01 Mar / China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston [in What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature]
A history made up of myth and memory of generations of Chinese American men: from the grandfather who worked on the transcontinental railroad to a father who ran a laundry and danced like Fred Astaire to a brother who was drafted to serve in Vietnam.
Almost exactly in the middle of the book is a chapter called “The Laws,” which gives the history of the Chinese in America, using a timeline. The insertion is almost an admonition, an angry statement, as if to assert, ‘look, we Chinese have been here for generations and we’ve made important contributions to the history of the U.S.’
A follow-up companion to Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior, the titles together are considered two of the most important Asian American literary classics. Frank Chin and his ‘bad boys’ will, of course, argue as to the books’ “authenticity,” but if nothing else, they can’t dispute the sales numbers.
Review: “Asian American Titles,” What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature, Gale Research, 1997
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 1980