Overview
A vivid depiction of the racism suffered by a mixed-race family in rural South Dakota
Full Product Details
Author: May-lee Chai
Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S.
Imprint: Temple University Press,U.S.
Dimensions:
Width: 14.00cm
, Height: 2.30cm
, Length: 21.60cm
Weight: 0.372kg
ISBN: 9781592136155
ISBN 10: 159213615
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 16 March 2007
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
Hapa Girl is a searing memoir of growing up half-Chinese in the American heartland ... The writing is vigorous, and Chai's descriptions of the murderous winters and corrosive boredom of the Great Plains are compelling... Hapa Girl is a reminder that Americans cannot have too many reminders of the un-American things they do when they're afraid. Time magazine, Asia edition I was captivated by May-lee Chai's Hapa Girl from the first sentence. It continued to be so powerful that I read it in one sitting. It's at once brutal and sad, humorous and plucky. Chai has beautifully captured the deep racism and bigotry that lurks in our country with how one misguided decision can change a family's fortunes forever. Hapa Girl made me think about the bonds of family and the vicissitudes of place long after I finished the last page. Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and The Secret Fan A tour-de-force sojourn into a never-before-told zone of small-town American bigotry. Hapa Girl is consistently stylish, permanently courageous, bitingly tragic, but always rationally detached with a Marx Brothers' wit. This is May-lee Chai's best comment yet about America. Anthony B. Chan, author of Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wongo Easily labeled a coming-of-age story or a narrative about racial tensions in 1960s America, this memoir-whose title employs the Hawaiian word for mixed-is truly an homage to a loving marriage. Only the strongest kind of love could survive the crucible of a community hoping for a family's failure. Highly recommended for all libraries with large memoir and Asian collections. Library Journal May-Lee Chai's memoirHapa Girl examines living on the mainland, conservative South Dakota in particular, and the racial tensions that accompany it...Chai is best when painting hurtful moments from her life relating to the issue at hand...It could be a valuable resource for those seeking self-discovery on being of mixed race. June 6 issue of Honolulu Weekly
Author Information
May-lee Chai is the author of five books, My Lucky Face, The Girl from Purple Mountain (co-authored with Winberg Chai) and Glamorous Asians: Short Stories & Essays, and recipient of an NEA Grant in Literature.
