Phoenix Eyes and Other Stories by Russell Charles Leong [in aOnline]
01 May, by in Adult Readers, Chinese American, Fiction, Repost, Short Stories
In the title poem of Russell Leong’s 1993 poetry collection, The Country of Dreams and Dust (West End Press), an epic work encompassing the history of the Chinese in America, Leong alludes to what...
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather’s journey from Japan to America, and back to Japan. He comes to understand his grandfather’s feelings of being torn by a sense of being home in two...
Sam wakes up one day with the face of his elderly grandfather. He has a frustrating time trying to convince his family and friends that he really is still Sam...
A lovely story about a young Japanese boy who learns about Christmas for the first time from his California-born Japanese American mother as she prepares a special pine tree, decorated with paper...
Mark is in bed with a high fever. His Uncle Scott sends him a metal box for trout flies, which brings back memories of Mark’s first fishing trip. He’s transported to a sparkling river,...
Luke and his father embark on a camping trip to "the Lost Lake," where the father used to go with his own father. When they arrive they find that too many others have discovered...
Taro is known throughout the village as its laziest citizen. When a rich merchant moves into town, he hatches a plan to ensure an easy life by convincing...
Aekyung, a young Korean girl recently arrived in the U.S., is teased at school for her different features and has not yet made friends. Inspired by a dream about King Sejong who created Hangul,...
A hardworking, childless elderly couple are led to the fountain of youth by a mysterious bluebird and warned to take just a sip. Their greedy neighbor hears about their discovery, rushes to the magic...
"Shorty," a young Japanese American boy, and his family are forcibly relocated to an American concentration camp during World War II. There, in order to help the children survive the barbed wire...
Donnie’s friends always force him to play the enemy because, as a Japanese American, he looks like "them." But Donnie’s valiantly father served in World War II and his uncle fought in Korea. His friends want...
Hoi, a young Chinese boy, arrives in America in 1865 to work on the railroads. Because his favorite food is American pies, his friends rename him "Pie-Biter." He quickly grows to be a strong young man....
Every year, the extended Yang family gathers from all over the Hawaiian island of Oahu at Grandma’s house to celebrate New Year’s Eve. This year, young Marisa will help make the dumplings for Grandma’s...
In spite of the wicked machinations of her stepmother, the beautiful young Yeh-Shen manages to survive her deprived life. With the help of a beloved fish and a mysterious old sage, she even marries...
Shin so believes in the reality of his friend Tasuke’s dream of finding gold that he "buys" the dream and borrows money before setting off to find the treasure. Arriving...
When the world’s first atomic bomb detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, young Mii was sitting at breakfast with her mother and father. Remarkably, the family survived the blast that day,...
At a beautiful day at the beach, Xiao Ming learns to write Chinese characters with his mother in the sand. To Xiao Ming, the characters are much like drawing simple pictures: a...
During a winter walk through the forest, Xiao Ming’s mother teaches him new Chinese characters, using the white snow to draw the picture-like characters. Delightful companion title to 
During a drought, the Toad decides to ask the King of Heaven for rain. On his journey, he is joined by the Bees, the Rooster, and...
Beautiful Lotus is unable to hear or speak. Ostracized by the other children, she is lonely and sad. Her parents take her to the local temple where she sees temple dancers for the first...