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An Inconvenient Minority: The Harvard Admissions Case and the Attack on Asian American Excellence Kindle Edition

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 390 ratings

“A strident critique of critical race theory” that examines how policies of diversity and inclusion have ill-served Asian Americans (Kirkus Reviews).

From a journalist on the frontlines of the
Students for Fair Admission (SFFA) v. Harvard case comes a probing examination of affirmative action, the false narrative of American meritocracy, and the attack on Asian American excellence with its far-reaching implications—from seedy test-prep centers to gleaming gifted-and-talented magnet schools, to top colleges and elite business, media, and political positions across America.

Even in the midst of a nationwide surge of bias and incidents against them, Asians from coast to coast have quietly assumed mastery of the nation’s technical and intellectual machinery and become essential American workers. Yet, they’ve been forced to do so in the face of policy proposals—written in the name of diversity—excluding them from the upper ranks of the elite.

In
An Inconvenient Minority, journalist Kenny Xu traces elite America’s longstanding unease about a minority potentially upending them. Leftist agendas, such as eliminating standardized testing, doling out racial advantages to “preferred” minorities, and lumping Asians into “privileged” categories despite their deprived historical experiences have spurred Asian Americans to act.

Going beyond the
Students for Fair Admission (SFFA) v. Harvard case, Xu unearths the skewed logic rippling countrywide, from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s attempted makeover of New York City’s Specialized School programs to the battle over “diversity” quotas in Google’s and Facebook’s progressive epicenters, to the rise of Asian American activism in response to unfair perceptions and admission practices.

Asian Americans’ time is now, as they increase their direct action and amplify their voices in the face of mounting anti-Asian attacks.
An Inconvenient Minority chronicles the political and economic repression and renaissance of a long ignored racial identity group—and how they are central to reversing America’s cultural decline and preserving the dynamism of the free world.

Praise for An Inconvenient Minority

“Contending that the social advancement of ‘the Asian American community’ in spite of historic discrimination ‘directly challenge[s] the Leftist narrative of minority victimhood,’ Xu claims that Asian Americans have been left out of conversations about ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ because they suffer from persistent stereotypes and lack the kind of ‘cultural capital’ necessary to make their struggles visible to the mainstream. . . . Xu raises intriguing questions about the place of Asian Americans in U.S. society.” —
Publishers Weekly

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
390 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking, enlightening, and well-researched. They describe the writing quality as convincing, easy to read, and bold. Readers also describe the book as a good, entertaining read with solid evidence and sound logic. Additionally, they mention it's timely and important.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

19 customers mention "Thought provoking"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enlightening, well-researched, and thoughtful. They say it offers a lot of information to understand stuff beyond the scope. Readers also find the arguments compelling and say the book is a good starting point for references.

"...way or another, and he gives you the source, so the book is a good starting point for reference." Read more

"This is a book both of academic value and is enjoyable to read...." Read more

"This book is well written with charts and good documentation to support the claims stated throughout the book...." Read more

"This is a well researched and poignant book. It is a in-your-face repudiation of the Critical Race Theory...." Read more

10 customers mention "Writing quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book inspiring, convincing, and easy to read. They appreciate the unflinching clarity and boldness of the author.

"I am astonished by the unflinching clarity this book brings to...." Read more

"This book is well written with charts and good documentation to support the claims stated throughout the book...." Read more

"Excellent book with inspiring personal stories, very well written, strongly recommend!" Read more

"The book was well written with convincing details that show AA or Chinese Americans are just like the middle child that no ones loves: not by the..." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written, compelling, and entertaining. They also say it's an excellent book with solid evidence and sound logic.

"This is a book both of academic value and is enjoyable to read...." Read more

"...I enjoyed reading this book immensely. I also listened to Kenneth on the Escape from Plan A podcast and found his arguments completely compelling...." Read more

"...As an Asian American Myself, The book Overall is a Great book although some wording could be revisioned to create a better flow of sentences." Read more

"...A well-written book definitely worth reading." Read more

5 customers mention "Timing"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book timely and important. They appreciate the brilliant expose on the ongoing situation.

"Thank you, Kenny Xu, for your brilliant and timely expose on the ongoing discrimination against Asian Americans in this country...." Read more

"...‘left’ for years but nevertheless found this book to be a compelling, timely and worthwhile read that opened my eyes...." Read more

"Fast shipment...." Read more

"Very timely..." Read more

Excellent book with solid evidance and sound logic, must read!
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent book with solid evidance and sound logic, must read!
Kenny Xu did thorough research and presented convincing arguments on Asian Americans' racial situation in US, with solid data, broad support and sound reasoning. You can see it easily from the screenshots. While reading, I can't help but appreciate all the multi-faceted information he collected and it offers a lot of information to understand stuff beyond the scope of this book, even to Critical Race Theory and equity etc. A well-written book definitely worth reading.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2023
The numbers don’t lie. Harvard, and other schools, racially discriminate against Asian Americans in admissions when compared to all other ethnicities, but especially when compared to blacks. One way that they try to cover for it is with an outrageous ‘factor’ in the admission process that they call the ‘Personality’ score, which rates blacks far higher than all other ethnicities on personality – twice that of Asians - to give them a boost, and to give Asians a penalty. If that isn’t a contrived, and ‘systemically racist’ policy, then nothing is.

And they defend their racist, multi-tiered admissions policy by first; denying that they have different admission standards for different groups. Flat out lying, and they know the worthless MSM will cover for them. And, of course, they won't give the full data to try to prove their denial - every school could easily give all the data on admissions by race with the names redacted without being forced to by court order in a lawsuit. But they know it would prove that they discriminate. So, as is, this data is the most inaccessible info next to the Nuclear Codes.

Then they give tortured, ever changing, reasons as to why there is a need for them to do what they say they don’t do. First it was blacks can’t get educated unless they’re in school with whites, then it was whites can’t get educated unless they’re in school with blacks. Then there is just an exploitation of an incident; blacks should get in with lower academic credentials as atonement for what happened to Rodney King, George Floyd, or whatever. Now there’s just the general CRT reasoning that blacks’ lower academic achievement in relation to others is because of discrimination – nothing to do with Asians studying long hours - so you must discriminate in order to reverse it and get equal results. And the dumb reasons go on and on. The most grotesque is the claim that Asians are ‘adjacent’ whites who advance ‘white supremacy’. The people who say this are not only racist for denying the Asians’ identity, but also doubly racist to say that it’s OK to discriminate against a race because it’s OK to discriminate against the race you are linking them with.

And finally there is their eternal retort; if you don't agree with them, your a 'racist!'.

There was some good news in the book. Prop 209 was upheld by voters in California despite the racial demagoguery of those who tried to get rid of it. And de Blasio’s attempt to get rid of the NYC Specialized Digh Schools’ admissions test was also shot down.

The only problem I have with the book is that there should have been more data in the form of tables and graphs. Nothing speaks better than raw numbers. And the ones he did show weren’t fully explained. He had one that showed the data relating to the Harvard Personality and Overall ratings of different ethnicities by Academic Decile, but it wasn’t explained at all. I had to go to the Peter Arcidianacono’s report to understand it. But at least he gives you the numbers in one way or another, and he gives you the source, so the book is a good starting point for reference.
25 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2021
I am astonished by the unflinching clarity this book brings to. It takes courage to write a book in this day and age that argues for a simple truth: Meritocracy and Excellence should be the foundational values America is built on.

US Olympic track team short distance runners are predominantly black. Why? Because they are the fastest. They are the best to represent our country in track & field. Does anyone for one second wish for a diversity team where whites and Asians are both represented who are a little slower? Same with the basketball teams, do you not want the best basketball players but rather diversity players?

I tell my kids these simple examples when they mindlessly carry what the school teaches. They pause, and then they get it -- they just have never thought that way before.

Just like we reward sports stars, we should also reward academic stars, for their hard work and achievement.

In each field as in sports, we want to select the best qualified people, regardless their race, period. Some people will unfortunately not get a spot, so the system is not perfect, but it's the best overall. It ensures the society as a whole can maintain its rigor and reach new highs.

I also learned some new information from the book, that the historical discriminations and massacre of Chinese workers, that half of Google and Facebook's engineers team is Chinese/Asian and yet less than 25% in senior management team, that young ivy league educated Asians are brainwashed to believe in the propaganda.

A quote from the book that boldly tear down the true nature of Diversity and Inclusion: "Diversity is a bureaucratic ideology -- invented by bureaucrats to secure their bureaucratic positions -- that has secured its future by becoming an expensive moral ideology.... But let's be clear: Diversity ideology did not form because scientists went out and statistically tested the performance of diverse versus nondiverse companies and concluded that diverse companies were better suited for profit and growth (and virtue, clearly). The diversity ideology came first. The studies and economic cases and showboating came with the goal of perpetuating it.

Let's start a movement and restore meritocracy!
142 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2024
Sometimes we have to cave into the perception about us. Colors of our skin, wine preferences, family background. Skin colors are certainly not a good proxy for who we are. While trying to be a model Asian (yes I did attend Harvard college and actually knew Sewell), I too have my own personalities, struggles, insecurities, etc. as I’m older I’m more likely to show through these valuable personal characters. In due time, I’ve found my own path however different from the social norm. This book is confirming some of my personal experiences and doubts. Thank you.
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2021
This is a book both of academic value and is enjoyable to read. Author brought an unique angle to look at the current racial struggle in American society. This book is also a logic and strong critics to many race based policies and common myth. It is not just about Asian Americans’ challenges and frustration in the world of racial preferences pushed by many “progressive” policy makers and activists; this is a to defend meritocracy and to lucidity once again the principles that made America the beacon of the free world.
10 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023
I would ask anyone on both ends of the argument to read this book. Reveling the history and significance of these collegiate policies and rulings gives great insight into the ways it has manifested itself today. This book will help all who wish to learn a deeper side of this complicated history.
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2023
This book is well written with charts and good documentation to support the claims stated throughout the book. My only criticism is that the main point is repeated way too much. This can be rather annoying.

Top reviews from other countries

Philippe Craste
5.0 out of 5 stars Controversial book
Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2024
Book is really interesting to read. The book was delivered swiftly and in mint condition.
CASSIO SANTANA
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Brazil on August 20, 2024
I recomend it