Part Asian, 100% Hapa

by Kip Fulbeck, Sean Lennon (Foreword), Paul Spickard (Afterword)

Once a derogatory label derived from the Hawaiian word for half, Hapa is now being embraced as a term of pride by many people of Asian or Pacific Rim mixed-race heritage. Award-winning film producer and artist Kip Fulbeck has created a forum in word and image for Hapas to answer the question they're nearly always "What are you?" Fulbeck's frank, head-on portraits are paired with the sitters' own statements of identity. A work of intimacy, beauty, and powerful self-expression, Part Asian, 100% Hapa is the book Fulbeck says he wishes he had growing up. An introduction to the rest of the world and an affirmation for Hapas themselveswho now number in the millionsit offers a new perspective on a rapidly growing population.

Genres: Race, Art, Nonfiction, Asian American, Photography, Asian Literature, American

264 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOOOOOVE that this book exists.

My children are Hapa, and I want them to feel like they belong, that they have "their people". We are lucky to live in an area with plenty of other part-Asian kids, but seeing a world of Hapas outside our own community, of all ages and ethnicities, is even more empowering.

Each 2-page spread features a photo of a person, their self-identified ethnicities (to demystify their race so you can't be distracted by the mystery), and their own handwritten responses to the age-old question faced by anyone who is not white: "What are you?"

The answers are amazing. They are thoughtful and irreverent, earnest and frivolous. The wide range of responses just can't be summarized. Every page is worth reading, every story deserves to be heard.

This book reminded me of a Facebook post by The Love Life Of An Asian Guy. Only now do I realize that the post was inspired by one of the photos in this book! These are the words of LLAG:

Dear EVERYONE,

Stop invalidating folks who are multiracial. There are (at least) three different ways to identity as a multiracial POC:

1.) Who you are based on DNA percentages ("I'm 50% Filipino and 50% Black")
2.) Who you are based on your physical appearance ("I'm Filipino and Black but I look and experience life as a Black individual.")
3.) Who you are based on culture ("I'm Filipino and Black but I connect more with my Filipino heritage.")

We should let multiracial folks make that decision on their own instead of us trying to fit them into boxes that we prefer.

But, even better (IMO) is the belief that multiracial folks are 100% of everything. 100% Black. 100% Filipino. 100% them. We can still address colorism and privilege without striping them of their right to identify.

If they wanna self hate and neglect their POC side in favor of their whiteness, so be it. It's their loss.

[Damien · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are quite a few beautiful faces in this book; well, most of them actually, although I'm sure the majority of image-obsessed Americans wouldn't think so. I'm Mexican and Chinese, and when I first looked through the photos in this book I was in total awe- the people represented embody all the amazing possibilities of this world. All the faces gave me the unique feeling that I do, in fact, belong somewhere.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that it didn't impact me personally that much. But this is a very, very important book and I recommend every library to have it because a lot of people out there really need to read this. While the reflections by the people featured aren't that enlightening, the introduction, forward, and afterword were all good. Really, just telling halfies that they aren't alone is very important.

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve owned this book for years. I don’t often buy books, but at the time I found out about this one (2007-semi pre takeover of social media and networking), it was important for me to have it. I wanted to feel a connection to other people that have Asian backgrounds, but aren’t considered Asian because we are not fully tied to the continent by both parents. Still own it and go through it from time to time, and I still love it.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up after visiting MOCA yesterday. On the whole, I really like the premise and execution: natural, unglamorized, unexoticized portraits of multiracial people with Asian descent, along with short, handwritten responses from subjects to the question "What are you?" The self-identified ethnic background of each subject is also given, but there are no percentages, no pie charts, no arrows or labels saying, "Here's the Malay part," or, "This is the Dutch part".

What the portraits really make astonishingly (and refreshingly) clear is that all mixed people with Asian descent do not look a certain way. Some people are more or less beautiful than others. Some people could "pass" as one race or the other; others will get the question "What are you?" from almost everyone they meet. Some people are old, some are young, some have tattoos, some are of ambiguous gender. It's also interesting to see the varied ways that subjects chose to respond to the question "What are you?" Those responses, and the ethnic self-designations given, also make it clear that there is no one way of being mixed. There are a couple of folks who don't fit the typical definitions of mixed, or Asian, as we tend to impose them on others. There are folks who talk about mixedness in ways that I disagree with. All this reflects the diversity of a group of people whose common bond is often defined in terms of how they differ from other groups of people.

I also liked that the handful of celebrity portraits were not labelled or specially designated in any way; I honestly couldn't pick out any of the celebrity pictures, although I had a few guesses. No one "looked" famous.

The one thing that bothered me was Paul Spickard's frankly glib dismissal, in the afterword, of the potential controversy around using the word "hapa" to describe non-Hawaiians. It's a complicated issue, and I understand that he didn't have space in the afterword to write an essay about it, but his defense of the term's usage shows a really shallow understanding of what appropriation is. He says:

"I sympathize with resentments some Hawaiians may have at their word being appropriated by Asian Americans. But that is the nature of language. It morphs and moves. It is not anyone's property. Continental Americans might just as well complain about Hawaiians using 'TV' and 'cell phone'."

For someone touted as an expert on race and ethnicity, that is some privilege-laden, Internet bingo card language right there. And the final comparison is just plain bizarre, and offensive in the way it invokes a notion of Hawaiians as technologically primitive compared to "Continental Americans". An unfortunately jarring note on which to end an otherwise pretty good book.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much if this resonated with me- I’m not Hapa but my children are. So profound. I wish I had found this book years ago.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his book, Kip Fulbeck presents a visual cross-section of hapa America. Bookended by thoughts from Sean Lennon and Paul Spickard, the portraits of people unclothed from the collarbone up are accompanied by their own responses to the perennial question, "What are you?"

I enjoy how Fulbeck's collection of images and voices turns societal convention on its head. Society's historical and enduring curiosity with racially mixed people is challenged by the gaze of Fulbeck's participants, who present their own powerful, funny, and human identities and stories to those who are willing to listen.

In his afterword, Paul Spickard clarifies some potential misinterpretations for readers. In challenging the potential misinterpretation that Fulbeck is putting the participants in the book on pseudo-scientific display, he claims that Fulbeck is doing the opposite. In fact, Fulbeck lends them a sense of agency and empowerment in being able to voice what they are thinking rather than simply becoming objects of external fascination.

Furthermore, Spickard briefly addresses the resentment that some Hawaiians have at the appropriation of "hapa" by mixed heritage Asian Americans. Spickard, who claims sympathy with that resentment, asserts that the usage of "hapa" reflects the very nature of language, which is always changing and moving.

Admittedly, this book becomes problematic in the context of commercializing the faces and words of the hapa community. Alternatively, we can consider how this book aims to affirm the hapa identity for hapa readers. Whether the worth of this book to hapa readers outweighs the seeming problem of Fulbeck's profiting from it, I don't know. Despite these problems and questions (which I'm interested in exploring further), Fulbeck manages a skillful job of presenting empowering voices and images in a much-needed assertion of hapa identity.

[April Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Jessica recommended (then later bought me) this book while I was grappling with some race-identity issues. The book has since become a go-to source of comfort and kinship. It should be required reading for anyone who is regularly asked "What are you?"

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Representation matters. The Hapa Project was launched over 15 years ago by Kip Fulbeck to capture hapa identity through photography and #ownvoices long before the hashtag was a thing. This book is a collection of portraits of hapa individuals, each next to a statement in the subject’s own handwriting and own words. There is no editorializing. Words that are scratched out are there in all their messy glory. Some participants talk eloquently about their experiences as a hapa individual. Some tell seemingly unrelated jokes. Some express pride, others frustrations. It is unedited, raw, and real—as the participants wish to be represented. As it should be. It is beautiful. As the parents of hapa kids, my husband and I took our toddlers to see the exhibit when it came through Chicago a decade ago. I then bought the book. When our daughter got older, she would spend hours pouring over the pages of this book. Both she and her brother proudly claim their hapa identity, and this project has given them language, context, and community through which to do so.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew Kip Fulbeck from either the Asian-American Journalists Association (AAJA) or the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) or some California hapa organization; so I heard him do comedy on stage and even went and got my headshot taken by him in San Francisco, but unfortunately for me I didn't make it into this book. I absolutely love this format though, pairing notes and doodles with colour portraits creates such pride and beauty.

[bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel so seen.

This book and project make me so much more connected to the hapa community and my own hapa identity while simultaneously demonstrating also the great beauty and diversity within it.

I am sick of feeling like pieces of something. I’m not just part Asian, part white- I am a whole human being on my own. Proudly hapa, proudly multiracial, and just happy to be me.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy this book exists and I somehow stumbled across it. I walked away with a sense of pride for my Japanese, Italian, Serbian self and felt like I had a community to call my own. It was remarkable to read the responses to the always asked, "What are you?"

[Rachielle Sheffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book.

I saw a HAPA exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Man with my kids. What are they? Irish, German, Scottish, French-Canadian, Filipino (mixed Spanish, Chinese and native brown).

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a heads up, it's a book of portraits. I didn't know that when my sister mentioned the title and I requested it from the library. Each participant provides an answer to the question "What are you?". Interesting, but it's a very quick read, so make sure to grab another book with it!

[Vanessa K Phan · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5*s.

[marlise · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is so great. the cover is creepy. but the forward is the best. it talks about being biracial, which is great and needs to be spoken more about!

[Marianne Robin-Tani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. The clean, crisp photos and personal thoughts create an insightful and illuminating book that helps us understand the thoughts and feelings of Hapa people.

[Thương Hoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loved.
I am me.
I am good.

[em ☆ sparkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, fierce, proud self articulation!!!

[Aggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m Hapa. This book was really cool and fun to read. Anyone who is Hapa should read this. I think this is an important book.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book that really highlights the diverse range of appearances and experiences within the hapa and mixed-Asian diaspora.

[abcdefg · Rating 5 out of 5]

ha•pa (hä’pä) adj. 1. Slang. of mixed racial heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry. n. 2. Slang. a person of such ancestry. {der./Hawaiian: hapa haole. (half white)}

This is an excellent book. Being hapa myself, this is just the kind of book that not only hapas should read, but people of all races and ethnic backgrounds should read and look at.

It would certainly (or so I would hope) broaden the understanding of being multiracial/biracial.

I appreciate the intelligently written introduction by Kip Fulbeck and the sensitivity of the forward by Sean Lennon and afterword by Paul Spickard. Spickard does a nice job attempting to clarify potential misinterpretations (such as the chance that someone might look at the photographs as a sort of cold, scientific attempt to measure and quantify race by analyzing certain facial features/skin tones). While all the individuals portrayed had their photos taken without any jewelry, with bare shoulders, and a straight-forward expression, the idea was to capture these individuals naturally without any adornments. What makes this far from a analysis of race is that Fulbeck gave each individual the opportunity to respond to the question "What are You?" in their own unique way.

God, there's so much here. For me, it very much was reading about my past and the case of mistaken identity. The constant questioning and confusion by other people about what exactly it is I am. The consciousness brought to certain facial features as people examine and bring the question of my race to light by saying things like "yeah, I see it in your eyes."

I mean, it's frustrating having to deal with the "exoticism" surrounding being mixed and the total lack of understanding from even people in my own family! (i.e. statements like "you're white" from my mother's side - including my mother thinking so and at times, completely denying my Korean lineage because I'm not 100% Korean, and then conversely, the statement "it's amazing you graduated from high school despite the handicap of your race" coming from my white grandfather on my father's side).

Needless to say, I can pretty much say "Fuck you all. I'm not as you define or label me."

I'm Korean, English, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Swedish, Hungarian, Austrian - and more than those definitions besides. I've never been confused about my ethnic background.

But it seems other people have, that's for sure.

This was a beautiful book with many, many beautiful people portrayed. This project tells the story of how individuals identify themselves and the ambiguity of not being able to compartmentalize or box a person into a category (even those who say they're 100% white or Asian or any other race).

What really makes up a person is more than just their race finally. Culture, heritage, lineage and individuality are all a part of it too.

And we all have that, even if we don't know we do.

[J.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part Pictures, Part Words, 100% Personal

Part Asian, 100% Hapa is one of those books that is so simple, yet so complex. I was fortunate enough to see Kip Fulbeck recently and in all honesty, it was one of the most impactful presentations I've ever seen. This book and the Hapa Project was the focus of his presentation, and unfortunately, this book only serves as a supplement to what I've seen.

I'm going to combine some of the things Fulbeck said and Part Asian, 100% Hapa, since the point of the book is the message. Fulbeck said during his presentation, something along the lines of, that he didn't like being classified as a diversity speaker since it was about the stories of the individuals. The point is, each page tells a different story. When asked, "what are you?" each person wrote a story, that you can compare with how they classify himself or herself. It isn't about diversity or the boxes in which we put everyone. It is about the individual story, and each page captures this message perfectly.

Fulbeck also said something along the lines of him and Frank Warren (Post Secret) met once and they came to the conclusion that they had the best gigs. Basically, everyone else creates the masterpieces and they just do the collecting. The idea behind this book is truly a masterpiece. We all need to hear the stories of the people around us.

My only disappointment was the fact that I thought the introduction and preface were somewhat "superficial" and I didn't think they did the book justice.

If you get a chance to see the Hapa Project see it. In the meantime, pick up this book.

J.Stoner

[Kianna Saussy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
Part asian 100% hapa is a perfect title for this book. I so enjoyed reading how mixed asian people from so many different backgrounds identify themselves, what parts of their culture they connect with, what parts of their lives are important to them, how their mixed heritage has impacted them, what they look like (which is all very different from each other).
I related so heavily with many peoples descriptions of themselves and their experiences. “What are you?” “No, really?” “I can see it in your eyes.” “Asians are supposed to like/be good at ______.” “You look more white.” “No but what percentage?” “But what else are you?” It has been a long journey with what i feel people/strangers are entitled to know about my ethnicity when they ask. And defining myself vs letting other people-my Vietnamese family, my white family, strangers- define me.

A man who identified as African American and Japanese in this book said, “I am 100% Black and 100% Japanese.”
And another woman who identified as Chinese, Japanese, German, Hungarian, and English, said,
“I am a person of color.
I am not half White.
I am not half Asian.
I am a whole other.”

4.5 instead of 5 stars because Im not sure how Hawaiian people feel about their word “Hapa” being taken and used by mixed asian people in the contiguous US to describe themselves. “Hapa” came from Hapa Haole, as in half Hawaiian Half Haole (white). Hapa eventually became widely used in Hawaii for the many mixed Japanese, Koreans, Portuguese, and other groups. Still, i feel it may be hijacking and/or appropriating if I use it on myself as in this book.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Hapa haole”was originally a Hawaiian expression that meant a mixture of “white” and “Hawaiian,” but “hapa” has come to mean anyone with Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry. Kip Fulbeck, himself a hapa, has brought together hundreds of hapas in this collection and celebration of what it is to be hapa. Each person was photographed from shoulders up with a minimum of makeup and/or jewelry, and everyone was given space to write an answer to the question, “what are you?” Hapas are used to hearing this question. Many of them look vaguely something, and other people are naturally interested to know *what* that something is. Hapas respond to this with varying degrees of enthusiasm – most are really proud of their mixed ancestry, but consider themselves to be just *people* and not mysteries that need to be unraveled or investigated.

I’m amazed by just how many different variations on “Asian” there are. “Hapa” should also mean “beautiful” and “exotic,” because that’s what these people are. I am, myself, hapa, and have had the same experience as many of the people photographed for this book – people asking me what my background was, and then looking for signs, traces of that ancestry in my face. My mother, hapa and raised in Hawaii, is always telling me when she makes new hapa friends here in the Continental USA. I think we like finding one another and hearing one another’s stories and feeling some kind of camaraderie in our similarities. This collection made me smile over and over again, and I hope others will share that with me.

[Elaine Meszaros · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this little gem in the pop culture rack a few weeks ago and couldn't resist snagging it, despite my already precariously towering heap. Fulbeck's collection is a photo essay of hapa - people of part Asian, part "other" descent. The most recognizable hapa in American pop culture is probably Keanu Reeves. However, Reeves only gets one mention on the commentary cards that accompany the images filled out by the hapa subjects "Many of my ex-girlfriends were habitual half-Asian daters. Theses women considered half-Asian men 'exotic', 'sexy' and 'just-like-Keanu Reeves-in-the-Matrix.' I consider these stereotypes appropriate because I got laid." - a hapa man of Japanese/German/Romanian/Russian descent. Many of the subjects photographed in the collection to have the beautiful and exotic look that mixed-descent folks have. A few look truly bizarre, though not in a tangible "Oh look he has three nostrils" sort of way. The personal comments are equally fascinating. Some indicate they love their mixed looks, others feel that they never truly fit anywhere. Comments range from the deeply introspective and heartfelt, others are light and silly "I'm a grown man who just exposed my breasts to a complete stranger" says one large Hawaiian/Chinese/German man. A good Sunday brunch read to share with a group of friends.

[Andrew Hsieh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The culmination of the Hapa Project, wherein Kip Fulbeck, a rather talented poet/photographer/surfer/guitarist (you name it), photographs various people who define themselves as Hapa. That is, Fulbeck did not say "I will only photograph this particular racial identity", but rather accepted anyone who considered themselves Hapa. Included in the book are a variety of portraits, devoid of any identifying markers except for the subjects' natural appearances, as well as their own handwritten answers to the one question Hapas get the most: "What are you?"[return][return]From infants to the elderly, Fulbeck photographs them all (though it can be difficult to find the elderly, considering the once-illegal state of interracial marriages), and does so with staggering talent. Most of all, however, Fulbeck lets his subjects define themselves in every way, without his interference, and considering the nature of this work, that is for the best.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I can't remember when I first heard of it, close to a decade ago I am guessing. But anyway, it'd been sitting on a list of "stuff I'd like to ready" for what feels like forever and then recently I read some oped somewhere about mixed-race identity and it reminded me of it and so I went and picked it up from the library.

And it's great. It's made for a few interesting conversations at home about the differing experiences we've had and what we assume or expect for kids going forward. So it's made for a good conversation piece. The blurbs are funny, touching, thoughtful, and many other things. I kind of wish I could have gone and seen it as an installation somewhere and seen even more of the portraits and text pairs.

Anyway, for me this was really a great book to flip through. More than a couple times.

[Dusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book, headshots and handwritten statements by mixed race people. everyone in here is part asian, lots of folks are like me and part native and jewish also. this book made me laugh and i stared at the photos and felt joy. then i went to bed and had seriously good dreams about my identity. one white looking lady said "i am part norwegian, and that can suck the color out of anything." one little boy said "i am chinese and danish, but i don't tell people i am danish because then they think i am a pastry." you gotta love love love this book.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

i came upon this book and kip fulbeck's work back in graduate school about 5 years ago. i connected to every image and word in this book. i wish it were available to me when i was growing up. i know times have changed and the world is a more mixed and diverse place but i think that any mixed race child would benefit from this book in some way. i highly recommend it. and, fulbeck is a great public speaker, you should check out one of his talks if he's ever in your area.