Why Must Read Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now?

{Overall} This is a really impressive overview of the past 3 decades of Asian America. It has over 400 pages of insight that would satiate anyone who wants a base understanding of how Asian American culture has evolved (or as the authors would suggest, 'risen', through the lens of pop culture. Fun, informative and necessary. I appreciate the layout of the book as it reads more like a thoughtful magazine rather than like a textbook (first impressions on a 400+ page book) and yet thorough enough so I felt it was worth every dollar spent on each page that was printed. Even at its length this book serves as a conversation starter rather than an analysis piece and that's the beauty of this book. Asian America needs a modern voice, and "Rise" does just that. A MUST for any cultural studies library. {From the vantage Point of an Asian American Millennial} As someone who has delved into Asian American studies since the early '90s, I am so glad that this book has been released as it encompasses almost 3 decades of Asian American (pop) culture that hasn't been academically/"formally" documented and reported. And here it is in one thorough compendium. I was watching a Fung Bros (Youtube) video a few weeks ago and it brought up an opportunity in the current field of Asian American studies. Historical analysis is vital to the Asian American community, and cover topics that still resonate to this day. The Vincent Chin Murder. The Model Minority Myth. The Sexualization of Asian Women. The Emasculation of Asian Men. Fast forward to present day--the death of Michelle Go, the Atlanta spa shooting, (still) college admissions, our discourse on WMAF/AMWF relationships. All very important topics. Yet, Asian America is more than our societal struggles, it is also about our advances (and ensuing struggles) and it is ever prevalent in pop culture. Relative to 90% of the 20th century, the Asian American community and its influence saw tremendous growth in the past 30 years. Aligned with today's media consumption, much of this is loosely documented across thousands and thousands of media sources big and perhaps more importantly small(er). Mainstream media will cover "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Linsanity", yet it only scratches the surface of what Asian America of today looks like. It's easy to overlook small(er) influences such as WongFu Productions and the trending themes expressed in social media. For example: the evolution of the ABG, Asian foodies, Asian influencers, growing up as Asian Americans rather than just "Asians", the rise of China as distinct from ABC culture, contributing outside of STEM fields. This book and its authors successfully took on the formidable task of encapsulating the Asian American experience of the past 30 years. Where prior to its release, you could easily go down the rabbit hole of Asian American culture with little cohesion as to how the Asian America has evolved. (Even with its 8 floors of books and periodicals at LA's Downtown Central library, the selection of academic/literary resources from the past 30 years is scant and not through the fault of the library. Perhaps you'd find a copy of the-now defunct-Import Tuner or Yolk magazines, which would tangentially hint at Asian American culture). At over 400 pages, this book is a very thorough work and also deftly understands the audience of this era. Instead of reading like an encyclopedia of yore, the layout of the book and its content reads more like a thoughtful magazine. Interviews, comics, color, Wikipedia length articles. If you are a fan of Asian American culture, especially of these past 30 years, this is a joyous nostalgia ride. That said, as a reminder this book is NOT "the end all, be all" of Asian American (pop) culture for the past 30 years nor was it probably meant to be. It's a great foundation meant to spark conversation, inspire future analysis and further research into Asian America. Expose yourself or friends to Asian American YouTube personalities or an Ali Wong standup show. Reach out to your Asian friends who are from outside of your home county or state. Savor the 626 night market. The list goes on. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.