Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now
- Downloads：5192
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-12 06:52:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jeff Yang
- ISBN：0358508096
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Cultural critic Jeff Yang， blogger Phil Yu of Angry Asian Man， and Wong Fu Productions’ Philip Wang team up （with iconic guests！） for a graphic romp through the ups and downs of how， over the past three decades， Asian Americans went from quiet and invisible to incredibly relevant and irresistibly cool
The first generation of U。S。-born Asian Americans raised after 1965’s Hart-Cellar Act passed would have found it difficult to imagine that sushi and boba would one day be beloved by all， that a Korean boy band named BTS would be the biggest musical act in the world， that one of the biggest movies of 2018 would be Crazy Rich Asians， or that a Facebook group for Asian American identity memes would be 2 million members strong。 And that’s not mentioning the execs working behind the scenes at major companies; the activists and representatives fighting for equity; and the singers， rappers， dance crews， and social media pioneers making their mark on pop culture。 And still: Asian America is just getting started。
In this intimate， eye-opening， and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of the 1990s， 2000s， 2010s， and beyond， Jeff Yang， Phil Yu， and Phil Wang chronicle how we’ve arrived at today’s unprecedented diversity of Asian American cultural representation through engaging， interactive graphics （like a step-by-step walk-through of a typical night out in Koreatown。。。for those who probably won't remember it the day after）， charts （how much has yellowface fluctuated decade over decade？）， graphic essays from major AAPI artists， exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons， and more， framed by extended insider narratives of each decade by the three co-authors。 Rise is an informative， lively， and inclusive celebration of community， and will remain a cultural touchstone for years to come。
The first generation of U。S。-born Asian Americans raised after 1965’s Hart-Cellar Act passed would have found it difficult to imagine that sushi and boba would one day be beloved by all， that a Korean boy band named BTS would be the biggest musical act in the world， that one of the biggest movies of 2018 would be Crazy Rich Asians， or that a Facebook group for Asian American identity memes would be 2 million members strong。 And that’s not mentioning the execs working behind the scenes at major companies; the activists and representatives fighting for equity; and the singers， rappers， dance crews， and social media pioneers making their mark on pop culture。 And still: Asian America is just getting started。
In this intimate， eye-opening， and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of the 1990s， 2000s， 2010s， and beyond， Jeff Yang， Phil Yu， and Phil Wang chronicle how we’ve arrived at today’s unprecedented diversity of Asian American cultural representation through engaging， interactive graphics （like a step-by-step walk-through of a typical night out in Koreatown。。。for those who probably won't remember it the day after）， charts （how much has yellowface fluctuated decade over decade？）， graphic essays from major AAPI artists， exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons， and more， framed by extended insider narratives of each decade by the three co-authors。 Rise is an informative， lively， and inclusive celebration of community， and will remain a cultural touchstone for years to come。
Reviews
Ankita Goswami
，
I loved this book！ I have been a fan of Phillip Wang's Youtube content for a while， and so was quite excited to dive into this book。 I found 'Rise' extremely interesting， comprehensive and important。 I am an Asian-Asian/Indian （not Asian-American）， but American pop culture has been a huge part of my life since childhood so I could recognise a lot of people and references in the book。 The chapters were fun and easy to read and I really liked the artwork。 I don't think I could have asked for a bet I loved this book！ I have been a fan of Phillip Wang's Youtube content for a while， and so was quite excited to dive into this book。 I found 'Rise' extremely interesting， comprehensive and important。 I am an Asian-Asian/Indian （not Asian-American）， but American pop culture has been a huge part of my life since childhood so I could recognise a lot of people and references in the book。 The chapters were fun and easy to read and I really liked the artwork。 I don't think I could have asked for a better guide to Asian-American history。 。。。more
Julie Tieu
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A great primer of Asian American pop culture nestled in the context of history。 The essays are organized by chronological order and can be picked up any time for a quick read。 Beautiful artwork throughout。 I hope there will be more volumes in the future。
Carly Thompson
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Good overview of Asian American pop culture told thru short essays， comics， interviews， infographics and listicles。
Carrie
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Fascinating， richly detailed， and well-told。 This book is written in a visually stunning format that adds a lot to the engaging history itself。
Abbi
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Informative， engaging， a trip down memory lane - reading this was such an enjoyable experience。
ela v
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a pop culture book on asian americans， love that
Natalie Park
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I learned so much from this book！ This is the history of Asian Americans from politics to entertainment through the perspectives of various contributors。 Although there many overlapping themes or duplications due to the many contributors， it’s a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about the Asian American experience。
Charlene
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It really is an honor to be Asian （thanks， Sandra Oh！） and this book shows you why。
My Tam
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A book I didn’t know I needed and will never part with。 A dear friend gifted a signed copy made out to me and though it was on my list， I was unaware of its significance。 This book is necessary for any American， especially Asian Americans。 I don’t say that lightly。 At a time when we are being attacked and reviled， this book is a necessary reflection of who we actually are。 Part history book， part encyclopedia， and part joyous celebration - I highly recommend this to anyone looking to find themse A book I didn’t know I needed and will never part with。 A dear friend gifted a signed copy made out to me and though it was on my list， I was unaware of its significance。 This book is necessary for any American， especially Asian Americans。 I don’t say that lightly。 At a time when we are being attacked and reviled， this book is a necessary reflection of who we actually are。 Part history book， part encyclopedia， and part joyous celebration - I highly recommend this to anyone looking to find themselves and their fellow American woven into this magnificent quilt of a country。 Bravo！ 。。。more
Sam
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This is an excellent look and record of how far we've come and how far we still have to go。 The history of Asians in pop culture really brought me back， and still， I learned even more。 It's humorous， honest， and also， bonus， presented in a really fun way。 This is a must for anyone who's interested in learning more about Asian American history， as well as just a really great thing to have for those of us in the diaspora。 I really felt seen and represented with this， and also sometimes got a littl This is an excellent look and record of how far we've come and how far we still have to go。 The history of Asians in pop culture really brought me back， and still， I learned even more。 It's humorous， honest， and also， bonus， presented in a really fun way。 This is a must for anyone who's interested in learning more about Asian American history， as well as just a really great thing to have for those of us in the diaspora。 I really felt seen and represented with this， and also sometimes got a little emotional？？ Like the dedication says， this is for the ones who come next。 。。。more
Bruin Mccon
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Rise is billed as the pop history of Asian America from the 90s to now。 It is so much more。I listened to this 500-page book over the course of a week。 It has been both a walk down memory lane and an exploration of aspects of Asian culture that are unknown to me。 To be clear， I highly doubt a white person is the target audience for Rise and we shouldn’t be。 Yet the book is a great read for non-Asians too。It was 1998 or 1999 when I first discovered John Cho， then the front man of Left of Zed， whil Rise is billed as the pop history of Asian America from the 90s to now。 It is so much more。I listened to this 500-page book over the course of a week。 It has been both a walk down memory lane and an exploration of aspects of Asian culture that are unknown to me。 To be clear， I highly doubt a white person is the target audience for Rise and we shouldn’t be。 Yet the book is a great read for non-Asians too。It was 1998 or 1999 when I first discovered John Cho， then the front man of Left of Zed， while attending UCLA。 For years after， I would see him pop up on TV in random spots like as a guest star on Charmed。 He’s a good looking dude and obviously I was a fan glad to see him getting parts。 It felt odd that John Cho had a one-episode appearance on like ten different shows over a two-year or three-year period。 He was a talented actor in a series of guest spots。 When #StarringJohnCho started trending on Twitter many years later， it was clear that the Harold and Kumar star actually could have played a shit ton of leading men but was overlooked。 This book chronicles the jarring difference between hit makers like Aaron Sorkin’s belief that there was a “lack of Asian stars” and the huge number of Asian-America stars in Asian-American-centered movies since Sorkin’s 2014 email （that came to light through the Sony hack）。 Many of those movies were the subject of essays in this book。 While the pop culture piece of this book is seriously on point， the sections about the politics and racism against Asians don’t pull any punches。 This is an excellent read full of humor。 。。。more
sam
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definitely a lot more dense and jam-packed with info than i thought it would be but it’s a great read！ i loved being able to recognize so many asian american pop culture references， and i feel like this is a great starting point for people who want to learn more about the growth of asian america。 i definitely feel like it could have been more nuanced even though it attempted to do so， but overall， still a really great read！
Katherine Lavelle
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This book is incredible！ I've still got 50 pages left - but the amount of work and care that went into this book！ I'm so glad that I read this over spring break because it is hard to put down。 This book function as a pop history of Asian America， but it does so much more through interviews， essays， and graphic features to tell this amazing story。 This books is both very funny and includes deeply personal essays about what it is like to be Asian in America。 There's a round table interview with th This book is incredible！ I've still got 50 pages left - but the amount of work and care that went into this book！ I'm so glad that I read this over spring break because it is hard to put down。 This book function as a pop history of Asian America， but it does so much more through interviews， essays， and graphic features to tell this amazing story。 This books is both very funny and includes deeply personal essays about what it is like to be Asian in America。 There's a round table interview with the group of actors who played the daughters in the Joy Luck Club， a graphic feature about Linsanity and the making of Crazy Rich Asians， as well as calling out the worst in Yellow Face each decade。 I think that this would be a great book to have in the house， because so many things that I would want to revisit and use for class。 。。。more
Lynne
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Read my full review here。 Read my full review here。 。。。more
Emily
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Yay for a book that celebrates my community！ However if reviewing the book for its contents and not for the first of its kind， I thought the book was too west coast and entertainment field oriented。 I felt like there were things left out from the east coast （and probably Midwest and elsewhere） especially successful Asian American stories from those locations。 I commend the efforts and love what the book is doing for the community but I did feel it was lacking。 I know as a society， we lean in tow Yay for a book that celebrates my community！ However if reviewing the book for its contents and not for the first of its kind， I thought the book was too west coast and entertainment field oriented。 I felt like there were things left out from the east coast （and probably Midwest and elsewhere） especially successful Asian American stories from those locations。 I commend the efforts and love what the book is doing for the community but I did feel it was lacking。 I know as a society， we lean in toward entertainment and don’t celebrate successes in other fields as much but for a community that has embraced non-entertainment fields， I think we should have highlighted more successes not in entertainment。 And for that reason， I find it hard recommending the book to others。 。。。more
Amanda Kang
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im not saying it's perfect （in fact， i caught a bunch of typos） but i am saying this is probably the first book i sacrificed a potential day of TV binging for in like 2 years oops also lol jk we're watching 39 now im not saying it's perfect （in fact， i caught a bunch of typos） but i am saying this is probably the first book i sacrificed a potential day of TV binging for in like 2 years oops also lol jk we're watching 39 now 。。。more
James
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this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3pqU3i8 this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3pqU3i8 。。。more
Sarah Lillo
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This book has a bit of everything— nice blend of media studies， sociology， anthropology， and critical commentary in a multi genre format。 I learned a lot through this text。 A really unique and expansive collection of comics， narratives， essays， lists， critiques， interviews， and everything in between with a wide cast of knowledge and insightful authors and illustrators。 A solid reference book and an important book to have in all schools and public libraries！
James
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I had the good fortune of receiving an advance reading copy of Rise as part of a Goodreads giveaway。 This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in the Asian American experience since 1965 （i。e。， since the immigration reforms of the Hart-Celler Act）。In addition to its impressive breadth and refreshing honesty， the book’s array of interviews with key figures such as Margaret Cho， Jeremy Lin， and Sandra Oh （among many others） should guarantee its status as an invaluable resource for fut I had the good fortune of receiving an advance reading copy of Rise as part of a Goodreads giveaway。 This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in the Asian American experience since 1965 （i。e。， since the immigration reforms of the Hart-Celler Act）。In addition to its impressive breadth and refreshing honesty， the book’s array of interviews with key figures such as Margaret Cho， Jeremy Lin， and Sandra Oh （among many others） should guarantee its status as an invaluable resource for future generations of readers and scholars。For me， a Chinese American roughly the same age as co-author Jeff Yang， Rise is in many ways the story of my cultural life。 I truly hope that the book’s striking combination of substance and entertainment value allow it to find an audience far beyond my own demographic。 。。。more
Roxanne
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History is my favorite thing to read about。 This is a very comprehensive book about the history of Asian Americans。 When I was a child my family moved to a small mountain community that was not racially diverse。 A very nice boy moved there and he was Chinese and no one would tak to him and we became best friends。 We did so many fun things together and I was really crushed when his father got transferred to Los Angeles and they had to move。 This book talks about every subject， history， movies， fa History is my favorite thing to read about。 This is a very comprehensive book about the history of Asian Americans。 When I was a child my family moved to a small mountain community that was not racially diverse。 A very nice boy moved there and he was Chinese and no one would tak to him and we became best friends。 We did so many fun things together and I was really crushed when his father got transferred to Los Angeles and they had to move。 This book talks about every subject， history， movies， famous Asian men and women， sports figures， dancing。 I really think this is an excellent book and I learned a lot from it which is why I read so much。 。。。more
Mary
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Very interesting and informative read
Desi Wolff-Myren
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Rise is a historical compilation of Asian American history starting in the 1980's to present day。 It was finished during the COVID 19 pandemic， so there is also a several sections that touch upon what is going on present day。 There was so much information presented in this book。 Some of which was light-hearted （discussion of boba v。s bubble tea， BTS memes， etc）， while some was serious （yellow-face in movies and theater， white saviorism in movies set in Asia， the LA riots and the effects on Korea Rise is a historical compilation of Asian American history starting in the 1980's to present day。 It was finished during the COVID 19 pandemic， so there is also a several sections that touch upon what is going on present day。 There was so much information presented in this book。 Some of which was light-hearted （discussion of boba v。s bubble tea， BTS memes， etc）， while some was serious （yellow-face in movies and theater， white saviorism in movies set in Asia， the LA riots and the effects on Korean businesses， etc）。 This book warrants multiple reads in order to absorb all the information included。I would most definitely share parts of this book with students， and I would definitely use parts to teach about Asian Americans in the US。 Overall， a great read that I will come back to for reference and for entertainment: 5/5。 。。。more
Audrey
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I love this book so much。 It has something for everyone and it’s the book I never knew I needed until I had it。 It’s the book that you didn’t realize you needed until you have it in your hand。This is the book that I have been waiting for， without even realizing it。It has something for everyone， politics， music， movies， tv， sports and FOOD。 Anything related to the intersection of pop culture and being an Asian American in this country。RISE gives a brief history about the struggles， and the racist I love this book so much。 It has something for everyone and it’s the book I never knew I needed until I had it。 It’s the book that you didn’t realize you needed until you have it in your hand。This is the book that I have been waiting for， without even realizing it。It has something for everyone， politics， music， movies， tv， sports and FOOD。 Anything related to the intersection of pop culture and being an Asian American in this country。RISE gives a brief history about the struggles， and the racist hate has been woven in to the fabric of this country that has always been overlooked and until recently， somehow socially acceptable。 It also celebrates Asian Americans and all their contributions， that had been erased or minimized since the first Asians arrived in this country， which is way earlier then most Americans realize。 The focus is on the last 30 years， which really illustrates so many accomplishments， from the entire diverse diaspora and across so many professions。 It’s when the invisible minority， started becoming visible。 This book is only the tip of the iceberg， and it's so wonderful to see Asian Americans finally seeing ourselves represented。 In the words of Sandra Oh， "It’s an honor just to be Asian。"I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own。March 2022 staff pick 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
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Read if you: Want a amazing read about Asian American history and pop culture from the 1990s to present day。 This is full of interviews， lists， cartoons， illustrations， and thoughtful explorations of Asian American identity。 This is a big read; definitely meant to be browsed through rather than reading in one sitting。 It is joyful， heartbreaking， and illuminating。 Librarians/booksellers: A must purchase。 Asian American pop culture is worldwide and youthful; your Gen X， Millennial， and Gen Z patr Read if you: Want a amazing read about Asian American history and pop culture from the 1990s to present day。 This is full of interviews， lists， cartoons， illustrations， and thoughtful explorations of Asian American identity。 This is a big read; definitely meant to be browsed through rather than reading in one sitting。 It is joyful， heartbreaking， and illuminating。 Librarians/booksellers: A must purchase。 Asian American pop culture is worldwide and youthful; your Gen X， Millennial， and Gen Z patrons will love this。 Many thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest reivew。 。。。more
Sara
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This is an important reference book covering the pop history of Asian -Americans over the last thirty years。 As such， it belongs on the shelves of most young Asian-Americans， their parents， and every library。 The format is engaging and as an older white woman （albeit the mother of two half-Asian children） I recognized very little in here other than the very well-known （i。e。 Fresh Off the Boat， George Takei。 and some of the politicians）。 And that is precisely why this is a necessary book。 We all This is an important reference book covering the pop history of Asian -Americans over the last thirty years。 As such， it belongs on the shelves of most young Asian-Americans， their parents， and every library。 The format is engaging and as an older white woman （albeit the mother of two half-Asian children） I recognized very little in here other than the very well-known （i。e。 Fresh Off the Boat， George Takei。 and some of the politicians）。 And that is precisely why this is a necessary book。 We all need to catch up on the history of Asian-Americans and Rise is an easy and fun way to do so。 Recommended for just about anyone。 Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book。 Looking forward to seeing it in its final edition。 。。。more
Emily
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This was a unique and important read。 There were many moments in this collection of essays， interviews， comics， timelines， etc。 that felt very nostalgic for me， and there were also moments that made me， as a white woman， realize that I have a lot of self educating to do on Asian American culture。 Parts of the book felt a bit disjointed， but since this was such an early ARC， I am willing to bet that the disjointed feel will disappear as final edits are done （there were lots of notes making it cle This was a unique and important read。 There were many moments in this collection of essays， interviews， comics， timelines， etc。 that felt very nostalgic for me， and there were also moments that made me， as a white woman， realize that I have a lot of self educating to do on Asian American culture。 Parts of the book felt a bit disjointed， but since this was such an early ARC， I am willing to bet that the disjointed feel will disappear as final edits are done （there were lots of notes making it clear that this process is not finished）。 Definitely worth the read！ 。。。more
Andréa
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