From Loving to Fulbeck to NgLoving vs. Virginia (1967)
The place where Mixed Race is allowed to be. This landmark civil rights case invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Selina Alko's book explains the case and the verdict in thoughtful and understandable language.
Everything I Never Told You By Celeste Ng http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-06-24/readers-review-everything-i-never-told-you-by-celeste-ng “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know it yet.” These are the opening lines of “Everything I Never Told You,” by Celeste Ng. The novel tells the story of a Chinese American family living in small-town Ohio in the 1970s. The death of their middle daughter lays bare the struggle this mixed-race family faces at a time when few families, if any, looked like them. Lydia had been the favorite – to her mother, she was the future doctor she, herself, never could be. To her father, she was the popular high school kid he never was. But as the mystery of her death unfolds, we learn that her parents didn’t really know her at all and the picture they had of her is completely misleading. The audio review from the Diane Rehm show has spoilers so be forewarned. Mixed By Kip Fulbeck Part Asian, 100% Hapa By Kip Fulbeck http://kipfulbeck.com/the-hapa-project All of the above texts including the website are useful as a starting point for any mixed race Asian American to examine the myriad ways a variety of multiracial Asian Americans view themselves as well as the many diverse ways that they appear physically. This book is great to help develop self-confidence in one’s own multiracial identity because you can see that you are a part of this amazingly interesting and vibrant community of people. This book ensures that multiracial Asian Americans know that they are “not the only one” and they are not alone. My Basmati Bat Mitzvah By Paula J. Freedman During the fall leading up to her bat mitzvah, Tara (Hindi for “star”) Feinstein has a lot more than her Torah portion on her mind. Between Hebrew school and study sessions with the rabbi, there doesn’t seem to be enough time to hang out with her best friend Ben-O—who might also be her boyfriend—and her other best friend, Rebecca, who’s getting a little too cozy with the snotty Sheila Rosenberg. Not to mention working on her robotics project with the class clown Ryan Berger, or figuring out what to do with a priceless heirloom sari that she accidentally ruined. Amid all this drama, Tara considers how to balance her Indian and Jewish identities and what it means to have a bat mitzvah while questioning her faith. With the cross-cultural charm of Bend It Like Beckham, this delightful debut novel is a classic coming-of-age story and young romance with universal appeal. -Blurb from Amazon.com- This YA read is an entry to the genre which will really have students thinking about not only Tara Feinstein's mixed heritage, but also, possibly, their own. When Half is Whole: Multiethnic Asian American Identities By Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu A valuable read from a variety of mixed race and academic perspectives. The focus here is "multiethnic." Mixed Race in a Box Asian American Literary Review Multi-media and literary offerings (in a box) on what it means to be mixed race including several pieces by our own Jennifer Hayashida. |