ALA Booklist (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2001)

Nam issues a call to action of sorts in this anthology of essays by young Asian American women. The contributors, from China, Hawaii, Laos, Vietnam, and even India, range in age from 13 to nearly 40, but they are alike in their hope to rediscover their roots and connect with others like themselves. Many feel disaffected, ignored, and denied in Eurocentric culture--caught between two worlds because of their skin, their language, their parents, their feelings about beauty and food, and even their silence. As might be expected, the quality of the selections varies. Some are much smoother than others, and the chapter introductions, by Nam, are at times too long. Still, readers--Asian Americans in particular and other readers in general--who have felt the pain of being outsiders will be swept along by the authors' sincerity and their efforts to use writing to clarify who they are.

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2001)

Gr 8 Up-Asian-American young women speak out in this anthology of stories and poetry about what it is like growing up in two cultures. The brief contributions are from high school and college students from all over the United States and Canada. They speak passionately of the lack of Asians and women in the history textbooks; of feeling foreign in America and in the country of their ancestors; of being laughed at and ridiculed simply for not looking "American"; of interracial dating; and of finding their own niche. Arranged by topics such as "Finding the Way Home," "Dolly Rage," and "Family Ties," each entry begins with some background about the writer and the work. The selections are interspersed with pieces by notable Asian-American women such as congresswoman Patsy Mink and writer Lois-Ann Yamanaka. The overall strength of the writing, and the need for this topic, makes this a worthy addition to YA collections. DeAnn Tabuchi, San Anselmo Public Library, CA

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Coming of age as an Asian-American girl in the largely white reaches of upstate New York, editor Nam writes that she began to "make sense of the contradictions of being Asian, American, and a girl" through writing, as did many of the young women whose stories, essays, poems and letters she's compiled in this vibrant, much-needed anthology. Though Nam received hundreds of contributions, the collection includes only 80 brief selections (most are under three pages) by budding writers between 15 and 22 years of age, from all over the country. Nam presents the pieces according to theme with helpful background information and analyses of the works, and ends each section with a "Mentor Piece" by an established Asian-American writer on her own coming-of-age (these include essays by Lois-Ann Yamanaka and Helen Zia). The real stars in this collection, however, are girls like high school senior Rona Luo, who waxes lyrical about the "last time I saw my father <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">chow" (cook with a wok). Other essays discuss body image, interracial friendship and dating, adoption, "model minority" stereotypes, Asian-American feminist activism, sexuality, language and white boys' "Asian fetish." Nam regrets that her youth was filled with silence on the subject of being young and Asian-American. Thanks to this fine collection of writings, future generations of Asian-American girls need not feel so isolated. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Aug.)

<EMPHASIS TYPE=""BOLD"">Forecast:<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Though the book will appeal to young Asian-American women, the writers' focus on the tough work of establishing identity will make it relevant to young women of all ethnic backgrounds. Essential for high school libraries.