This summer the International Examiner published the annual Pacific Reader which includes a Literary Supplement of APIA book reviews.
What the hell is APIA?
You know you're an outsider when you have to look up the meaning of an acronym. Yes, I did. So much for having been the IE's Arts writer from 2004 - 2006 and so much for having interviewed Asian American authors and written reviews of their books. My excuse? I'm a white Western woman who hails from the Netherlands, an ESL writer and reader.
What the hell is ESL, I hear my Dutch friends think (yes, you, I'll give the answer at the bottom of this post).
The heading APIA Literature that Influenced Me made me think about the effect the books I've read and reviewed for the International Examiner and the Pacific Reader had on me.
Here are a few of the titles:
- Looking Like the Enemy : My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese-American Internment camps by Mary Gruenwald.
- As a Dutch national I have friends who lived in Indonesia at the onset of WWII. Fathers were hauled away, mothers and children imprisoned in camps by Japanese soldiers.
My Dutch - Japanese American friend Giotta Tajiri wondered about the attitude of Dutch people
toward "the Japanese". That her father Shinkichi had fought with the American 442nd Regimental Combat Team against Nazis in Europe came as a total surprise to me at the time. I was quite surprised to learn that Shinkichi's family was imprisoned by fellow American citizens, while other Dutch friends of mine were tortured (their relatives killed) by Japanese soldiers in Indonesia. Gruenwald's book only added to my understanding how important it is to read widely, because the title says it all, and yet may come as a surprise.
by 
, 
, 
by 
and is on my wish list. She brings to life the Japanese-American community in Hawaii like no other poet/ writer. - Long for This World: A Novel
by Sonya Chung bridges the distance between cultures and continents.
As an English as a Second Language Reader I gain tremendous understanding of American culture by reading across the border, by taking in stories written by immigrants and expats, by foreigners and nationals. Reading is fundamental, reading is powerful, reading is a must.
2 comments:
This is a great post, Judith! I'm always curious about Asian literature and have yet to read any of these. Now I have some new reads to add to my list.
Thanks Jocelyn! You're comment makes me realize I've only republished my review of Mary Gruenwald's memoir. Will post the others (and more) as well. This afternoon I'll be going to book launch of a new author, Jennifer K. Chung. She was the winner of last year's 3-Day Novel Contest and the prize was to have her book Terroryaki! published! It's a very fun read I enjoyed in between heavier material.
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