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bookreviewswithkb's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
4.5
a heart-wrenching, guttural and honest exploration of the racial hierarchy in america, examining the position of Asian American identity within the hierarchy. Lee utilizes personal experiences alongside the work of beloved scholars and writers to interrogate oppression, marginalization and social change. she describes the shame and rage that she feels trying to survive in a country built on the oppression of people of color, the white supremacist ideals that bleed into every corner
highly recommend this
renreads2much's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.75
This book is not an easy read, for me I found it quite intense and aggressive. There were certain points where I felt extreme rage bursting from the pages. Sometimes it felt like someone was yelling at me with a microphone. However, I believe that I am also a bit more sensitive to this content and critique, being biracial with Immigrant, Filipino blood and American European blood, sometimes it feels like I have to make a choice between what I "sympathize" with most. This book really had me confront myself and realize many things that I hadnt even realized. The text is truly eye-opening.
I'm not going to act like this book is all about rage and suffering, because as Julia Lee said herself when she was teaching African American literature, she, "painted a picture of Black life so unrelentingly bleak and warped by racism and injustice that a reader might assume all Black life could be reduced to was suffering." And I want to avoid making that same mistake while speaking of this book. Because there was more than a "Angry Little Asian Girl," there were talks about how in the face of suffering, there is hope, love, and community. Those excerpts were quite touching, watching Julia Lee struggle to find solidarity in the academic world until she was a professor herself, teaching African American literature. Versus the "solidarity" she had with a White teacher in her middle school, when she got a good grade for putting down and rebelling against her Korean culture and parents. She didn't have to shrink to find comfort in others when she was an adult. She was allowed to take off her muzzle and write this book, biting the hand.
I'm not going to act like this book is all about rage and suffering, because as Julia Lee said herself when she was teaching African American literature, she, "painted a picture of Black life so unrelentingly bleak and warped by racism and injustice that a reader might assume all Black life could be reduced to was suffering." And I want to avoid making that same mistake while speaking of this book. Because there was more than a "Angry Little Asian Girl," there were talks about how in the face of suffering, there is hope, love, and community. Those excerpts were quite touching, watching Julia Lee struggle to find solidarity in the academic world until she was a professor herself, teaching African American literature. Versus the "solidarity" she had with a White teacher in her middle school, when she got a good grade for putting down and rebelling against her Korean culture and parents. She didn't have to shrink to find comfort in others when she was an adult. She was allowed to take off her muzzle and write this book, biting the hand.
kermittothebook's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
megmccreery's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
3.0
The first quarter was pretty interesting, but then the rest of the book felt kind of rinse and repeat. Every chapter had the same recipe: historical event, pull quotes, personal anecdote, analysis and conclusions. It wasn't a bad book, but I think the intended audience is a little bit older and it made it hard for me to relate to. The ending also didn't really have a CTA. Like obviously we know we shouldn't pit BIPOC groups against each other, but what else is there to takeaway?
laurapoulosky's review against another edition
5.0
Julia Lee gives a no-holds-barred account of her experiences as a Korean American in the U.S. (mostly in California, but also at Princeton and Harvard). Since she's just a few years younger than me, I related to her references to pop culture, historical events, and cultural shifts during our lifetime. I liked how she calls for solidarity among the races and recognizes our common humanity, even as she calls out racism she has experienced and observed.
itsmeamethyst's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my favorite reads from 2022, and I cannot wait for it to be released in April (2023) so more people can read it. It was hard for me to put down. Admittedly, I thought this was titled, "Growing Up Asian AND Black in White America" when I first requested an advanced copy. As someone who is Black and Asian, I thought this was going to be a book I've been waiting for and highlight my unique, mixed-race experiences more intimately. While this was written about Asian Americans, so much of this book resonated with me. I still feel seen in these pages. She puts words to many of the feelings I've had or things I've experienced - how Asian women are made into sexual fetish objects, how we're taught to be quiet, stay small, work hard, and be grateful.
It's refreshing to see an Asian writer tackle anti-Blackness and white supremacy and also our collective humanity. Lee writes about the white gaze, microaggressions, internalized racism, and tackles the harmful “model minority” stereotype, or the belief that success among Asian Americans is universal. She writes about how it dangerously exacerbates interracial tension and does not acknowledge the socioeconomic disparities among the diverse range of communities categorized as Asian-American. The model minority myth perpetuates a myth that Asian Americans are not afflicted by racism and disregards a longstanding history of racially-motivated aggression and discrimination in policy against Asian Americans (e.g., L.A.’s 1871 Chinese Massacre, the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese Internment Camps). Lee highlights how "the threat of violence and retribution are constant, and...ensure that I continue to regulate my behavior, even when no one else is around."
Lee understands that racism has a cost for everyone. As she puts it, "white supremacy culture is scarcity culture. It relies on gatekeeping, shaming, and exclusion," it is a zero-sum game and our participation is "critical to the pyramid scheme of the American Dream."
As its title states, Lee has bitten the hand that fed her (parent, teacher, college, nation). Appreciating her upbringing doesn't mean she (or any of us) is eternally beholden to those who raised, educated, and governed her; "I'm not a horse who must be broken by its master into submission." She wrote that the greatest legacy she can leave her daughter is the ability for her daughter to decide for herself which traditions she wants to keep, what she wants to tweak, and finally, what she wants to create anew. "We, too, are America".
Many thanks to Henry Holt & Company, NetGalley, and Julia Lee for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
It's refreshing to see an Asian writer tackle anti-Blackness and white supremacy and also our collective humanity. Lee writes about the white gaze, microaggressions, internalized racism, and tackles the harmful “model minority” stereotype, or the belief that success among Asian Americans is universal. She writes about how it dangerously exacerbates interracial tension and does not acknowledge the socioeconomic disparities among the diverse range of communities categorized as Asian-American. The model minority myth perpetuates a myth that Asian Americans are not afflicted by racism and disregards a longstanding history of racially-motivated aggression and discrimination in policy against Asian Americans (e.g., L.A.’s 1871 Chinese Massacre, the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese Internment Camps). Lee highlights how "the threat of violence and retribution are constant, and...ensure that I continue to regulate my behavior, even when no one else is around."
Lee understands that racism has a cost for everyone. As she puts it, "white supremacy culture is scarcity culture. It relies on gatekeeping, shaming, and exclusion," it is a zero-sum game and our participation is "critical to the pyramid scheme of the American Dream."
As its title states, Lee has bitten the hand that fed her (parent, teacher, college, nation). Appreciating her upbringing doesn't mean she (or any of us) is eternally beholden to those who raised, educated, and governed her; "I'm not a horse who must be broken by its master into submission." She wrote that the greatest legacy she can leave her daughter is the ability for her daughter to decide for herself which traditions she wants to keep, what she wants to tweak, and finally, what she wants to create anew. "We, too, are America".
Many thanks to Henry Holt & Company, NetGalley, and Julia Lee for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
nicolernelson's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0