Alex TizonCritiques

Alex brings us along for a ride on his exploration of Asian masculinity. The book had an academic tone to it except without a lot of footnotes. He writes thoughtfully and with great depth but lacking heart, until the very end, making a hum-drum book to an average read.

Maybe I just wasn't the target audience. I was expecting a sweeping epic chapter(s) on Zheng He and/or Jeremy Lin that would ignite something in me. Instead I get more chapters on the difficulties of being an Asian male in the world of romance and business.

That would have made for a stronger book. Or focusing on his parents. That would be a book I would be interested to read.

Alex Tizon's memoir combines personal story about his identity as an Asian (American) man with cultural commentary, discussing historical context and trends of the undesirable stereotypes tied to being an Asian. His Pulitzer-winning journalist skills come through in his research and writing style, and his story arc works through frustrations and ends in a hopeful tone (who would want to read a straight-up rant? This book is not that.) I'm so glad this book was published. It's a conversation-starter for sure. #WeNeedDiverseBooks

I picked this book out from my local library from a list of must-reads during the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. I am happy I did. Being bi-racial Asian American myself, I have seen subtleties in the the way Asians are treated as a lower race, but after reading this book I am more aware how this effects Asian males the most.