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Published more than a decade after Lee's Asian Americans (1992), this riveting collection of 27 new interviews shows some surprising changes across generations, especially in the wake of 9/11 (could internment happen again?) and the effects of the Internet explosion. Both in those born here and in recent immigrants, the core issues are still strong: you don't know how much to give up and how much to keep, says a first-generation Hmong. A Korean dad thinks he knows more, but he doesn't, say his children educated here. But then there is the woman who wore jeans when she first came here as a kid from India but now wears South Asian clothes. Many still send money home, but, for some, life in modern China may be better than here. No rambling oral history, the personal voices are lively, detailed, tightly edited. With the raging debate about immigration, they talk about contemporary mainstream issues, too, including women's rights, gay marriage, interracial adoption, and, always, the conflicts about assimilation and the meaning of cultural identity.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist

Library Journal
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This book provides glimpses into the distinct experiences of today's Asian Americans--specifically Asian Pacific Americans--as they struggle to find their place in the United States, where now over 12 million of them live. Lee's (communications, William Paterson Univ.) first collection of Asian American oral histories was published in 1992, so this collection constitutes a sequel of sorts, albeit with different interviewees. The first-person chapters relate the experiences of students, politicians, individuals adopted into Caucasian families, musicians, lawyers, business owners, and homosexuals, all of whom discuss their lives, arrival and assimilation, when applicable, and their coming-of-age and their social and professional experiences. The world and the Asian American experience have changed a lot since 1992. A delightful and important book that opens a window into the lives of a vital segment of American society. Highly recommended for all public and college libraries.--Melissa Aho, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.