varaht's Reviews (164)

This book was awful.
Do not recommend.

If you're intending to read this because you saw the Broadway play or the movie, be forewarned: it's absolutely nothing like that.
None of the characters are likeable.
Oz is described incredibly unappealing.
The descriptions of everything and everyone is extremely crass.

A note on the narrator: his line readings and inflections make getting through this 100% more difficult to trudge through. It's a wonder it hasn't been re-recorded since 1995 because he simply does a poor job of writing an already unappealing story.

This book didn't need to be written.

This was way better than I expected!
I originally read it because I started watching the Hulu series. But I didn't realize just how much was adapted from such a short book.

But just because it's short, doesn't mean it's rushed. Yu hits the point on the minute details of the Asian-American experience from multiple backgrounds and POVs and perfectly weaves together the history of Asian immigration in the US. He examines each stereotype and directs why they exist, how they came to be, the obstacles in breaking it, and why they still remain.

The courtroom scene where he has Older Brother and Turner breakdown the relationship of Black and White to Asians and how Willis views himself should be taught. It presents the thesis, examines internalized bias both of the self and the other, provides historical precedent, then strips away the costume while putting the Willis in stage to judge himself.

I'm absolutely going to read this again and further examine the dynamics. Highly recommend reading for all readers of all genres.

A good ending