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The Accidental Asian

Liu, E. (1998). The accidental Asian: Notes of a native speaker. New York: Random House.

OVERVIEW

Liu rejects the emphasis of "professional Asian Americans" and Asian American writers who make a big issue about their "Chineseness" (such as Amy Tan). They may see Liu as a "banana" (yellow on the outside but white on the inside.

Liu is the son of well-to-do immigrants from Taiwan. Raised in a middle-class suburb and a graduate of Yale University, Liu seems to be seeking freedom from guilt and ambivalence regarding a Chinese heritage he is supposed to be keeping alive. By the time he became 30, he had already served as a speech writer for Bill Clinton and television commentator on MSNBC. According to book reviewer Gary Krist, Liu "is a fervent advocate of success in the mainstream."

Part of the richness of this book comes from Liu’s history of New York’s Chinatown and pictures of his father and grandmother.

This book strongly rejects the idea of any pan-Asian coalition with a common agenda or set of interests.

Unlike blacks, Asians do not have a cultural idiom that arose from centuries of thinking of themselves as a race; unlike Jews, Asians haven’t a unifying spiritual and historical legacy; unlike Latinos, another recently invented community, Asians don’t have a linguistic basis for their continued apartness.

As an "identity libertarian" Liu argues that most Asian-Americans under 34 are married to non-Asians—so efforts to produce a separatist, monolithic Asian community are hopelessly against logic and demography, and are impossible to achieve.

Married himself to a non-Asian, Liu’s children will be Chinese-Scottish-Irish-Jewish. With this fact and his background and accomplishments in mind, it is easy to see why he writes:

The end project of American life is neither monoculturalism nor multiculturalism; it is omniculturalism.

A significant review of Liu’s book was written by writer Gary Krist. (Krist, G. [1998, May 24]. Do not hyphenate: The son of taiwanese parents, the author outlines an impassioned case for assimilation. The New York Times Book Review.)

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

  1. Where do you fall between Eric Liu’s position and those who believe Asian culture and identity must be preserved?
  2. To what extent do you think Liu’s thinking stems from his parent’s success and his privileged life and experiences?
  3. How can Liu’s view be taken by poor, non-literate, and non-English-speaking immigrants?
  4. How important are these considerations to teenage Asian Americans working out their own personal identities?
  5. How important are these considerations for youth workers?

IMPLICATIONS

  1. Asian American youth are a dynamic constituency in many cities, suburbs—and especially in many universities. It is important that their growth be understood and supported and their contributions be received.
  2. Today’s world demands that we foster the contributions of all cultures. Globalization is inevitable and multiculturalism is part of that process.
  3. Cross-cultural communication is important in schools and churches; it is sometimes neglected or taken for granted.
Dean Borgman cCYS


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