At Home in Exile: Finding Jesus among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors

by Russell Jeung, Gene Luen Yang (Foreword)

Russell Jeung’s spiritual memoir shares the joyful and occasionally harrowing stories of his life in East Oakland’s Murder Dubs neighborhood—including battling drug dealers who threatened him, exorcising a spirit possessing a teen, and winning a landmark housing settlement against slumlords with 200 of his closest Cambodian and Latino friends.

 

More poignantly, At Home in Exile weaves in narratives of longing and belonging as Jeung retraces the steps of his Chinese-Hakka family and his refugee neighbors. In the face of forced relocation and institutional discrimination, his family and friends resisted time and time again over six generations.

 

With humor and keen insight, At Home in Exile will help you see how living in exile will transform your faith.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Memoir, Faith, Biography, Theology, Autobiography

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2016

About the author

Russell Jeung is a leading sociologist of Asian Americans, race, and religion. He is professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University.

The author of books on race and religion, he lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, Joan, and three children. They attend New Hope Covenant Church.

All proceeds of At Home in Exile book sales and speaking engagements will go to New Hope's ministries for refugee families.

Reviews

[Kaya Lynch]

the Lord has worked and is working through Russell immeasurably, because genuinely the moment i heard one bullet fly i would have ran out of oakland park. but not russell. he stayed to make a community better, and in turn, help transform the lives of those around him.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

"At Home in Exile" is an example of a ministry according to the heart of God, Russell Jeung is serving the poor, troubled, needy and hungry in the slums of East Oakland, CA. He is not the epiphany of the gospel of prosperity, because here he lives in an apartment ridden of roaches and lady bugs, his living conditions are pretty desperate actually, but it is all by choice. He is showing how to love and be real, how to feel better by helping others even in the most difficult circumstance. I believe that only ministries like this have a chance to turn the Millennials closer to God and bring Christianity out of exile in America.

[Jerry Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russell Jeung's stories are both relatable and challenging. As a half-Hakka from Taiwan, I am familiar with the "guest family" heritage that resonates so well with the biblical theme of exile. The Asian American experience (many generations) as well as the shared struggles living with with underclass refugees and immigrants are uniquely inspiring and even somewhat instructional. Jeung's middle-class upbringing makes his perspectives on vocational aspirations and familial goals easy to understand, and his courageous pursuit of ministry with Oakland's poor (as accompanied by his understanding of his own cultural background) provokes both self-reflection and hope.

[Sooho Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The grandeur of this autobiography is not the grand things Russell has done or experienced (as jaw-dropping as some of them are). No, rather, it is his candor and glee. Russell, it seems to me, does not seem obliged to write an embellished, poetic lore of his conquests and defeats. Instead, he slips in "dad jokes" (at least, I would categorize them as such or "professorial jokes") here and there -- not taking himself too seriously. What he does take seriously are the joys and sorrows of his life with his community -- Oak Park and his family. The first half is dominated by OPM (Oak Park Ministry) and the second half his nuclear family: the highs and lows of each. The highs are definitely eye-opening wonders, but the lows are heart-wrenchingly painful. And such are the stuff of life. 

Russell, whether with intention or not, seems to tug at Asian American Christian (particularly Evangelicals) hearts. Though he did not blow out of proportion the prestigious sacrifices he made (such as going to Stanford for undergraduate but devoted a bulk of his life living with the marginalized in mold and roach infested apartments and turning down two promising academic careers to be with his church's community), any Asian American pressured by the model minority myth will be keen on these sacrifices, especially. I doubt Russell shared this to make us feel guilty or shamed (even more than we might already feel!), but to offer his life as one example of a non-model-minority Asian American Evangelical (though the other extreme to avoid is moralistic Asian American Evangelicals...!).

Towards the end, he seems to make a Christian endorsement of Confucian systems (esp, food and sacrificial forms of love). This isn't to say Confucianism must be adopted by Asian/Asian American Christians, nor that it is 100% sanctified. No, Russell seems to say that Confucianism affected his life in more ways than one, which God graciously adopted and used to sanctify him and his community. 

cf. www.sooholee.wordpress.com

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

At Home in Exile

Finding Jesus among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors



by Russell Jeung

Zondervan Academic

Zondervan



Biographies & Memoirs

Pub Date 04 Oct 2016

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of At Home In Exile through the publishrr and Netgalley:

In 1992 Russel Jeung moved in with Dan Scmidt an Urban missionary in Oakland California. His move to the Oak Park apartments a Cambodian village in the American Ghetto.

The Oak Park Apartments were in the middle of what was referred to as The Murdered Dubs, the neighborhood between 20th and 29th Avenues.

The Oak Park Apartments was a far cry from his highschool career at Lowell Highschool a magnet school in San Francisco. His class, the class of 1980 included A Nobel Prize Winner, A Pulitzer Prize Winner and a best selling international author.

After graduating Stanford University he would spend 1985 and 1986 in Wuhan China teaching English. While there he would read everything that they had in English in the area because he could not watch television not being able to understand the language.

After returning from China he began attending Grace Community Church, a church that combined his Evangelical Faith, and Social Activism.

Russel Jeung lived at Oak Park during the height of the crack academic, and he would face very real danger.

Russel opens up about the danger he saw the way some children in this impoverished area would get sick from lack of proper nutrition.

In 1999 The Oak Park Apartments were condemned forcing its residence to look for a new place to live.

At Home in Exile is one man's story, a story of a willingness to make a difference, to make sacrifices in order to reach out and help those in need.

I give At Home in Exile five out of five stars.

Happy Reading

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russell Jeung shares things he's learned about the Christian walk from his Hakka and immigrant ancestors, from living among Cambodian refugees and undocumented workers in the poorest area of Oakland, from marrying his wife Joan Kim, from being a parent (both biologically and a foster parent), and living in community with others who also want to impact their community for Christ.

A recurring theme Jeung brings up is being Hakka, a people with no land of their own, and how that reflects how Christians are guests in the places where we are currently because we haven't arrived to our permanent home yet. Jeung's memories of how God led him to live in Oakland and the unique relationships he formed in a super poor housing complex full of refugees was jaw-dropping at times. I found his family history fascinating, and he makes some very poignant comments about calling, success, and the systems that aren't really helping the poor in the US or are stacked against refugees. It's a read to get you thinking about a lot of things, and it is inspiring to hear from a pretty humble man about faithfully following where he felt like God was leading him, even when it was hard.

Notes on content: No swearing. No sexual content. (He mentions that sex trafficking is a rising issue in Oakland, but there are no details.) The trauma Cambodian and Lao and Burmese refugees experienced back before they left is mentioned several times (mostly having family members killed). Gang violence, shootings, vehicular deaths, drug use, drunks, etc that were issues in the housing complex where he lived and currently lives are mentioned but none are described in any graphic detail. The housing complex was very run down and had extreme roach, mold, rat, etc issues which he describes.

[Brian Hui · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly unique book. And the best book I've read this year. Part memoir / sociology / theology / Asian corny hilariousness. It's funny, it's educational, it's deeply moving.

Russell moves into and ultimately finds home in the Murder Dubs of Oakland. But it's not a triumphant American superhero story. Nor is it a sappy romance about 'the poor.' It's a complex, humble story about how he found community, identity, and ultimately Jesus in his mostly Cambodia refugee & Latino neighborhood.

It's a story that asks: What if Jesus wasn't as much an American superhero, but more like a Chinese Hakka exile (his ancestors)? What if Jesus was more like my Chinatown grandma than that powerful hipster pastor I'm always jealous of? He re-explores things like MISSION, JUSTICE, COMMUNITY, FAMILY & CALLING through this lens.

I finished this book richly proud of my Chinese ancestry, broken over the plight of disenfranchised non-model-minority Asians in the Bay Area, hopeful about what God is still doing through amazing yet mostly "invisible" people, but challenged to live my faith in a way that may run counter to the power and reward structures of our world.

[Nathan Stine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written. Jumped about from topic to topic in short, choppy anecdotes. I also disliked his beautification of poverty. It felt like a modern call to a form of monasticism. I agree with his statement that we should beware the trappings of our capitalistic society and it’s constant push for consumerism, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon wealth as a means of furthering the kingdom. If someone struggles intensely with a love of wealth, then perhaps they should consider that option, but the idea that that should be the norm seems a stretch.

The dealings with race were interesting. I caught some CRT tastes here and there, but not too badly. The call to care for the refugee and the helpless resonated with me to be sure, especially since Americans can too often think that this world is their true home and also forget the fact that the church is a global, multicultural kingdom.

But in all, it felt cobbled together without a clear objective. I struggled to read it, not because of difficult vocabulary, but because of poor writing.

[Nate Duriga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book exceeded my expectations! A work on "lived theology," the author tells the story of his Christian community seeking to be faithfully present in one of the worst neighborhoods in Oakland. He asks provocative questions about how Christians - called to be exiles in this world and citizens of heaven - should view their work, family life, and relationships . He questions common cultural views of family and proposes a "Panda model" of parenting and a "loyal love" model for marriage in place of the individualistic approaches we commonly see that promote worldly accomplishment and personal happiness. His style is humble, thoughtful, humorous, challenging and refreshing.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

there are many ways that my life runs parallel to the earlier days of Jeung's life, and because of that, his memoir was personally challenging to me. he describes his journey living with, advocating for, and learning from the urban poor, specifically a community of primarily Cambodian refugees in Oakland. i don't have very clear thoughts to share right now but his stories have been rolling around in the back of my mind since i read this.

side note: i later learned that Russell Jeung and i have mutual friends, as he attended the church that planted my church. there were definitely moments where he'd describe things about his church that would be weirdly similar to my church experience.

[Michael Sasson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this reflective story of how someone lived out their faith in Oakland, where I live, and in recent history. I continue to be intrigued/befuddled/enriched by how Protestant's use Hebrew in ways that are at a tangent (at least) from how the same words were used in my studies and religious education in the synagogue but if I put that aside (worth doing in this instance) then I'm super-glad to have wrestled with this book.

[Cherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge fan of Russell's attitude and heart -- thankful that he went after his convictions to live and build community at Oak Park. I was initially skeptical about the unintended effects of a group of college grads moving into a low income neighborhood but the more I read, the more I understood Russell's calling to serve by loving the community. Great book!

[Albert Hong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest reflection on the messiness of trying to do good in the world. Insightful observations on an Eastern correction to white Christian theologies and practices. And fun to read about our own little community through Russell's eyes.

[Malia Sample · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful & powerful memoir from the co-founder of “Stop AAPI Hate”. I hate to keep reusing the word “beautiful” but it is the only word coming to mind right now that is fitting to describe Russell Jeung, his writing, his lived theology, and his neighbors.

[Julia Cheung · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me several months to get through this book, as I chose to savor it slowly. Jeung combines a memoir-like approach together with a lot of sociological research and scripture to bring together the disparate emphases of his life. Most significantly, he chooses to live in and raise a family in the “murder dubs” of Oakland. The anecdotes show phenomenal courage and thoughtfulness in testing out the claims of Christianity and in following Christ’s words literarally. It’s almost like taking a vow of chastity or poverty - but he actually tries to live what he believes at enormous personal cost. The result of his great sacrifice is not roaring stadiums but is instead a quiet peace, joy and wisdom that are hard-won. He ties in a lot of his family history as well as Asian, Chinese and Confucian ideas and blends them with theology. The last chapter, “The Call as the Church in Exile” belies its rather boring name by bringing everything together in deft, strong strokes.

[Corrie Haffly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russell Jeung lives and ministers in the “most frequently robbed neighborhood in a city known as the nation’s robbery capital” — a section of Oakland where his neighbors were, at one point, Cambodian refugees, undocumented Mexicans, and even a few chickens. His memoir ties in his experiences of beauty, joy, and trial from living a life of solidarity with these marginalized people with the history of his Chinese-Hakka family and the ways they experienced dispossession and discrimination multiple times over in China and the US. Dr. Jeung suggests that there is more to learn from these two groups of exiles about living like Jesus than from our American, capitalistic, Disney-happy-ending Christian culture.

To this end, woven in between Dr. Jeung’s compelling personal narrative, you’ll find quotes and ideas from popular Christian authors contrasted with values and lessons learned from his Chinese heritage and his diverse group of neighbors. While this may come off as a “we are better than you” kind of thing, I didn’t view these distinctions as providing a binary choice. Instead, they were a beautiful example of how other cultures can reflect Biblical values which our (white) evangelical culture doesn’t always respect.

Although this book touches on serious issues such as poverty, injustice, and racism, Dr. Jeung is dang funny! His self-deprecating humor, dad jokes, and appreciation of the absurd are, to me, evidence of the resilience he’s developed and his hope in Jesus through the most challenging of circumstances. Dr. Jeung is not superhuman (although his wife, Joan, is legitimately the modeliest of the model minority); he deeply relies on the liturgies that connect him to God and God’s people. His commitment to solidarity and service is inspiring, and I loved his honesty about how even the most victorious moments have imperfect results and his examples of the difficult tension of what’s best for his family and his chosen community.

[Ishmael Soledad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A self-serving, if interesting (in places) work, the title is misleading. Yes, it centers on one man's christian experiences in and around one of the most dangerous USA neighborhoods, but there's not a lot (or indeed any) sign of jesus there.

The book is more closely centered on why the author believes the Chinese (and broader Asian) interpretation of family values and behaviors fits more with a christian ethos and, consequently, why he believes it is superior to the western (read here United States of American) family life.

As a second to third generation immigrant he suffers from the haloing of his ancestral behaviors and lives, ignoring evidence much to the contrary; passages on page 151, 139-140, 118-119 and 114-115 only being some of the most egregious instances. Added to this a strong paternalistic attitude that verges on the doctrinaire (p209, 171 as two examples), and the author is not what we would like to be seen as.

Yes, he spent time in the murder dubs and yes, by his standards he tried to shine a light; but no, the book is neither informative or uplifting.

White, USA evangelicals reading this book will feel uplifted for it (I think), or at least have another outlet for their angst. Their Asian / Chinese brethren will feel a nice, comforting surge of superiority within its pages.

I accidentally bough this book thinking it was something else. Not at all worth my time, but 3 stars as the writing is at least easy to understand and coherent.

[Laura Cheifetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful, funny, interesting. I love learning about Asian American history, especially in California. I also think the author is pretty funny. Anyone who struggles with how to live in alignment with the call of the gospel, while also being 21st century professionals, should read this. It's so very thoughtful.

I also enjoyed how he delved into his own life of thinking he should be special, which is an occupational hazard of being a Christian, particularly of a Christian pastor. One of his insightful comments about vocation: "I do not believe God has gifted me with the potential for a special job or task uniquely meant for me, especially in regard to the work that I do. How can I make such presumptions when, throughout history, the overwhelming majority of people toiled in the fields?"

Side note: It also made me laugh because I used to get asked by white and black people about Asian American intentional communities, and I would say "um, that's just how Asian Americans live." This is a story of intentional communities without the annoyance of upper class whiteness so prevalent in many intentional communities.

The only thing for my mainline friends to keep in mind is that he uses exclusive language for God. It didn't bother me overly much because: context. And he's not obnoxious with it.

[Michelle Cho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5/5
Review & How I came across the book: If one ever has questions about urban ministry - what it is, what it is supposed to be … I think this is the book to read. To be frank, it would be the lifetime version of the summer month ministry program I have done. But, to see it carried out across one’s life is humbling. It is not what many people would expect - I think reading this made me wonder what the purpose of volunteer work is, helping the ‘urban’ poor, and not looking away from injustices more. It’s hard - I like how this book doesn’t romanticize justice work. It brings out the extraordinary in the ordinary (my favorite phase to use recently). I came across this book in Kate’s bookshelf (Kate is our supervisor/coordinator for the summer urban ministry program). Due to our tech fast, there was ample time to read.

[Carolina Hinojosa-Cisneros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can we be as Nehemiah when he rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls? Jeung urges his reader to “..be set apart by our solidarity with the poor and concern for the common good.” Sometimes we glorify poverty. We idolize our efforts to be able to bring relief to the impoverished, but how ignorant a mindset.
To know Jesus and to identify with him means to identify and connect with our marginalized ancestors, our own history.
Jeung identifies as Chinese American and takes the reader on a journey through the history of Chinese immigrating to America and their marginalization here in the United States.

[Rohan Katpally · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a well-written book that forces you to ask questions about whether your current actions are truly adequately loving, in the Christian sense.

Nevertheless, I can't help but feel that it's calling the reader to some ascetic ideal, and I'd criticize that along Nietzschean lines in favor of life-affirmation, whatever form that may take. But it's clear that, for the author, this is what he wants to do, and I respect it immensely.

The book does jump around a little bit with its anecdotes, which is my only complaint.

[Jomei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a true egghead, Russell toots his and his wife's horns of pulled-up-by-the-bootstraps ancestry, privilege, educational and monetary attainment and largess, but also humbly bows to being a complete fool about street wisdom. And willingly subjects himself to be taught through the stark whipping of residing in East Oakland by choice. Pretty hipster and gentrifier, but what we're all called to do to glorify Christ: share the gifts God's given us with others.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone has a story to tell, but not everyone can tell their story very well. This book is very well written and thought provoking. I absolutely love this book! It's different from any other Christian book I've read. I'm glad I read this book because it made me think a lot, and I plan to share it with others.

I want to say to Russell Jeung, thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us.

A copy of this ebook was generously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this one. It wasn't that the information wasn't interesting; I think I struggled with the structure of the book. There seemed to be little chronology. I also was very unsure of where his theology lays, as it wasn't stated clearly though I love the concept of the living together as Christians!

[Pam Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book about following your calling, giving sacrificial love for the Cambodian families and refugees. The author embodies with courage the families of poor and broken immigrants from Asia where exile is a unique place to serve got at the same time.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to get started reading it ... beginning felt very disjointed. But as it went it got better and gave some good perspective to life in a different culture than mine in the way that helps to expand my world.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Great use of storytelling to lead you to contemplate and rethink your views on race and ethnicity, social justice, poverty, government programs, church, family, citizenship in heaven, and more.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's likability comes through loud and clear. He is sincere and godly and has a deep interest in helping not only his "own people" but others who have been marginalized for whatever reason, usually due to being a minority (of sorts).

[Nissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good read that challenged a lot of my ideas surrounding the refugee and immigrant communities and what it looks like to love them as Christ loves them.

[Cara Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

So informative biblically, historically and culturally - also, Jueng’s self-deprecating humor had me at his first Disney princess reference.