Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

35 reviews

leweylibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.75

There's a lot going on in this book, and I'm glad that I at least read a good half of it as a physical copy rather than the audiobook I finished with. The author is a poet, and that is much clearer when I'm reading a physical copy and can mark parts that stand out to me. I read this for a book club, but I missed the last meeting. In the sessions I did go to, we had really rich discussions that elevated my opinion of the book greatly. The first half dealt a lot more with more abstract concepts and literature, but the second half moves more into talking about herself and her background in art and poetry while delving into deeper issues like her "bad English," internment camps, and the brutal rape and murder of a prominent Asian American artist.
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jaqjak's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

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an_library_stan's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

I learned a lot reading this. A mix of very personal individual stories and broader historical and social commentary. 

Some people to look up: 
- Lorraine O'Grady "in the future, white supremacy will no longer need white people"
- Yuri Kochiyama - Japanese American activist who organized with Malcolm X

History behind Asian American as a term (1968, UC Berkeley students coined)

History behind double eyelid surgery (American surgeon tested on Korean sex workers) 

Briefly, history of Korean soldiers in Vietnam

History of Theresa Hak Kyung  Chas art and rape and murder (1980s)

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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reflective

5.0

I chose Minor Feelings as my choice nonfiction book for school, and I am incredibly glad I did. This essay collection mixes memoir, history, anthology, and more into a genre bending work of art about the Asian American experience and the pressure of assimilation. I cannot recommend this book enough!
——
The Portrait of an Artist and An Education were my two favorite essays, but every component of this collection brought a unique angle and style, which I appreciated.
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deetabz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

This book was definitely too clever for me but I feel like I still got a lot out of it. It's a collection of essays which I found really interesting but I also got a bit lost sometimes. Cathy Park Hong is a poet and some of her writing was a bit dense for me and some of the concepts went over my head. However I'm glad I read it and I don't think I've read another book like it. 
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laceyc1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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lilybear3's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

This book wasn't what I was expecting, but in a good way.  This book was a collection of essays and felt like a memoir. She talks about Asian Americans in history that I had never hear of until now and I am so glad that I could learn more about them.  As an Asian American myself, this book made me do a lot of self-reflecting.
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kayladaila's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.75

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koreanlinda's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.0

My short reflection as a Korean American reader

Forte:
  • I liked the chapters about Cathy's experience with counseling therapy and the relationship with her mother. 

Shortcomings:
  • The chapters lack cohesion and were confusing in terms of time progression. 
  • The book is marketed as an Asian American memoir, but a big portion of the book is neither memoir nor about the Asian American experience. 
  • I got the feeling that Cathy is avoiding telling her own story and reverting to the story of others.
  • One chapter about Cathy's college years shows that a friend abused Cathy, but there is never an acknowledgement of the abuse. It is rather dismissed as a character flaw. 

If you want to read about Korean American Woman's experience, I recommend Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. 

Review by Linda (she/they)
Twitter @KoreanLinda
Letter writer at DefinitelyNotOkay.com 
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