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A review by itsmeamethyst
Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America by Julia Lee
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.