Yellow Journalist (Mapping Racisms) [Paperback]

William Wong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2001

Who are Asian Americans? Are they the remnants of the "yellow peril" portrayed in the media through stories on Asian street gangs, unscrupulous political fundraisers, and crafty nuclear spies? Or are they the "model minority" that the media present as consistently outranking European Americans in math scores and violin performances?In this funny, sobering, and always enlightening collection, journalist William Wong comments on these and other anomalies of the Asian American experience. From its opening tribute to the Oakland Chinatown of Wong's childhood to its closing tribute to Tiger Woods, "Yellow Journalist" portrays the many-sided legacies of exclusion and discrimination. The stories, columns, essays, and commentaries in this collection tackle such persistent problems as media racism, criminality, inter-ethnic tensions, and political marginalization. As a group, they make a strong case for the centrality of the Asian American historical experiences in U.S. race relations. The essays cover many subjects, from the personal to policy, from the serious to the silly.You will learn a little Asian American history and a lot about the nuances and complexities of the contemporary Asian American experience. If there is an overriding theme of these stories and essays, it is the multi-faceted adaptation of ethnic Asians to the common American culture, the intriguing roles that they play in our society, and the quality of their achievements to contribute to a better society. Bill Wong's high school journalism teacher took him aside during his senior year and told him he would have to be "twice as good" to succeed at his chosen profession. Succeed he did, and "twice as good" he is. As Darrell Hamamoto remarks in his Foreword, "'Chinaman,' Chinese American, Asian American; any way you slice it, Bill Wong is one straight-up righteous Yellow Man." Writer and journalist William Wong has been regional commentator for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and a columnist for the "San Francisco Examiner", "Oakland Tribune", and "Asian Week", among other publications.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For three decades, William Wong has been America's most energetic and entertaining chronicler of the Asian diaspora and its effects on politics, culture, business, sports, dress, diet, and language. Like other great humorists, he exposes the painful absurdities that plague each new wave of immigrant families as they enrich the national character, from Wong's own adventurous parents to Tiger Woods. Some of these pieces offer surprising insights on geopolitics and others explore the legal and social consequences of racial discrimination, but my favorites are the playful essays, including the classic 'So That's Why I Can't Lose Weight.' "
—Jay Mathews, Washington Post reporter and columnist, and author of Class Struggle

"One of the advantages of having a writer of Bill Wong's talent around is that we don't have to depend upon intermediaries and go-betweens to give us insights about issues affecting Asian-Americans. He is often entertaining, and ironic, but underneath it all is a serious mind devoted to shattering myths about one of our fastest growing minorities."
—Ishmael Reed, author of The Reed Reader

"It is about time that America meet William Wong—an icon in journalism whose experience as a second generation Chinese-American has given him a unique lens through which life in America can be examined. For almost two decades, his columns in the Oakland Tribune and other San Francisco bay area newspapers have captured a different kind of reality about some of our most important social, cultural, and political moments. Wong's readiness to share his family, his community, and his conscience allows readers to cross a bridge into the world of Asian America. Whether it is an analysis of the 1996 campaign finance scandals or a perspective on how parent pressures and bi-cultural conflicts can play out in a young Asian American teen's life, Wong's skillful weaving of humor, irony, and poignant portrayals of the circumstances make each story linger long past the final sentence of his essay."
—Angela E. Oh, Lecturer/Former Advisory Board Member, President's Initiative on Race

From the Publisher

What does it mean to be Asian American? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (February 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566398304
• ISBN-13: 978-1566398305
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,128,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Necessarily Mellow, July 16, 2001

By 

Yours Truly (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America (Maping Racisms) (Hardcover)

If, like me, you're White and live on the East coast, the subtleties of Asian life may be kept at arm's length. It's possible to eat Chinese food, practice yoga or kung-fu or Zen meditation, ride in a taxi with an immigrant Pakistani driver and be treated by a second-generation Indian-American doctor in ignorance of the underlying tensions that Americans with an Asian heritage experience in our culture and with one another. Reading Bill Wong is the perfect antidote. This collection of columns, many published during his 17 years at the Oakland Tribune in whose California shadow he grew up, answer questions we may be too clueless to ask. Why, for example, do many Chinese-American families have a different name from their families in China? (Clue: the names weren't changed by immigration authorities.) Why did the FBI interrogate Chinese Americans during the Cold War, and how did this assumption "color" the prosecution of Wen Ho Lee? What's the problem with being a model minority? These essays, many of them laced with Wong's rueful humor, demonstrate with certainty that Asians are not inscrutible. Many of us have been too lazy to investigate.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Voice Of Asian Americans, July 23, 2001

By 

Delbert Gee (Alameda, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yellow Journalist (Mapping Racisms) (Paperback)

This is the definitive book for those wanting to know a bit about the opinions, views, and feelings of Asian Americans in this country. Both thoughtful and easily readable, this book contains the best newspaper columns written by one of the deans of Asian American journalism and summarizes what many Asian Americans feel about being an Asian American in this country and how Asian Americans see the events which are shaping the world we live in.

Wong touches on such diverse topics as racism in the media, violence against Asian Americans, and racism in politics and political issues involving Asian Americans. He speaks about Asian American individuals from Wen Ho Lee and Connie Chung to Governor Gary Locke and Tiger Woods. He even talks about "hot" societal issues like Caucasian men dating Asian women and the wonder and diversity of Chinese food!

Bill Wong's writings reflect what an astonishing number of Asian Americans believe today. If you are interested in the unique viewpoint of an Asian American journalist who has been around and seen a lot, read this book. His viewpoint is unique to the American experience, because, after all, just how many Asian American newspaper reporters and columnists have you even heard of?

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An "Essential Multicultural Reading" for Educators, August 11, 2001

By 

Letitia Morse Lladoc (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yellow Journalist (Mapping Racisms) (Paperback)

When I read "Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America" written my Peace Corps Friend, Bill Wong, I couldn't put it down until I finished reading the last page.

The author provides us with authentic knowledge, warm human sensitivity and a deep understanding of both the historical and contemporary Asian-American experience. His articles and essays evoke a spectrum of emotional reactions ranging from joy and heartfelt humor to frustration and sadness as well as angry.

Bill Wong delivers to his readers the general and specific knowledge so much needed by many United States educators to develop cultural competency and to work effectively with Asian-American students and their families in the 21st century. Personally and professionally, as a teacher and teacher-educator for multicultural issues and concerns, I sincerely believe "Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America" is a "MUST READ" for educators wishing to expand their personal understanding and their multicultural knowledge base of Asian-American diversity, accomplishments, and experiences within the U.S. society.

Thank you Bill Wong for sharing your personal and professional life's journey in this illuminating book, thus making an important contribution to the field of multicultural education.