The Loneliest Americans
- Downloads：1128
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-08 17:21:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jay Caspian Kang
- ISBN：0525576223
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A riveting blend of family history and original reportage by a conversation-starting writer for The New York Times Magazine that explores--and reimagines--Asian American identity in a Black and white world
In 1965， a new immigration law lifted a century of restrictions against Asian immigrants to the United States。 Nobody， including the lawmakers who passed the bill， expected it to transform the country's demographics。 But over the next four decades， millions arrived， including Jay Caspian Kang's parents， grandparents， aunts， and uncles。 They came with almost no understanding of their new home， much less the history of "Asian America" that was supposed to define them。
The Loneliest Americans is the unforgettable story of Kang and his family as they move from a housing project in Cambridge to an idyllic college town in the South and eventually to the West Coast。 Their story unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Asian America， as millions more immigrants， many of them working-class or undocumented， stream into the country。 At the same time， upwardly mobile urban professionals have struggled to reconcile their parents' assimilationist goals with membership in a multicultural elite--all while trying to carve out a new kind of belonging for their own children， who are neither white nor truly "people of color。"
Kang recognizes this existential loneliness in himself and in other Asian Americans who try to locate themselves in the country's racial binary。 There are the businessmen turning Flushing into a center of immigrant wealth; the casualties of the Los Angeles riots; the impoverished parents in New York City who believe that admission to the city's exam schools is the only way out; the men's right's activists on Reddit ranting about intermarriage; and the handful of protesters who show up at Black Lives Matter rallies holding "Yellow Peril Supports Black Power" signs。 Kang's exquisitely crafted book brings these lonely parallel climbers together amid a wave of anti-Asian violence。 In response， he calls for a new form of immigrant solidarity--one rooted not in bubble tea and elite college admissions but in the struggles of refugees and the working class。
In 1965， a new immigration law lifted a century of restrictions against Asian immigrants to the United States。 Nobody， including the lawmakers who passed the bill， expected it to transform the country's demographics。 But over the next four decades， millions arrived， including Jay Caspian Kang's parents， grandparents， aunts， and uncles。 They came with almost no understanding of their new home， much less the history of "Asian America" that was supposed to define them。
The Loneliest Americans is the unforgettable story of Kang and his family as they move from a housing project in Cambridge to an idyllic college town in the South and eventually to the West Coast。 Their story unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Asian America， as millions more immigrants， many of them working-class or undocumented， stream into the country。 At the same time， upwardly mobile urban professionals have struggled to reconcile their parents' assimilationist goals with membership in a multicultural elite--all while trying to carve out a new kind of belonging for their own children， who are neither white nor truly "people of color。"
Kang recognizes this existential loneliness in himself and in other Asian Americans who try to locate themselves in the country's racial binary。 There are the businessmen turning Flushing into a center of immigrant wealth; the casualties of the Los Angeles riots; the impoverished parents in New York City who believe that admission to the city's exam schools is the only way out; the men's right's activists on Reddit ranting about intermarriage; and the handful of protesters who show up at Black Lives Matter rallies holding "Yellow Peril Supports Black Power" signs。 Kang's exquisitely crafted book brings these lonely parallel climbers together amid a wave of anti-Asian violence。 In response， he calls for a new form of immigrant solidarity--one rooted not in bubble tea and elite college admissions but in the struggles of refugees and the working class。
Reviews
Sharon
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This is the chronicle of one man’s journey as an Asian American to find who is he in that collective cultural identify which includes all peoples Mongoloid。 He observes that “there’s not even a shared experience of treatment in America to point to。 The classification has been strained by its exclusions。” I’ve questioned the validity of the term Asian America since Asian groups have been targeted in different ways and different places， but perhaps the attacks on Asians after Trump’s mislabel of C This is the chronicle of one man’s journey as an Asian American to find who is he in that collective cultural identify which includes all peoples Mongoloid。 He observes that “there’s not even a shared experience of treatment in America to point to。 The classification has been strained by its exclusions。” I’ve questioned the validity of the term Asian America since Asian groups have been targeted in different ways and different places， but perhaps the attacks on Asians after Trump’s mislabel of Covid-19 as the “China flu” will serve as a unifier。Kang questions who he is as a Korean in America and what that means for his future。 He acknowledges that there is a bamboo ceiling is between him and career positions as corporate CEOs。 His recourse is to study hard to enter into the white collar realm。 We learn of the schools that spring up to coach children in the sciences。 One of the education coaches justifies his school， “If he didn’t go to MIT， what opportunities would he have？ How else could he show his value in America？”At times his frustration boils over into anger at his limitations。 He is nakedly honest in his journey to grow up and find his place as an Asian in America。 As a white Anglo-Saxon female I’ve taken my opportunities for granted。 Not so for many Americans who click a different census box than mine。 He is so much more self-aware than I ever was and concludes “like most young， confused， but ultimately dissatisfied people， I put way too much stock in the idea of authenticity。” This book was a learning experience for me。 。。。more
Hannah Yoon || yoon。reads
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I'm more than 60% finished with this。 I wish the publisher would have sent out ARCs to #ownvoices readers。 I'm more than 60% finished with this。 I wish the publisher would have sent out ARCs to #ownvoices readers。 。。。more
Book Minded Mag
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So I read this book expecting to learn more about what Asian Americans go through in America。 Jay Caspian Kang provided much more insight into the racism and sense of belonging Asians deal with on a daily basis。 But he did not write these problems in a way many would expect。 Kang is a cynical person and there are a lot of things he doesn't abide within his own community and the country as a whole。 He looks for answers and challenges the ones he receives， as we all should。 And he doesn't just loo So I read this book expecting to learn more about what Asian Americans go through in America。 Jay Caspian Kang provided much more insight into the racism and sense of belonging Asians deal with on a daily basis。 But he did not write these problems in a way many would expect。 Kang is a cynical person and there are a lot of things he doesn't abide within his own community and the country as a whole。 He looks for answers and challenges the ones he receives， as we all should。 And he doesn't just look to people who think like him。 He talks to people many of us would avoid like the plague and does it without the silliness of wanting to hear "both sides。"Kang looks to his own family as source material for the book， from his parents' immigration to America and his own childhood growing up in predominantly white spaces。 He admits his own attitudes towards other minority groups， especially Black people， which I did not find surprising knowing where he grew up。 But he also gives readers a mini history lesson about Asian/Black relations， which has been contentious since I can remember。 It always confused me why Asians would open shops in Black neighborhoods and then treat us like we're the intruders。 I rarely frequented those places because I don't spend money where I'm treated poorly。 But I appreciated Kang's perspective on this because I truly think that should these two communities join forces， this country would change dramatically。 Unfortunately， I don't see that happening anytime soon。I think this book is definitely one that should be read。 Keep your mind open to what is written because it will make you think about a subject that you may not have thought or even cared about。 But you should if things are ever going to change。 We need to understand each other before we can move forward。 。。。more
Vanessa
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This was really interesting。 The author， having grown up in the US with Korean parents， has an inside perspective on this topic。 Basically his argument， or thesis， is that labelling people as Asian American implies a shared history which does not exist。 He also gives perspective on the black/white binary that exists in the culture of the US and what it's like to be outside of that。 He tells stories from his own life， his parents' lives， and also other people that he has come into contact with as This was really interesting。 The author， having grown up in the US with Korean parents， has an inside perspective on this topic。 Basically his argument， or thesis， is that labelling people as Asian American implies a shared history which does not exist。 He also gives perspective on the black/white binary that exists in the culture of the US and what it's like to be outside of that。 He tells stories from his own life， his parents' lives， and also other people that he has come into contact with as a journalist。 I thought his realization that he isn't really accepted in the US but also wouldn't be in Korea was particularly insightful。It seems like I may have given away most of his talking points， but I assure you that there is a lot more to this。I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Robert Sullivan
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An informative blend of personal history， reportage， and history， this book untangles the stereotypes and generalizations surrounding the nebulous concept of "Asian-Americans"。 He explains how U。S。 immigration laws affected who could come in which numbers of what socioeconomic level from which countries。 He details how each generation of Asian immigrants changed in its background and aspirations， and how trying to impose a common identify - Asian-American - is inadequate。The only real commonalit An informative blend of personal history， reportage， and history， this book untangles the stereotypes and generalizations surrounding the nebulous concept of "Asian-Americans"。 He explains how U。S。 immigration laws affected who could come in which numbers of what socioeconomic level from which countries。 He details how each generation of Asian immigrants changed in its background and aspirations， and how trying to impose a common identify - Asian-American - is inadequate。The only real commonality he finds is that Asians can't quite fit into the country's binary racial roles， white or black， being neither at some times and one or the other in other circumstances。 He anchors this uncertainty in his own story as well as in other individuals' lives。 The result is history made concrete in a very readable way。 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
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Read if you: Want a revealing and intimate look at Asian-American life in the US through the author's experiences。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase for your Asian-American nonfiction collection。 Many thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 Read if you: Want a revealing and intimate look at Asian-American life in the US through the author's experiences。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase for your Asian-American nonfiction collection。 Many thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Loneliest Americans
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Loneliest Americans&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft