seemed to further some stereotypes. I would’ve been all in if the book was more centered around storytelling than just mentioning everything that’s happened. Overall, I appreciate how much visibility this book gave to an underrepresented group and erased stories, but personally had some beef with some contradictions and found it a bit boring at times.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a great book with lots to discuss, and be proud of but at the same time, there are many incidents not given any air time, so I'm not sure what to make of this because I reasonably know that not everything can be addressed but...

Reread the physical book because of the graphics.

Ugh, I don't recommend the ebook because a lot of what I want to highlight is in the graphics

The index is jacked - it lists BTS once but BTS references are on a few pages-- just one example.

Highly recommend the audiobook AND, so important, and the book together- because the listeners are unaware that the narrator(s) may be verbalizing a graphic panel you have the ebook or physical

[Andie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thorough and fun collection of essays, lists, and analyses of Asian American pop culture. The audiobook was a fun listen (though I do wish they had taken the opportunity to get the actors, musicians, bloggers, etc, themselves to come narrate but I bet that would've been expensive). I do want to get myself a hard copy just so I can refer back to certain shows, books, movies, and music to consume. I hope they update it in 2030 with this current decade.

[Sachi Argabright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extremely comprehensive record and resource about API culture over the last couple decades. I learned so much, and kept adding things I wanted to watch, read, and dig into to my list. Perfect for people who want to learn more about the API community and culture or those in the community looking to celebrate our successes and recount our history.

[La'Tonya Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really dense book--truly an encyclopedia. At times the information seems overwhelming but at least it's thorough!

[AllBookedUp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not let the heavy volume scare you. It is well written, draws you in as you read about the diversity of Asians in America and their struggles.

Some takeaways:
The story and movie of The Joy Luck Club was best said by actress Tamlyn Tomita (Waverly), “... The book was not only the touchstone for telling the Asian American story… The effect was that America, through this movie, thought it finally ‘understood’ what it meant to be Asian American or specifically Chinese American.”

In the chapter, After Connie, SuChin Park has made it clear that she wouldn't have been able to break into the business of news at all had it not been for those before her, such as Connie Chung. Connie Chung paved the way for news stations to want to hire their own versions of her, a professional, classy Asian woman who could hold out next to an older white male so that that news station could be considered progressive, and forward-thinking. In other words, it was tokenism. This time, it worked to the Asian women's advantage.

The funny thing about racism is that everybody wants to be thought as Progressive and modern but yet they did a lot of whitewashing. Let me explain, some of the movie's leads were written to be Asian actors. Yet they casted white Americans to play Asians. They didn't even think of allowing Asian actors to draw from personal experiences to depict what the Asian character they're playing is going through. The executives were so concerned Asian actors wouldn't be box office draws.

For the movie Better Luck Tomorrow it was a follow up to The Joy Luck Club but it was an independent film with an all Asian American cast. Critics didn't know what to make out of it. These kids were shown as normal kids without all the typical Asian stereotypes. These kids were shown as shallow, empty, amoral individuals who are not nerds, curses, and omg, dares to cheat on tests! Quick, get the smelling salt. Roger Ebert saw the movie and stated beautifully, “ .. that its only responsibility to our communities was to make a good film.” That's what the director, screenwriter, and actors did and people were uncomfortable with that depiction. The audience were uncomfortable with the movie because the Asians were going outside of their stereotyped box.

If you're interested in finding out the history, evolution, and how much more we have to do, this is a busy read.

Fairly fast read with fold-outs, cartoons, and a wealth of perspective from who's who of yester people who paved the way to today's generation.

Pace: 4 /5
Writing: 4/5
Accuracy: 5/5
Enjoyment: 5/5

[Danielle T · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5. Far denser than I expected, while still feeling like a broad intro survey to Asian American pop history. I recommend the syllabus sections for further exploration because each topic is deserving of their own deep dives. Despite the title, the Before section does a decent job at describing from the earliest waves of immigration through the 1980s, historically and in pop culture. The authors' reasoning for nineties onward is because that's when the children of post-1965 Hart-Cellar Act immigration waves started making art (which isn't to say previous waves existed! In sheer terms of numbers there's more post-65 Asian Americans than prior waves like my own family).

The authors are all notables in Asian American pop culture: Philip Wang is part of the trio who founded Wong Fu Productions, an early mainstay on Youtube; Jeff Yang is a journalist with decades of experience and father of Hudson Yang, star of Fresh Off the Boat; and Phil Yu runs Angry Asian Man, a longrunning blog connecting Asian America (and for me growing up from enclaves, a life line into the diaspora). Highly recommend all their work, especially Jeff & Phil's podcast They Call Us Bruce.

I have the physical version of the book, which has some lovely foldout sections for Spaces in Asian America- the Asian grocery store, university culture night, a night through K-Town, etc. My only criticism is that any time there was a numbered map or foldout, some numbers were missing or not labeled properly. My biggest problem was with the map of Asian American history in the Before section, with some numbers not even in the right states.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio and while I really got a lot out of the various speakers on audio and wouldn't have it any other way, I would also highly recommend checking out the physical version of this book because the illustrations are gorgeous and it would be a travesty to go without seeing them.

I wish I could say I knew more about the Asian American community but I grew up in a small town, went to university in a town that didn't have a large Asian population, and I don't live in an ethnically diverse town with opportunities to expand my knowledge of the Asian community. Reading this book I got the opportunity to learn about the Asian American community but I had to take this knowledge with a grain of salt. This book was written by authors of a certain age with certain political leanings and it would have been interesting to learn from people of an older generation to get a more well-rounded idea of the Asian identity from people older than 40. Most of the people featured in the book didn't seem to be alive pre-Buzzfeed.

However, that being said, I did learn about a lot of movers and shakers, particularly in the nascent years of the early internet when Asian Americans were trying to create a sense of community and perhaps trying to combat false narratives that non Asians were trying to create for them. I wish I had learned about this Asian American history in the hours of I took as part of my history major in college.

[Sara]

This is an important reference book covering the pop history of Asian -Americans over the last thirty years. As such, it belongs on the shelves of most young Asian-Americans, their parents, and every library. The format is engaging and as an older white woman (albeit the mother of two half-Asian children) I recognized very little in here other than the very well-known (i.e. Fresh Off the Boat, George Takei. and some of the politicians). And that is precisely why this is a necessary book.

We all need to catch up on the history of Asian-Americans and Rise is an easy and fun way to do so. Recommended for just about anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Looking forward to seeing it in its final edition.

[Tanyajk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy 5 stars. An obvious and amazing coffee table book if you want to expose yourself to not only Asian-American history (outside of the heavy 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act), but also positive influences that helped shaped our country.

I was never taught about Asian-American history in school - and definitely not Chinese-American history. Representation is more important to me now that I am a parent, and something that was really missing from my childhood. For those of us that often feel invisible, minimized and seldom lifted up, this book adds so much light.

The room got real dusty at just the first page:
“This book is dedicated to the ones who come next”

[Divya Amladi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE BOOK for pop culture nerds. More of coffee table book than a linear read; this is pretty much the source for Asian American culture. It took me a while to absorb all the content because this chock-full of content: analysis, interviews, playlists, etc. You name a moment in culture from the last thirty+ years that involves a significant Asian American player and it's in here.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was AWESOME. This book is really about Gen X and Millennial pop culture, I think, and it recontextualized a lot of media that I remember (or missed) growing up. I only wish that the authors had had more awareness of webseries during this era, because one reason why I got into literary webseries like Lizzie Bennet Diaries was that they were more diverse because the smaller productions were writing for themselves/their friends. Bing Lee, Caroline Lee, and Charlotte Lu deserve a mention!

[Julie Tieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great primer of Asian American pop culture nestled in the context of history. The essays are organized by chronological order and can be picked up any time for a quick read. Beautiful artwork throughout. I hope there will be more volumes in the future.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is great . here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn.to/3pqU3i8

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. I learned a ton and was very entertained along the way. One of those books that I'll definitely keep thinking about and referencing back to!

[Cheryl Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the format of this book. Very fun and eye-catching. Easily digestible.

[Jessica Kim-Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so heart warming and I cannot express how proud this book made me feel to be Asian American ❤️