WWII)

  • Communist enemies
    • traitorous foreigners

    The media continues to perpetuate some of the stereotypes of “foreignness.” I remember last year when some illegal Chinese immigrants were (from a single rumor started by their disgruntled smuggler) accused of bringing a nuclear bomb to Boston. The Globe put their pictures boldly on the front page—eight pictures stretching across the entire page. Later when it was shown that the rumor had absolutely no basis in truth, a retraction/apology was printed on one of the inner pages—I never actually saw it myself.

    I also remember at the time of the Wen Ho Lee case (do all ya’ll know just how badly this guy was wronged?) that at least one survey I read about said that an overwhelming majority of Americans believed that a Chinese American’s fundamental loyalty lay with China and not the U.S.

    Well… I don’t want to digress too much, but this is why I’ve been more and more interested in Asian American issues in the past couple of years. Why I moved to Dorchester to be around high-risk Vietnamese youth. Being Asian American is not an easy thing, no matter what some might tell you.

    Anyway.

    Overall, I found the book very informative and (as I said earlier) it filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge of Chinese American history. It wasn’t necessarily a quick read for me even though I thought it was pretty well written. I guess I just don’t really like reading history. ;)

    It also made me think of two other books that I really like:

    Free at Last? was (for me) a first glimpse into the African-American experience. So I grew up in a suburban/rural, mostly white neighborhood and knew hardly anything about Asian American history, let alone African or Latino. And, being totally honest, I used to be against affirmative action (for academic admissions) because I saw it as a system that worked against me just because I happened to be Chinese. I’ve learned a lot over the past five years or so that have helped me to understand why affirmative action is important. And I’ve made friends that have made me want to learn more about Black history. This book was a first step. I still don’t know anything, but now I know a little more about what I don’t know.

    Reviving Ophelia is such an important book for men to read. I guess it’s about developmental psychology in adolescent girls. When I read it, it totally floored me. It helped me to understand the toxic environment that girls grow up in, something that, as a man, I had no way of understanding. This is not at all to say that it’s not tough being a boy (or a man), but there are definitely some weird gender dynamics that sometimes make me wonder that any woman could ever learn to trust a man. I need to read this again—soon. If you’re a man, read this. Really. And if you’re a woman? Every woman I’ve talked with about this book has found it really helpful. So everyone should read it.