Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American Women [Paperback]

Elaine H. Kim (Editor), Lilia V. Villanueva (Editor), Asian Women United of California (Editor), Jessica Hagedorn (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807059137 | ISBN-13: 978-0807059135 | Publication Date: July 30, 1997 | Edition: 1

Asian-American women writers of all ages explore a complex range of identities through poetry, fiction, essays, and memoirs, most of which have never been published. The contributors take on littleexplored topics and expand the limits of ethnic-based identity, resisting stereotypes and breaking silences. Candid and memorable, their essays, stories, and poetry change popular assumptions and engage readers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Hailing by lineage or immigration from Asian posts such as Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea, Vietnam, and India, the contributors to Making More Waves are as well known as Lisa See (On Gold Mountain) and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (The Mistress of Spices ), and as new to print as 16-year-old poet Juno Parrenas. The story "Summer of My Korean Soldier" and the essay "Hambun-Hambun" neatly mirror one another, and illustrate an experience shared by all of these writers: the sense of being an outsider. In polished or jagged prose, the authors recount their lives and dig into feminist issues such as violence against women in war and peacetime, sexuality, and the nexus of race, class, and gender. They deftly explore how being Asian in America shapes such concerns and casts up others.

From Library Journal

In this new anthology of writing by Asian American women, Kim, Lilia V. Villanueva, and Asian Women United of California expand considerably on Making Waves (Cornell Univ., 1993) to produce a wonderful collection of fresh new stories, poems, memoirs, and essays. Included are thought-provoking poems about discarded, unwanted babies and the ravages of war by established poets such as Chitra Divakarum (Black Candle, Calyx, 1991) and Kimiko Hahn (Unbearable Heart, Kaya Prod., 1995). Susan Ito, a new writer, movingly expresses the heart of being a "Hambun-Hambun" literally half-and-half: a white and Japanese child/woman in America. A scholarly excerpt from Sumi Cho's Critical Race Feminism (New York Univ., 1997) might be too erudite for the lay reader, but other eloquent reflections such as Nora Okja Cobb Keller's "The Brilliance of Diamonds"?the story of how she got her name?and Hershini Bhana's gripping poem about rape are further examples of the diversity in this book. Recommended for large public and academic libraries.?Janis Williams, Shaker Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 1 edition (July 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807059137
• ISBN-13: 978-0807059135
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ~*~ a thick chunk of asian heritage ~*~, November 27, 1999

By 

Richard T. Kim - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American Women (Paperback)

i suppose you expect a formal review of some sort, but i'm just writing something freshly thought out:

i LOVE this book! it's pretty rare to discover asian american works of writing published in today's world. It iincludes stories, essays, poems, photography, and pictures of artwork done as well.

Anyone who is interested in heritage, asian american literature, or just would like a good collection of writing to read, i highly reccomend this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read!!!, April 19, 2002

By 

Pastor Roger "Roger R." (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American Women (Paperback)

I bought a copy of "Making Waves" by the same authors. It was a powerful book, to say the least. I really admired the honesty by all of the Asian American ladies that contributed to the book.
This book, which is the follow-up, is also a powerful book, too. You see, even though I'm a Caucasian male, I'm a Christian and an ordained minister. Most of the ministry and worship I do is with Asian Americans(most of the are college age and young adult). Since I didn't grow up Asian, this book and its predecessor were a valuable resource to me.
After seeing this book, I'm more sympathetic to the struggles that Asian Americans go through, and especially the females. Too often Hollywood and the Far Eastern Movie companies have portrayed Asian Females as the sultry and sexy "Gesha Girl" stereotype. This book lets the ladies speak and takes the reader into their hearts and minds. It lets the reader know what they've actually been through, what they struggle with(and still do), and what they do to surivive. I'm glad they've shared what they did. I think it's long overdue that their voices were heard.
I would reccommend this book to anyone doing ministry to Asian American females as I do or to any male dating or married to an Asian American female. Praise God for Elaine Kim and the Asian Women United!