My Current Bookshelf - February 2017

Slow month for reading--there were a couple longer reads that I came into contact with as well as it being just a busy (and shorter) month than others.  But as usual, there are still some great reads to be had.  Pretty much all of my reading was audiobooks this month because I'm in full reading mode with my program--no surprise.  But that should reiterate the importance and value of audiobooks.  Despite the busy reading of academic articles, I still managed to enjoy 10 books that I would not have otherwise gotten to.  Given that, I've only got one book that stands out particularly and want to talk about today.


Book covers read this month.


The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee

Where do I begin with this review besides just saying, "WOW!"  I knew about some of the aspects of this book such as strong anti-Asian immigration laws and racial discrimination in the US toward Asian-Americans since the 1800s.  But Lee provides a meticulous and nuanced exploration of the history of migration and representation within the Americas since the 1500s.  She traces the history of discriminatory practices by different American countries that challenge, limit, devalue, or pit against one another the many different immigrants from the numerous Asian countries.  In doing so, she helps the reader understand the denial of identity and culture that comes with the term "Asian American", and how it masks the distinct experiences, cultural dynamics, and sense of history that different immigrants from Asian bring with them.  In tracing the history to the present century, Lee further aids readers in considering the experience of Asian Americans whose families have been here for generations and the more recent Asian American immigrants fit into the rhetoric of immigration for various discourses and for different dominant-group purposes.  It's definitely a must-read for people trying to better understand race and ethnicity in the Americas.

Check out other reading recommendations from 2017 (and you can always look at all of my books that I've read on GoodReads):

AUDIOBOOKS

  • Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
  • The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee
  • Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1) by Seanan McGuire
  • Master Harold...and the boys by Athol Fugard
  • The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
  • The Vegetarian by King Han
  • The War Doctor: Only the Monstrous by Nicholas Briggs
  • Doctor Who: Death and the Queen (The Tenth Doctor Adventures, #1.3) by James Goss
  • Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous by Gabriella Coleman
  • Grim: Classic Fairy Tales Updated for an All-About-Me-Age by Joseph Burgo


What about you reader?  What book recommendations do you have for me?



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