The fascinating story of the rise of Asian Americans as a politically and socially influential racial group
This groundbreaking book is about the transformation of Asian Americans from a few small, disconnected, and largely invisible ethnic groups into a self-identified racial group that is influencing every aspect of American society. It explores the junctures that shocked Asian Americans into motion and shaped a new consciousness, including the murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, by two white autoworkers who believed he was Japanese; the apartheid-like working conditions of Filipinos in the Alaska canneries; the boycott of Korean American greengrocers in Brooklyn; the Los Angeles riots; and the casting of non-Asians in the Broadway musical Miss Saigon. The book also examines the rampant stereotypes of Asian Americans.
Helen Zia, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, was born in the 1950s when there were only 150,000 Chinese Americans in the entire country, and she writes as a personal witness to the dramatic changes involving Asian Americans.
Written for both Asian Americans―the fastest-growing population in the United States―and non-Asians, Asian American Dreams argues that America can no longer afford to ignore these emergent, vital, and singular American people.
Editorial Reviews
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“An ambitious blend of personal and cultural history, a primer on Asian America that covers everything from the history of Asian immigration to the turbulence of the past three decades as the community has gone from silent majority to demanding its place in American society.” ―Ferdinand M. de Leon, The Seattle Times
“An important book because it seeks to answer a question that few other popular works pose: What does it take for people like the author to become fully American?” ―Somini Sengupta, The New York Times Book Review
“Written with journalistic clarity Asian American Dreams offers a way out of the cycle of racial prejudice, discrimination and violence. Its examples of individuals and communities that have spanned cultural antipathies to fight for a cause serve as beacons of hope.” ―Roger Yim, San Francisco Chronicle
“Helen Zia has produced what many of us were waiting for--an honest, scholarly, yet intensely personal book about the transformation of Asian America. She deftly interweaves the remarkable history of a people with her own unique journey as a pioneer activist and writer. The result--Asian American Dreams--is a fresh and incisive narrative, epic in its sweep, thrilling in its verve and clarity.” ―Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking
“A rich chronicle of personal and national history involving Asian Americans that examines issues ranging from immigration patterns to stereotypes in entertainment.” ―Dinah Eng, Gannett News
“Dreams is a wonderful, sophisticated, lively sociohistorical biography of Asian Pacific Americans fighting back to broaden the human rights of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike. Herein Helen Zia emerges as the foremost activist-chronicler of the eighties and nineties.” ―John Kuo Wei Tchen, professor, New York University, author of New York Before Chinatown
“Serves not only as an invaluable record of a movement but also as a moving and often funny personal memoir.” ―David Henry Hwang
About the Author
Helen Zia, a graduate of Princeton University's first co-educational class, is an award-winning journalist who has covered Asian American communities and political movements for twenty years. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Product details
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (May 15, 2001)
Language : English
Paperback : 368 pages
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hykim
4.0 out of 5 starsshe does a great job of comprehensively capturing the timeline of asian immigration ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017
it can be a little dry at times but helen zia's own narrative of her lived experiences woven throughout the text brings the events to life. she does a great job of comprehensively capturing the timeline of asian immigration to the US.
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kimberlysz
3.0 out of 5 starssomewhat interesting, but contradictory at certain times
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2010
like she wrote that the fact asian americans are not a model minority because of how some whites started harassing/committing hate crimes against asians. huh. first of all, asian americans are a model minority because our poverty rate is less than half of other minorites, we are much more likely to obtain higher education, even our median income is higher than whites. we are much less likely to be incarcertated. are we a model minority for others? obviously yes. our cultural values are about relying on ourselves and encourage two parent families. there will always be hate crimes because there will always be haters.just because many whites don't consider asians to be americans (25%), it doesn't mean that we are not a good model minority. she mentioned that most asians support affirmtive action, but fails to mention that a.a. actually hurts asains because it reduces the number of asians admitted to colleges.(she even fails to mention about aa's details.) while it may help in hiring situations, it does more harm. she wrote that the asian on star trek is portayed as an asexual and there aren't enough positive asian roles. well, her book was published in 2005, and she failed to mention Lucy Liu in CHarlie's Angels, Hidden Tiger Crouching whatever, and the asexual asian of star trek became the captain!!! wow, he must be special to become a leader. She wants to destroy sterotypes. well, don't Harold and Kumar movies count? Never mentioned once. THere are many asian charcters now. LIke Angela Montnegro from Bones tv , a very popular series.angela's half,b ut you can tell she's part by looking at her. She mentions films that i've never hear of or only once and not the famous ones that we know of.while it has some interesting history, i feel like she's distorting info and her main goal's to sell books. asians americans feel alientated by the white majority thanks to some whites and we don't need this stranger telling us what already know. jeez.
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From the United States
hykim
4.0 out of 5 stars she does a great job of comprehensively capturing the timeline of asian immigration ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017
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it can be a little dry at times but helen zia's own narrative of her lived experiences woven throughout the text brings the events to life. she does a great job of comprehensively capturing the timeline of asian immigration to the US.
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Francisco Hernandez
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2011
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Here is a wonderful author who is not afraid to express her views and opinions on what happened in the Asian American Diaspora. She is a skilled writer who engages the reader with ease and makes you want to continue reading. Not only was she the author of this book, but Helen Zia also participated in many of the protests engaged during the Civil Rights Movement. It wasn't just the Black Power movement that made the Civil Rights. It was the combination of coalitions created by all colored and white groups fighting for the same demands of equality, education, prosperity, liberty, and happiness. In Asian American Dreams, she puts into focus certain mind-shaping events that helped propel the Asian American movement during the late 60's and 70's. A must read for any person wishing to understand the Asian involvement in Civil Rights.
4 people found this helpful
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Dachon Hogan
4.0 out of 5 stars Great educated class of people
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018
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Love this different stories from different peoples lives
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Elisha Jung Hwa Yang
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing perspective into Asian Americans' lives
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2010
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I came across this book because I was writing a final paper for a Rhetoric class and had to write on the subject of interracial marriage. As an American-born Asian and second generation, I took the stand for pro-interratial marriage and relationships. However while reading this book, I learned a lot of key events that have occurred in the United States over the last couple decades that helped me understand more deeply about why my parents are so traditional while my aunts and uncles in South Korea are so modern, and why they are so protective all the time. Major themes in the book were youth being in limbo trying to identify with a new culture vs. holding on to an old one. What Helen Zia says we should all be doing is sharing all cultures. We don't have to lose one to gain one. We can be part of all types of cultures fully and wholesomely. : )
9 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars i did not have a problem finding the text book I was looking for.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020
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The condition of the textbook was perfect. The book arrived on the day I was told it would.
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George Tsai
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
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Good. Book
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Christine M. Slattery
4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening book bought on Amazon
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2012
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This book was very well written and enjoyable. It was bought for a class at Northwestern University, but proved to be more than just another book to read. It showed a part of the Asian culture that is rarely understood by the rest of American culture. I would recommend it.
4 people found this helpful
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L. Poon
5.0 out of 5 stars Stories to the Asian American modern era
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2013
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I love the stories of Asian Americans, it has extraordinary details, and it express dreams. I recommend this good book.
3 people found this helpful
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J. Nguyen
5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for All Asian Americans and Americans Alike
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2000
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A strong contribution to the current scholarship on APIs and issues of civil rights and identity. Through the use of personal anecdotes and civil rights case studies, sends a clear message for a call to action. It encapsulates all of the previous knowledge that I have acquired about our historical pattern of discrimination and how we are viewed by mainstream American into one comprehensive work.
6 people found this helpful
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Jonathan Snoek
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a good schoolbook
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2013
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I've read two chapters so far and there is so much food for thought about justice issues. I think it's helpful in thinking about national solidarity with migrant workers and taxi cab drivers.
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