Customer Reviews

American Knees

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book was funny, and truly thought provoking. It's definitely not politically correct, asking questions about the differences between dating someone that's white or asian, or asian/american. (Sometimes I cringe at the comments but feel privy to such frank discussions.) The descriptions are sharp, witty, fast and funny! Asian "eurotrash... West Hollywood is about as far east as this guy goes"

It's good description of an asian in american trying to find his identity and balance of cultures as he stumbles for love. (Should his partner be a reflection of self?)

It deals with personal doubts. Do other people really stare and doubt the interracial couple or the 'foreigner', or are 'we' just paranoid? There are some hidden comments that lead you to realize that identity crisis isn't just over race. Guys "wear their obligation on the outside... it says they have to run and bring the paycheck home"

It's quite an erotic book too!

I was so entertained that I finished the book in two days! At times the asian banter seemed too much, and the ending seemed to lack the passion and fire that was in the 1st 3/4 of the book. But I give it 4 stars for it's wit, depiction of identity lorn asian americans, and it's fresh take on an a common theme!

Let me start by saying that I am not of Asian-American ethnicity - I am a white American of primarily Eastern European descent. Nonetheless, I found plenty to enjoy (and enlighten me) in "American Knees." The novel is a bittersweet love story about Raymond (a Chinese-American) and Aurora (who is "half" Japanese, as she calls herself). Their cultural identities and familial ties are only some of the tangled emotional threads that threaten to choke their relationship; the age difference (Raymond is a generation older) and the dreaded twin fears of intimacy and commitment, for example, are also explored. I found the characters interesting and engaging, and their many conversations about race and ethnic identity in America were fascinating and eye-opening to this white woman. I suspect that members of other ethnic and religious groups for whom cultural identity and "intermarriage" are issues (Jews? African-Americans? Indian-Americans?) will find these discussions even more compelling. My criticisms of the novel: (1) these same dialogues about race and ethnicity tend to disrupt the flow of the story somewhat; (2) the main characters' insistence on focusing on their differences instead of their common ground frustrated me. Perhaps I am naive or a hopeless romantic, but I think if you are lucky enough to find someone that you love, and they love you back, you should do everything in your power to make it work - not dwell on your differences; (3) the ending was somewhat unsatisfying. I'm not sure if this is because I just didn't like what was going on in Raymond's head at the end, or if the cryptic nature of the last few paragraphs threw me. Overall, however,I think this is an enjoyable book well worth exploring.

This novel presents a point of view that is new to me, the viewpoint of an Asian American male dealing with the culture of growing older in an increasingly complex society within a society. Raymond is Chinese American, but has never been to China, divorced from a Chinese woman who took him for everything he had and not sure where to go with the rest of his life. The first line of the book is intriguing and I fear many reviewers missed its import. Is it possible through a divorce to lose not just material possessions but your ethnic identity as well? The rest of the book is Raymond's exploration of this question. Professionally involved in ethnic politics, the topic dogs him in all his relationships with women, including his half-Japanese, half-Irish girl friend Aurora, his Vietnamese immigrant girl friend Betty and Aurora's friend Brenda, who is all-Japanese and all suspicious of Raymond. As the novel progresses, it becomes more evident that the real Raymond is defined by his relationship with his widower father Wood (short for Woodrow, like his brothers named for a US President). For me, the seminal moment in the book was Raymond's discovery that his father's personality was as much derived from his engineering background as his Chinese ancestry, a discovery that liberated him from whatever ghosts had haunted him from his failed marriage to Darlene and his mother's early death, and which allowed him to become the person Aurora could love and trust. The book is well-written but it requires the reader to fill in some blanks and do more work than the typical novel. It is not for everyone, but it is a book that actually teaches while it entertains.

This is an amazing book, overflowing with so many contemporary issues many Asian Americans find themselves facing. While the personalities of the characters are exaggerated (I don't think anyone can be as controversial as Brenda), the interactions they have are right on target. I have had similar conversations about interracial dating and Asian stereotypes with my own friends. Wong has the daring to write about issues that others have never dared to voice. The frequent sex scenes can be a bit overwhelming, but in between them lie scenes that Asian Americans can really relate to. Call it the Portnoy of Asian Americn literature.

Shawn Wong's novel American Knees is an exceptional example of a fictional work accurately portraying the issues of Asian Americans and their relationships. The complexities of dating were amplified with the main character, Raymond Ding, because he worked in a college's Ethnic Studies department and bore witness to the Civil Rights Movement beginning in the 1960's. His younger girlfriend, Aurora Crane, was the perfect foil for Raymond's ethnic sensitivity. Her father was a Caucasian auto shop owner and her mother was a Japanese American. It was interesting to see how Raymond and Aurora's personalities interact with each other, given their differences. The main source of interaction between Raymond and Aurora was their varying views of Asian Americans. Raymond took his job home with him. More accurately, he lived his job. He was constantly "lecturing" Aurora on social inequalities of Asians. It was as though Raymond thought Aurora was not educated enough in this area because she was part Caucasian. Aurora did not care for this constant Asian hypersensitivity and only wanted a relationship without having to worry about being politically correct. Raymond's relationship seemed more like a teacher to student rather than boyfriend to girlfriend who saw each other as equals. It was an interesting personal dichotomy that Raymond was trying to bring about Asian awareness yet fell victim to the outdated notion of male dominance in relationships. The cause for Raymond's hypersensitivity to Asian American issues was explained in his experiences that many Asians in America have witnessed. When Raymond interacted with people his underlying thought was how his being Asian effected the interaction and vice versa. He found himself constantly trying to break the stereotype of the wimpy Asian man, which he explained was a result of historical portrayals of Asian men in mainstream America. Raymond's influence on Aurora began to show when she brought up the subject of Asian American newscasters. She lectured her friend, in Raymond Ding fashion, that there were always young and attractive Asian American women newscasters next to Caucasian males. Aurora explains this as mainstream America portraying Asian women as desirable, exotic, sex objects. Aurora had her own sensitivities concerning Asian American issues. She was afraid of how she would be seen when she was with a Caucasian man: "...in their eyes...I was a prostitute. They've seen me in the movies. The sailor and the pretty Asian girl." In the climax, Raymond had a relationship with a Vietnamese co-worker, Betty Nguyen. Her character is brought into the plot in order to bring to light the historical stock plot of Ms. Saigon concerning the subservience of Asian women. Betty became pregnant from Raymond and was faced with the dilemma of running to Raymond for support, the "Ms. Saigon" resolution, or choose the independent liberated route and raise the child as a single mother. Shawn Wong addresses a multitude of relevant Asian American issues in American Knees. He uses these issues as a source of interaction between the characters and how it effects their relationships. This book offers the reader superb insight into the life and dilemmas of Asian Americans.

This is the best Asian American novel I have ever read. It took all the stereotypes of Chinese Americans and made them a lot light hearted than many Asian American novel. Wong has done an amazing job in making identity issues not so hard to take. He tackles all the issues in a humorous way. Love the "Chinese Samsonite" statement. Finally, An Asian American writer protrays sex as a good thing. I truly enjoyed this book. An Amazing novel, American Knees, has won a place in my literary heart.

The book, American Knees, could be a simple book about the conflicts between two people in a relationship if it wasn't for the constant underlying tone of racial struggles. Raymond insists on turning every sentence and glance into a racial statement and a defense of his life. His character is well developed, though, in the sense that he can no longer see the world around him with anything but racial lenses. Aurora, on the other hand, is a very modern character trying to balance the many sides of gender, class and race. Her presence compliments Raymond because their two different worldviews makes for interesting reading. While the plot seems a little too light for the serious issues they are talking about, the text does come across as humorous because of all the emphasis on stereotypes.

I love this book. I bought it on a whim and devoured it. It's funny and endearing. I loaned to my sister who also read it and liked it. We need more books like this by Shawn Wong or more writers willing to be bold enough to write like him.

I used to like this book because I identified with one of its main characters solely because of our similar ethnicity. I think that's fairly dumb now - this book is less about being AsAm and more about being human. The spaces we share; the neuroses that define us ... if you happen to eat rice and take your shoes off at the door, that's cool too -- but at the end of the day, even checking the same box on a racial form can't make me look past this book's obvious flaws. The narrative will not grab you, and quite frankly, the characters aren't that compelling. Nor are their neuroses.

Mr. Wong's novel explores the difficult issues of race and identity, especially in intimate, one-on-one situations, through the experiences of a middle-aged Chinese American, Raymond Ding. While the material about race, culture, and family is interesting, the strength of this book is a love story between two searching and genuine characters that need each other.