02 Mar / American Knees by Shawn Wong [in What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature]
Raymond Ding, a divorced Chinese American man in his 30s who prides himself on his strong ethnic identity and his politically correct views, is in love with Aurora Crane, a half-Japanese, half-Caucasian photojournalist in her 20s. In spite of their passionate bond, they must be separate before they can finally come back together. A hip, sexy, sometimes satiric jaunt through love and commitment in the ’90s.
Word on the street was that Wong’s novel was a direct response to Amy Tan’s legendarily successful The Joy Luck Club which many felt lacked any strong, three-dimensional Asian American male characters. Wong reclaims the Asian American male, offering a sexy, desirable alternative to the emasculated stereotype. In 2006, the book was made into a well-regarded film by hapa director Eric Byler (Charlotte Sometimes), cleverly re-titled Americanese.
Review: “Asian American Titles,” What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature, Gale Research, 1997
Readers: Adult
Published: 1995