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From its origins in early 18th century slave communities to the end of the 20th century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. This book provides a major reassessment of the subject, setting the art in the context of the African-American experience. 70 color illustrations. 5 linecuts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

fabulous, and I got to meet her!
This is a good introductory resource to African-American art.Patton fits a lot of history in a small book.
Generally the Oxford series are pretty fantastic to begin with, so you can't go wrong.

Plus, I got to meet her. She is very nice and knowledgeable. I got a chance to hear her speak at a conference.

Not a fan of the arts
I really want to appreciate the arts, but this book doesn't help. Too much race-baiting, not enough pictures, and overall very boring. Only reason I got it was cuz it was for school.

Great resource and easy to read
Sharon Patton does a wonderful job placing African-American art and artist within the contex of the time in which it was made.She shows how people of color were part of all the art movements and what the contributions were.The reproductions are high quality and the images cover many different mediums.It is easy to read and flows more like a story of art instead of a dry lecture. ... Read more

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This research anthology is the fourth volume in a series sponsored by the Special Interest Group Research on the Education of Asian andPacific Americans (SIGREAPA) of the American Educational Research Association and National Association for Asian and PacificAmerican Education. This series explores and explains the lived experiences of Asian and Americans as they acculturate to Americanschools, develop literacy, and claim their place in U.S. society, and blends the work of well established Asian American scholars with thevoices of emerging researchers and examines in close detail important issues in Asian American education and socialization. Scholars andeducational practitioners will find this book to be an invaluable and enlightening resource. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A Must Read for Asian Americans, film students, and anyone who has admired or questioned an Asian American Film
I was driven to read this book by the author's appearance on Turner Classic Movies' month-long "Asian Images in Film: Race & Hollywood" (June 2008).When Mr. Feng was asked to comment on or introduce each film he selected, I felt he wanted to say more, but was tempered by the constraints of mainstream programming demographics.So I feverishly acquired this book and, I'm happy to say, it does not disappoint.

Any Asian American who has ever watched the sparse appearances of their "representation" on the American screen, and was confounded - time and again- by the misrepresentation, will find a clear and cogent analysis to their situation in Identities In Motion.I found myself often nodding in agreement throughout the book, as the author articulated the problems inherent in films about and by Asian Americans.

Feng argues that one shouldn't look to Asian American movies as historical truth or depictions of fixed identities.Instead, he inspects Homi Bhaba's term "splitting" to separate the repetition of colonial discourse from the resistance to that discourse.Viewed under these conditions, Asian American movies may be read as one would read literary criticism, as opposed to literature.For example, he mentions that certain "historical" Asian American movies reveal more about the politics involving Asian Americans (at the time the movie was made), than "the historical periods they purport to represent."It's a tough task to break free of that discourse; some Asian American movies fare better than others in resistance, thereby escaping the trap.

A range of movies from what may be perceived as biographical videos (aka Don Bonus, China: Land of My Father, Made In China, The Way to My Father's Village, From Hollywood to Hanoi) to feature films about immigrant lives (Thousand Pieces of Gold, Picture Bride), the Japanese Internment (History and Memory, A Family Gathering), commercial films (Wedding Banquet, Joy Luck Club), and the well-crafted, successfully metadiscursive films (Chan is Missing, Surname Vien Given Name Nam) are interrogated.

The book is written in an academic tone, with wording that sometimes seems densely packed.Don't let it intimidate you; Identities In Motion is a rewarding read.Even if one manages to absorb a small percentage of Peter Feng's observations (many of which also come in easy-to-digest sentences), his or her perception of the Asian American landscape (and an awareness of why and how you arrived at the identity of "other" if you are an Asian American) will be vastly altered.When the author quotes Charlie Chan "perfect crime like perfect doughnut - always has a hole," we can apply it to the mission of this book.

If cinematic representation is seen as that crime, then Identities In Motion shows you how to find the hole. ... Read more

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This survey for educators of all grade levels provides vivid descriptions of how each of seven major Asian-American ethnic groups is faring in public schools both linguistically and socioculturally, and gives practical suggestions and effective strategies for teachers. ... Read more

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Includes: Day Standing on its Head (Philp Kan Gotanda) * Tokyo Bound (Amy Hill) * Hiro (Denise Uyehara) * S.A.M. I Am (Dwight Omata) * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great plays marred by bad editing
This anthology is a well-selected one.It has a wide range of plays of different styles, from romantic comedy to absurdist family drama to post-modern weirdness.In response to the reviewer (and many other critics) who say that this is not a distinctly Asian collection of plays, I say, that's mostly the point: what really separates an Asian-American playwright and a white playwright?Or the Asian-American experience against the Caucasian experience?Just what you see.

This anthology is proof positive that the Asian-American can and does do as much and as well as any other race.We are, in the end, all people experiencing the world through our own respective eyes.Maybe it just happens that a lot of people experience similar things.

The big problem, at least with the edition I read, is that there are numerous typographical errors.Sometimes a line is attributed to a character who shouldn't be in the scene.Some are misspelled (among the most egregiously, the name of Dwight Omata in the table of contents) and can be distracting to reading and, therefore, understanding the play.It is the only gripe that makes this product less than a perfect 5-star.

Nothing really distinctively Asian here.
I could care less for any of these plays.The authors seem to try and create a new brand of Asian literature.With the plays that I've read here, I hope that won't happen.Some of them are badly written and the characters aren't all too complex.But, this book shouldn't be called "Asian American Drama."Because there isn't anything Asian about it, except that the plays were written by Asians.Aside note:David Henry Hwang writes, "Frank Chin's play The Chicken Coop Chinaman was criticized for reinforcing stereotypes of broken-English-speaking Chinatown tour guides."If you read Chickencoop Chinaman, there is no Chinatown tour guide!Anyway, If you want something distinctively Asian, you have to narrow it down somewhere.You can't make up something culturally phony like some of these authors.

Fantastic, every play worth reading and producing
I am an actor, and I found this collection, just outstanding!Every play is excellent and readable even on the page.Several plays by women as well. Read and Enjoy.Then go out and put it together and act, produce anddirect it! I will ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent introduction to this subject
I agree with the previous reviewer and hope that the publisher is taking note.I have used this text in class and want to continue using it, but I am constrained by the fact that the bookstore on my campus cannot find copies to order.I hope the publisher will re-issue soon.The only complaint I have is that I would like to see more complete stories rather than excerpts or at least longer excerpts.However, the selections are nearly all excellent and there is a breadth of readings as well.

Asian American Literatureby Shirley Lim
As textbooks are being written for the academic world, this book could serve as a guideline for future books written in this area of study. A composite of short stories and poetry representing work from a people who have a unique perspective on immigration and what it takes to endure the hardships they have encountered. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in literature or philosophy. It is unfortunate that it has gone out of print. This is more of an injustice to the academic world, to prevent a book of this caliber from the minds of future students. It was all our entire class could do just to get enough copies for us to read. ... Read more

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Introduce Your Students to a Rich Literary Heritage

Glencoe's new collection of ethnic anthologies gives students access to a wealth of literature written by some of the best classic authors and the finest contemporary voices. Each anthology, organized thematically into five relevant themes, combines literature and art as powerful expressions of the group's cultural story. Asian American Literature features the work of noted authors from Amy Tan to Maxine Hong Kingston and many more! ... Read more

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"These artists show how we can be funny and witty and profound all at once, turning stereotypes inside out and upside down to create new images that empower individuals to write the scripts of their own lives."
--Frank H. Wu, author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White

There's this guy we know--quiet, unassuming, black hair and thick glasses. He's doing his best to fit in, in a world far away from the land of his birth. He knows he's different and that his differences make him alien, an outsider--but they also make him special. Yet he finds himself unable to reveal his true self to the world . . .

For many Asian Americans, this chronicle sounds familiar because many of us have lived it. But it also happens to be the tale of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, better known as Superman. And the parallels between those stories help explain why Asian Americans have become such a driving force in the contemporary comics renaissance as artists and writers--and fans.

But there's one place where Asians are still underrepresented in comics: between the four-color covers themselves. That's why, in Secret Identities, top Asian American writers, artists, and comics professionals have come together to create twenty-six original stories centered around Asian American superheroes--stories set in a shadow history of our country, exploring ordinary Asian American life from a decidedly extraordinary perspective.

Entertaining, enlightening, and more than a little provocative, Secret Identities blends action, satire, and thoughtful commentary into a groundbreaking anthology about a community too often overlooked by the cultural mainstream. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Terrific concept, mediocre execution
So, why in the history of comic books have there been no Asian Americans portrayed as the primary hero? There are sidekicks, like Kato, the Green Hornet's chauffeur, but always in a very subordinate role. And this at a time when a number of Asian Americans were among the leading comic book authors and artists. Like Blacks, of course, Asians are highly visible in a mostly white society. The nuances separating those of Irish and German and even Italian descent are far less obvious. Anyway, Yang and some of his friends decided it was time to rectify matters and they put together this collection in which the protagonists are Asian. Unfortunately, the result isn't especially successful. There are more than forty pieces in a book totaling 190 pages, and a few are pretty lengthy, which means most of them run only three or four pages -- not enough to present and develop an entirely new character, much less to lay out a plot or a narrative. "Heroes Without a Country" is a classic G.I. Joe sort of tale, with a crew of enhanced American troops assaulting a Nazi stronghold filled with super-villains. The problem is that, as in a great many of these stories, the characters don't look "Asian." If you hadn't read them in this volume, you would never had guessed that was the artist's intent. Others, like "The Citizen," start off in an interesting way -- but then stop dead, as if the author/artist team came up against their page limit and through away the rest of their work. "The Blue Scorpion and Chung" is probably the best story in the book, with a point to make regarding Anglo-Asian relations and loyalties. In "Trinity," the three main characters are Filipino, Japanese, and American, and the rather shaky plot has to do with the legacy of American troops in the Far East. In "No Exit," the characters are Saudis (or perhaps Iraqis, it's very unclear) in America in 1941 -- but Anglo readers don't ordinarily lump Moslems from that part of the world in with Japanese and Chinese and Koreans. Asia is a very big place. "You Are What You Eat," a not-bad piece is about Chinese customs and culture -- but, again, the art makes the characters look more Latin than Asian. (No, they shouldn't be visual clichés, but if they and their surroundings and even their names are indistinguishable from European-Americans, what's the point of the book?) In "Learn to Share," the characters are Thai, but I had to reread the story several times to figure it out. For me, the best piece was "A Day at Costumeco," in which the characters are generic "Far Eastern," but the plot is a lot more fun than in most of these efforts, involving an embarrassed young girl discovering just what sort of superhero she is. I understand what the writers and artists were attempting to do with this collection, and I applaud them for it, but the idea and its execution are worlds apart. Perhaps they should have planned on a series and restricted themselves to only five or six stories per volume, taking the time to develop each one properly.

The Stories Are as Powerful as the Superheroes Within
Coming of age, as it were, during the days of World War II, comic books have not always presented progressive models of the Asian American experience. In fact, they could be downright racist in their heyday back then. And while much has changed since then, one thing that hasn't is the blatant underrepresentation of Asian characters in comic books.

Enter Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology, a broad collection of 26 stories featuring Asian protagonists. The timing is right for such a book, and it capitalizes on it nicely. The method of delivery the book often employs is satire, chronicling a "shadow history" of the United States but with Asian players. It works quite well most of the time (the biggest drawback of the book is the cover itself; the bright green cover doesn't do justice to the entertaining and provocative stories contained within).

Four editors worked on bringing Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology to press. Within, a multitude of writers and artists lent their talents to the storytelling. Some of them are big names in the industry, including Gene Luen Yang, Greg Pak, and Christine Norrie. It's a superhero anthology at heart, through and through, which works for the shadow history format. Parallelling the secret, hidden lives of Asian Americans with the hidden identities of superheroes makes sense, as does using comics to redress the glowering oversight of one of the country's largest population groups.

The stories are as powerful as the superheroes within, and they deal with pivotal events ranging from the birth of the country up to modern times. A particularly moving story focuses on James Kim. You may not remember the name, but you probably know the story of the family who was stuck in their car for a week during a horrific snowstorm in late 2006. Kim left his wife and two children in the car while he walked to try to find help. He made it approximately 16 miles before succumbing to hypothermia. That Kim's story, one that the entire nation felt and mourned, is told in Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology is apt and moving.

Happier stories are found inside its pages as well. All kinds of stories, and all kinds of art styles, make it in, in fact. All of which makes Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology such an enjoyable experience. It's never heavy-handed, nor does it take itself too seriously. Its characters, much like its creators, see the format for what it is and they want in on the fun. Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology lets them, and it lets the rest of us in on the fun too.

-- John Hogan

mixed bag
i'm asian and it was so-so.a few were decent but some that tried too hard to be cool just turned kinda dumb and so cheesy at times.the editors of this book seemed kinda self serving especially in the preface.

A Must Have!!!
Get yourself a copy!! I Highly recommend it. I really enjoyed almost ALL of the stories that were told here. Most of the stories were told by actual incidents using superhero characters. The stories are all told through the views from Asian Americans perspective. The stories have very strong messages. I wished they actually produced these characters in actual comic books, because Asian Americans doesn't have any cool superheroes all they get are the stereotypical characters such as a martial arts master, ninja, samurais etc, nothing further. It is as if they are restricted of ever becoming a superhero. This book shows that Asian Americans can be and need superheroes too.

Satiric, funny and sometimes serious
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3V1YP2W24TIIL Secret Identities is one of the few comic anthologies I enjoy tremendously. There are 48 chapters, all drawn by Asian Americans -- of course -- but a few are 1-page superhero profiles and stories. So really, there are only 40 longer stories.

For most of the 1-page stories, it's an artist talking about the concept of superheroes, Asian Americans and the influence of Asia on western comics. The longer stories are really fun, bizarre and creative.

The book starts off with a comic book cover art of "The Y-Men", featuring super lame superheroes with quotes like "Feel the suicidal wrath of KamiKazei", "Sweaty Feet of Coolie are express ticket to hell", "The myopic blasts of Four Eyes" and "Special delivery from Riceman pork-fried pain". This pretty much sets the satiric tone for the book, although there are more serious stories as well.

My favourite story is "James", written by Michael Kang and drawn by Erwin Haya. James's power is super-agility and super-strength. His partner has the ability to emit light, like a light bulb. Somehow amazingly, James began to lose the limelight (pun intended) to his partner and his career crashed. In the end, he had to start over going to like N.O.A.S.S* and A.S.S.H.O* networking events. *Which translate to National Organization of Supers and Sidekicks, and Asian Student Super Hero Organization.

My second favourite "A day at Customeco". This family is shopping at a groceries supermarket dedicated to superhero shoppers and suddenly a how-dumb-can-you-get villain strikes! Now imagine every superhero rushing in for the kill.

The story concept and creativity are really commendable. The superheroes are shown in many different aspect of life, in different communities, going about their daily chores. It's mix and match everywhere, littered it with funny quotes.

This book is highly amusing and should appeal to more than just Asian Americans.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.) ... Read more

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