Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
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- Author：Cathy Park Hong
- ISBN：1984820362
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Summary
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong blends memoir， cultural criticism， and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America。 Binding these essays together is Hong's theory of "minor feelings。"
As the daughter of Korean immigrants， Cathy Park Hong grew up steeped in shame， suspicion， and melancholy。 She would later understand that these "minor feelings" occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality—when you believe the lies you're told about your own racial identity。
Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today。 This book traces her relationship to the English language， to shame and depression， to poetry and artmaking， and to family and female friendship in a search to both uncover and speak the truth。
As the daughter of Korean immigrants， Cathy Park Hong grew up steeped in shame， suspicion， and melancholy。 She would later understand that these "minor feelings" occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality—when you believe the lies you're told about your own racial identity。
Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness in America today。 This book traces her relationship to the English language， to shame and depression， to poetry and artmaking， and to family and female friendship in a search to both uncover and speak the truth。
Reviews
Beach026
，
Instead of reading a book about the author， I found myself with a book about everyone else and everything they were doing wrong。 Disappointing
Stephanie Tom
，
I have Not Ever felt a book so deeply in my core before after reading it （asides from certain fanfictions I will not name here） – I have many thoughts that I cannot possibly detail here immediately BUT I will say that this book of essays spoke to me on both a personal and political level that really resonated with me in both a comforting way and in startling realization。 Everyone needs to read this book。
Katie Merrill
，
I heard that this was a good book on a topic I have been wanting to learn more about so I was excited to read it。 I didn't get more than a few chapters in before I had to put it down。 There was just too many f bombs and sex descriptions。 The narrative wouldn't have lost anything if it referred to these rather than describe them。 I heard that this was a good book on a topic I have been wanting to learn more about so I was excited to read it。 I didn't get more than a few chapters in before I had to put it down。 There was just too many f bombs and sex descriptions。 The narrative wouldn't have lost anything if it referred to these rather than describe them。 。。。more
Owen Little
，
I thought the first part of this book was extremely insightful， how Hong was speaking from her own experiences of growing up Asian。 Second half of the book lagged in particular to me。 She talked more about her friends rather than herself， and I just felt like the essays about her own life were much more entertaining。 Took me a while to finish because I just couldn’t really get into it。
Julian Sul
，
A challenging and important read， but one that I didn't like the format of。 The first half of the book introduces the concept of "minor feelings"， the invisible notions of discrimination that we allow to stir in our heads and pour out in the forms of pay gaps， social media campaigns， and other hidden agendas。 The diversity of the examples she brings to the table， from famous stand up comedians to some of history's bloodiest wars， paints an avid picture of the darkest truths of the racism and gen A challenging and important read， but one that I didn't like the format of。 The first half of the book introduces the concept of "minor feelings"， the invisible notions of discrimination that we allow to stir in our heads and pour out in the forms of pay gaps， social media campaigns， and other hidden agendas。 The diversity of the examples she brings to the table， from famous stand up comedians to some of history's bloodiest wars， paints an avid picture of the darkest truths of the racism and gender bias that has and continues to exist。It's in the latter half of the story， however， where she discusses her personal issues; this is where the book started to throw me off， and I didn't grasp the point of her sharing stories of her and her friends' "falling-out"， or her disconnect from her own education。 It almost seemed like two entirely different books that are spliced together， with collections of poems and passages interspersed to keep things interesting。What I really respect about her narrative is her constant admittance of her own faults， and how she always seeks to shine a light on the truth， even at the expense of some of her friendships/family relations。 She mentions numerous times throughout the book how she f**cked up， or how she wanted to share something but realized it wasn't true。 You get the sense that you're on two different sides of Cathy Park Hong， her own minor feelings at war with her writing personality。 You begin to realize the lengths at which Hong is willing to go to in order to discover what it truly takes to fight her own minor feelings。 We should all take a page out of her book。 。。。more
Martha
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A book that I wanted to re-read while I was reading it。
Angela D
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Stopped at 25%。
Elaine
，
Felt like I was looking into a mirror - so seen and validated。 The author put into words what I couldn't my whole life about my experience as an Asian American woman and for that I'll always be grateful。 Felt like I was looking into a mirror - so seen and validated。 The author put into words what I couldn't my whole life about my experience as an Asian American woman and for that I'll always be grateful。 。。。more
Tate Lamoreaux
，
I really wanted to like and learn from this book， and the first half had me convinced that I would… but the second half of this collection of essays almost deterred me from finishing the rest of the book。 Now， I did—of course—learn from this book， but I wanted more。
SoCal55
，
Representation matters。
laurannolivia
，
Much to think about
Arianna Piech
，
"minor feelings: the racialized range of emotions that are negative， dysphoric， and therefore untelegenic， built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one’s perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed。"Minor Feelings is a set of essays written by Cathy Park Hong that explore racial consciousness and are really sort of a personal memoir。 I need to be careful with these memoirs because I think I sometimes set unrealistic expectations about the amo "minor feelings: the racialized range of emotions that are negative， dysphoric， and therefore untelegenic， built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one’s perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed。"Minor Feelings is a set of essays written by Cathy Park Hong that explore racial consciousness and are really sort of a personal memoir。 I need to be careful with these memoirs because I think I sometimes set unrealistic expectations about the amount of knowledge I will be taking in。 I think it's important to note that Hong is a poet first and a writer second。 She is very artistic and you can tell as you are reading that much of the wisdom she imparts is between the lines and requires thoughtful analysis。 This book has some very powerful essays in it， but I also found that I struggled to find the profoundness in many of them。 Overall， I do think this book is worth reading as long as you set your expectations appropriately。 She writes beautifully about racism， Asian culture， experiences she had growing up that while minor， were definitely discriminatory。 She even discusses how no one is immune to racism， even minority groups。There were parts of this book that I will take with me going forward but I gave this 3 stars because I guess I was just hoping for more。 。。。more
Sherry
，
hmmm。 i think in general i enjoyed the first half of the book， and then the essay about theresa hak kyung cha the most。
Camille
，
"In 1968， students at UC Berkeley invented the term Asian American to inaugurate a new political identity。" I am writing this review after a trip to San Gabriel Valley with one of my closest friends， a Burmese American。 During this trip， I experienced the essence of Asian America， with its English-Chinese signs and endless boba tea options。 I thought， too， about the implications of Asian American identity。 What does it mean to be Asian American？ The American part is clear -- I was born and ra "In 1968， students at UC Berkeley invented the term Asian American to inaugurate a new political identity。" I am writing this review after a trip to San Gabriel Valley with one of my closest friends， a Burmese American。 During this trip， I experienced the essence of Asian America， with its English-Chinese signs and endless boba tea options。 I thought， too， about the implications of Asian American identity。 What does it mean to be Asian American？ The American part is clear -- I was born and raised here， I am culturally and politically and socially American。 But Asian -- this reduces me to a racial monolith。By my junior year of high school， it became cool and hip to be Asian American。 Crazy Rich Asians， and suddenly white people knew what boba was。 88rising， real fun stuff。 I latched onto this identity after years of hating myself for not being white。 It was not until my late senior year of high school and my gap year that I started to embrace my Vietnamese American identity in particular， and this is where I realized I felt most understood。 Viet Thanh Nguyen， interviewing my grandparents about their lives， practicing my spoken and written Vietnamese -- these all felt like genuine reclamations of my culture and identity。 I realized that I didn't actually know what it meant to be Asian American， and that this identity was largely defined by East Asian Americanness， anyhow。 Did any of my East Asian American friends have parents who saw villages getting burned down by American soldiers， did any of them have parents who clung onto an old wooden boat believing that being murdered by pirates or the sea was better than staying in their homeland？ Yes， we are mostly newly immigrated， but coming to America because your dad got into a PhD program is different than coming to America because your dad barely dodged a bullet from a soldier when he was eight。 I am playing a game of oppression olympics here， fine， but I believe that highlighting the differences in privilege and experience is key to truthfully presenting people's stories。***San Gabriel Valley reminded me of why I had previously latched onto an Asian American identity。 Over Taiwanese noodles and dumplings， I told my Burmese American friend that Asian Americanness was a social identity -- we are racially perceived as Asian， and thus our experiences are defined by that perception。 Our Americanness comes from the fact that we are culturally American， but treated differently because of our race。 Honestly， I do believe there is merit and solidarity to be gained from this: I am called a chink just like the next East Asian。 This is why I decided to give Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning a chance: in hopes of seeing that racial， social identity explored， to understand what I have in common with the next Chinese， Indian， Korean， whomever American。 To be honest， I did not have high hopes， because I could not imagine how all of these experiences could be discussed in one book written by a professional class Korean woman。I will say that the book surprised me in its makeup。 There were parts of it that resonated with me very strongly。 For instance， I really appreciated United， during which she discusses various Asian American groups and their plights。 The common thread was the immigrant story， which is actually more relevant than I had previously considered。 I also really， really appreciated these lines: "I have to confess， though， that I have a hard time embracing the nineteenth-century history of Chinese America as my history， because my ancestors were still in Korea， doing what， I don’t know; those records are gone too。" 20 "The person is 'stripped of every right by virtue of the fact that anyone can kill him without committing homicide; he can save himself only in perpetual flight。'” 21 "Whatever power struggle your nation had with other Asian nations— most of it the fallout of Western imperialism and the Cold War— is steamrolled flat by Americans who don’t know the difference。" 23"For many immigrants， if you move here with trauma， you’re going to do what it takes to get by。 You cheat。 You beat your wife。 You gamble。 You’re a survivor， and， like most survivors， you are a god-awful parent。" 34 In United， and a lot of other parts of the book， I like when she talks specifically about Korean American history and identity， because it feels more tangible and specific。 I also really， really adored An Education， during which Hong explores the impact of Asian female friendships。 Maybe this is because I once had a Chinese American friend with intense mommy issues， but in this chapter Helen and Cathy and Erin felt so intensely real to me。 The dynamic of the trio， they were truly Girlboss East Asian Art Critic Girls。 Also Traumatized from their childhood。 But so good， so real。 "Does an Asian American narrative always have to return to the mother？" 118"Didn’t we have that talk about our mothers and how we didn’t know how to trust anyone because of our mothers？" 144"Erin， you haven’t read the essay。 There’s plenty of care。 And it’s unrealistic for me as a writer not to take from other people’s lives。 I’m not some friendless orphan。 My life overlaps with the lives of others so I have no choice but to take from others， which is why writers are full of care， but also— if they’re at all truthful — a bit cruel。" 124 -- Nice， now I won't feel weird when I inevitably write about real life people in my books。"I loved Helen best when she was vulnerable， because she was so subdued， giving me the chance to be strong for her。" 131 Queue Savior Complex by Phoebe Bridgers。 Have cried to that song way too many times。 “'You know， I don’t think she ever lost her shit around her white friends。''Yeah， well，' Erin said ruefully， 'we were family。'” 138 -- Wow， really good。 Shows the solidarity and level of comfort among Asian female friends， but also the unhealthy tendency to lash out and project trauma because of this。 Noted， Cathy Park Hong。 Anyway， yeah， that was definitely my favorite part。 In Portrait of an Artist， I did like this quote: "Writing is a family trade like anything else: you are more entitled to the profession if your ancestors have already set up shop。" 171 I can't give this book three stars though， because。。。 a lot of the book I didn't really feel swayed by。 Maybe it was because I was looking for a raw discussion of Asian American identity， and I felt like the sections that I quoted from had specifically good ideas about that identity。 When she talks about art， and the Asian American female artist， I just。。。 I don't know， I don't really care as much。 I also felt like the parts Stand Up and White Innocence talked a lotttt about whiteness and Asianness as it related to whiteness， rather than Asianness itself， which I understand she acknowledges， and I understand is the point， but I just didn't really like it or relate to it that much。 Maybe it's too race theory for me， I don't know， I can't really pinpoint why these sections didn't resonate with me。 Portrait of An Artist was pretty solid， as it had important discussions of the Asian American female and sexual violence towards them。 As the previous AF in a WMAF pairing， I can tell you that I will never date a white man again。 I found it important and relevant for Hong to highlight Cha's story。Anywho-- two stars。 Generally enjoyable， quick read， made me think a lot about the definition of Asian Americanness， what exactly brings together the diaspora from that big ass continent we call Asia。 Too much of it though felt disjointed though， it just didn’t connect with me。P。S。 - Huge kudos to Hong for mentioning that South Korean soldiers raped and pillaged Vietnamese villages during the Vietnam War。 Multifaceted， inclusive discussion。*** Yes， I do realize that there are East Asian Americans who fall below the poverty line， but as a group， they are significantly more privileged than Southeast Asian Americans。 。。。more
Shreya
，
An incredible collection of powerful poetic essays woven with personal stories and anecdotes。 Brought me tears and joy simultaneously with Hong’s voice still echoing in my thoughts long after I’ve finished reading。 Never felt so seen and acknowledged in a book like this。
Afaf Finan
，
Compared to other works I have read by Korean writers， this book ranks low。 If the author feels that her status as an Asian woman in the USA is affected by racism， this collection of essays does not help her make her case！
Yizhou Jin
，
I devoured it。 In hindsight， the term "minor feelings" really encapsulates the book well。 Cathy is so good at describing the precise inner thoughts and feelings that are emblematic of the broader "successful Asian American" experience。 Her experience seeking a Korean American therapist and her interaction with the Vietnamese boy at the nail salon really stood out for me。The great thing about her writings is that she has no illusion about her own luck and ego:"I was so privileged I was acquiring I devoured it。 In hindsight， the term "minor feelings" really encapsulates the book well。 Cathy is so good at describing the precise inner thoughts and feelings that are emblematic of the broader "successful Asian American" experience。 Her experience seeking a Korean American therapist and her interaction with the Vietnamese boy at the nail salon really stood out for me。The great thing about her writings is that she has no illusion about her own luck and ego:"I was so privileged I was acquiring the most useless graduate degree imaginable"---precisely what makes her feelings "minor" and so easy to brush off。 But from that， she successfully conveys a broadly-shared racial experience。See！ Anyone can live the American Dream！ They'd say about a doctor who came into the country already a doctor。 。。。more
Cydney Everett
，
Nice read，very inspiring
Hannah
，
This was so cutting and honestly quite haunting。 I started reading a physical copy， but after hearing from some friends switched over to an audiobook version as well which just intensified the experience。 A completely unflinching telling of Cathy Park Hong's story， personal struggles and perspectives as an Asian American woman。 There are passages that just hit like a punch to the stomach and will stick in the back of your brain for ages。 An absolute recommend by all accounts。 This was so cutting and honestly quite haunting。 I started reading a physical copy， but after hearing from some friends switched over to an audiobook version as well which just intensified the experience。 A completely unflinching telling of Cathy Park Hong's story， personal struggles and perspectives as an Asian American woman。 There are passages that just hit like a punch to the stomach and will stick in the back of your brain for ages。 An absolute recommend by all accounts。 。。。more
Mary Erickson
，
DNF。A series of essays that bounce all over the place。 The author is angry at the position of Asian Americans--expected to work hard and be inoffensive， quiet， longsuffering。 That form of racism is worth examining， but I couldn't engage with the author's style of presenting her material。 DNF。A series of essays that bounce all over the place。 The author is angry at the position of Asian Americans--expected to work hard and be inoffensive， quiet， longsuffering。 That form of racism is worth examining， but I couldn't engage with the author's style of presenting her material。 。。。more
Ariel
，
Resonated more with me than I can express in words。 My favorite chapter is the one that is basically my life， which is all of them。 The chapter about the gruesome murder was this weird out of body experience for me。 It's something that crosses my mind whenever I'm cat called， creeped on， or somehow seen as a demographic not a person。 And it really captured how fundamentally different I feel my experience as an Asian American woman is compared to women of other ethnicities。 This was weird for me Resonated more with me than I can express in words。 My favorite chapter is the one that is basically my life， which is all of them。 The chapter about the gruesome murder was this weird out of body experience for me。 It's something that crosses my mind whenever I'm cat called， creeped on， or somehow seen as a demographic not a person。 And it really captured how fundamentally different I feel my experience as an Asian American woman is compared to women of other ethnicities。 This was weird for me to read considering I love murder podcasts。。。 but apparently I have mixed feelings about realizing my heritage could turn me into one。 。。。more
Wordsworth
，
4。5 stars。I read this as one of several books I've picked up to gain a better grasp of Asian American history and their lived experiences with systemic racism。 I think this book alone， being a memoir， is not broad enough to illuminate the vast expanse of the experiences of Asian Americans as a whole， but it is a vivid and insightful contribution， and I recommend it to anyone who wants to increase their understanding。 Cathy Park Hong shares an unsparing portrait of herself as a Korean American wo 4。5 stars。I read this as one of several books I've picked up to gain a better grasp of Asian American history and their lived experiences with systemic racism。 I think this book alone， being a memoir， is not broad enough to illuminate the vast expanse of the experiences of Asian Americans as a whole， but it is a vivid and insightful contribution， and I recommend it to anyone who wants to increase their understanding。 Cathy Park Hong shares an unsparing portrait of herself as a Korean American woman navigating a culture that gives preference to white people and men。 Her skill of philosophical observation， which serves her so well as an artist， allows her to point out to us the fine strands of dissonance， deliberate obfuscation， brainwashing， wishful thinking， and willful ignorance that shroud history and lived experience in a veil of unreality。 She pulls back the veil a strand at a time as she attempts to elucidate her "minor feelings" and share a glimpse of the truth with her readers。This is a memoir， so some parts are more narrative than universal insight， and I can see from some of the other reviews that the change in scope is unwelcome。 I agree that formalistically it feels a bit disjointed， but I appreciate the level of detail she shares to immerse us in her experiences coming of age， with friends， with struggles。 It's important， for example， that she shares her stories of her Asian American friends as complete people and not simply as others who have also experienced struggles。 。。。more
Kara
，
（4。5）
Paul Park
，
First half of the book had some thoughtful musings on the Asian American experience。 I don’t agree with all of her views but appreciate the author sharing in her journey in our country; there is solidarity and commiseration when we get to tell our stories and I respect that from what Cathy was able to do。Parts of the other book seem disconnected from the major themes for me and feel like they should be stories for a separate book。 Also even though I’m Asian American myself， I don’t know if many First half of the book had some thoughtful musings on the Asian American experience。 I don’t agree with all of her views but appreciate the author sharing in her journey in our country; there is solidarity and commiseration when we get to tell our stories and I respect that from what Cathy was able to do。Parts of the other book seem disconnected from the major themes for me and feel like they should be stories for a separate book。 Also even though I’m Asian American myself， I don’t know if many of the assertions pushed in her view are “truth” and likely still need more years of scrutiny and challenge before I’m convinced。Overall I’m optimistic of America’s future for Asian Americans and minorities in general。 I want to see a world where our ethnicity has no forbearance on promotions， assumptions， etc。 and that ultimately a more equitable society with opportunity for all can be achieved。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
This is not one long narrative or textbook built chapter after chapter but a collection of essays that could stand on their own， each dealing with different aspects of the author's racial identity in some way。 It's not academic in tone or content， but Hong is an academic thinker and thoroughly dissects every topic， and I really enjoyed following her thought process as she takes apart and puts back together her feelings about her race， ancestry， culture， life choices， art， mental health and so fo This is not one long narrative or textbook built chapter after chapter but a collection of essays that could stand on their own， each dealing with different aspects of the author's racial identity in some way。 It's not academic in tone or content， but Hong is an academic thinker and thoroughly dissects every topic， and I really enjoyed following her thought process as she takes apart and puts back together her feelings about her race， ancestry， culture， life choices， art， mental health and so forth。 It's extremely intimate， at some points almost felt like reading someone's diary， but I think this vulnerability and openness draws the reader in and makes a deeper impression。 She makes reference to about a zillion other writers and artists， many of these flew over my head but I did look up a handful and have new books to read/films to check out。 I do recommend the audiobook read by the author。 Her background as a poet shines in her rhythmic dictation and added a layer of richness to the prose。 （Does anyone else despise writing reviews of well-written books and feel like an elementary age kid stumbling through a book report？？ Ugh！ My words suck in comparison！） 。。。more
Caroline Shewmaker
，
“We discussed art and poetry in relation to race and gender and class。 Our identities informed our aesthetic but our aesthetic wasn’t exactly about identity either。”Too often are Asian Americans ignored and lumped together as some massive monolith in the US， whether that be due to laziness， model minority tropes， or what Cathy Hong Park calls “minor feelings”， a lived dichotomy of recognizing real racial/racist experiences while simultaneously doubting one’s own perceptions and understandings of “We discussed art and poetry in relation to race and gender and class。 Our identities informed our aesthetic but our aesthetic wasn’t exactly about identity either。”Too often are Asian Americans ignored and lumped together as some massive monolith in the US， whether that be due to laziness， model minority tropes， or what Cathy Hong Park calls “minor feelings”， a lived dichotomy of recognizing real racial/racist experiences while simultaneously doubting one’s own perceptions and understandings of said experiences。 Your eyes saw it， your ears heard it， but your mind questions it because of what your eyes have seen and your ears have heard for years and years and years。 （Apologies for my butchered paraphrase; see pg 55 for more details）。 In this collection of essays， the author has created incredibly captivating narratives interspersed with cultural critiques that aren’t necessarily trying to make some kind of overt point。 Her writing is fluid; it just is， which has a beautiful power that anything didactic could never attain。 Ultimately， what I most appreciate about this book is how Park chronicles her continued growth as a writer and poet; artists really are the ones who can best connect society to its people。 。。。more
Evangeline Nelson
，
A little nonlinear and hard to follow at times。
Cassandra Mitchell
，
Awesome book。 Hong shares some super important history （American and otherwise） in a way thats honest and approachable。 It's also chock full of recommendations for a ton of other great writers and artists to look into next。 Awesome book。 Hong shares some super important history （American and otherwise） in a way thats honest and approachable。 It's also chock full of recommendations for a ton of other great writers and artists to look into next。 。。。more
Priyanka Karuvelil
，
Jaw-droppingly phenomenal。 I read this book fast and slow， devouring the words， feeling sick with implication， trying to stretch it out because I didn’t want it to end。 The fieriness of a preacher coupled with the soul wrenching poet that she is， Cathy Park Hong dissects the minority experience in America， in being an Asian woman。 This lens looks through history， current events and being an artist， bringing new things into focus。 It’s intense and beautiful and painful and glorious。
Mary Chang
，