Published Books
Asian Americans
Oral Histories
Since the first three documented Chinese arrived in this country in 1848, more than six million Asians have followed. The huge immigrations of recent years have prompted a surge of interest in the new Asian American experience. In Asian Americans, these immigrants and their families present their own stories―why they came to America and what it means to be Asian in America today.
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Asian American Actors
Oral Histories
The acting profession is increasingly drawing more and more actors of Asian descent. Yet, even with the success of television programs (Martial Law), films (Mulan), and even Broadway plays (Miss Saigon) that include Asian characters, there are still limited roles for these actors. In the past, Asian characters like Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu were played by non-Asian actors in makeup. Many of the roles available for Asians today tend to be stereotypical: kung-fu sidekicks, emasculated or gang-member males, sexually accessible females, comic characters with a poor command of English. Seldom are Asian actors cast in race-neutral roles. Despite these obstacles, many excellent Asian actors continue to seek their places on screen and stage.
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This analysis of Asian American opportunities and experiences in the acting profession features the narratives of both aspiring and established Asian-American actors, providing a detailed examination of the opportunities, prejudices, and fears they face and the goals they set for themselves. The book covers the insights of both New York and Hollywood based actors, both the well known and the up-and-coming, and includes photographs, bibliography and index.
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Asian Americans in the
Twenty-First Century
Oral Histories
A follow-up to the 1992 bestselling classic Asian Americans—with all-new interviews that brilliantly illuminate the vibrant, ever-changing communities of Asian America.
"Everybody thinks I'm crazy. They think a Japanese country singer can never make it in the U.S. But I followed my dreams."—Hank Sasaki, country and western singer/songwriter, interviewed in Asian Americans in the Twenty-First Century
The collective term "Asian American" comprises more than twenty distinct nationalities and ethnic groups, and today there are more than 12 million Asian Pacific Americans living in the United States. In this all-new collection of fascinating interviews with students, lawyers, engineers, politicians, stay-at-home moms, and activists, Joann Faung Jean Lee again draws upon her great skill and sensitivity as a journalist to reveal a rich mosaic of Asian American identities.
We hear a range of voices: Dale Minami recounts his historic involvement in a landmark legal case that changed the way America understands the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; Ruby Chow remembers how she used her position as a beloved restaurateur to launch a successful campaign for county councilwoman in Seattle, Washington; and Daniel Jung speaks of the complexities of African American and Korean relations in Los Angeles, where his father owned a liquor store when Daniel was a teenager in the 1990s.
Candid and compelling, the interviews reveal intimate and often conflicting thoughts about Asian American identities, immigration, family, relationships, and educational and professional achievement.
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