this was kind of hard for me. there are so many important things that she's talking about but spends far too much time on many of them, and not enough time on others. it feels disjointed and like maybe this should have been a couple of longer articles? still, the stuff she's talking about is so important; so much of the discourse around racism has revolved around specifically black or muslim issues, so there is plenty of space for what she's bringing into the light with this book. ( )

An important read, frustrating at times (not because of the book but the cases it examines). In the last 15 years, the experience of Asian Americans with darker skin has taken a turn for the worse, with an increase in slurs and hate crimes. Author [a:Deepa Iyer|6874000|Deepa Iyer|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has first hand experience in organizing communities to respond together against things like the protests against Park51, the shootings at a Sikh gurdwara (and defacement of mosques and temples), islamophobic laws by states, etc. It's a recent enough book that there's a chapter on solidarity with Ferguson and #Blacklivesmatter, but also further presses the notion that solidarity with other communities of color is important.

This book was also another reminder that "Asian American" is a VERY broad term. My experiences as a fourth generation Chinese American is not the same as a fresh-off-the-plane Hmong American living in California is not the same as a Sikh actor who wasn't allowed to board a plane. Being aware of how multifaceted our demography is a crucial step so we don't harm our own community (example: AAs against affirmative action). ( )