Ethnic studies / Ethnicity Books

Book SynopsisEloquently written essays about aspects of Asian American life comprise this collection that looks at how Asian-Americans view themselves in light of America's insensitivities, stereotypes, and expectations. My Chinese-America speaks on masculinity, identity, and topics ranging from Jeremy Lin and immigration to profiling and Asian silences. This essays have an intimacy that transcends cultural boundaries, and casts light on a vital part of American culture that surrounds and influences all of us.Trade Review"This collection presents a part of American culture that most readers are not particularly familiar with, shedding light into a world that has been in the shadows. These essays are told slowly and meticulously with a subtle style that engages and entices the readera very difficult undertaking that succeeds admirably. There are messages and astute reflections here, that kept me and will keep others captivated." Lee Gutkind, founder and editor, Creative Nonfiction literary magazine"This is truth-telling, which is harder to do in a highly diverse cultural context like America. My Chinese-America depicts how Asian-Americans view themselves compared to the insensitivities of the nation. Each essay has its own identity, eloquently defining what makes us human. Vital sensibilities are here, not eroded by Western beliefs, and these moral values should be greatly appreciated." James Alan McPherson, Pulitzer Prize--winning writer"Intimate and wide-ranging, these probing essays complicate our picture of both Asian Americans and America. I will be thinking about all Gee so ably describes for a long time." Gish Jen, award-winning author"Masculinity, mobility, history, and the American dream of equality all take their turn under Gee's lens, as he shrewdly navigates a culture saturated with the privilege of white America and the realities of continued segregation in the so-called New South." Publishers Weekly"An arresting contribution to Chinese-American literature. These essays -- honest, inventive, and deft in form -- clearly contribute to the best of contemporary creative nonfiction, especially as it concerns American racism and integrity of self. They bear comparison to James Alan McPherson's A Region Not Home , and to the examples of James Baldwin, George Orwell, and Thoreau." DeWitt Henry, Ploughshares

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Book SynopsisAfrican American Studies: 50 Years at the University of Florida provides an impactful overview of the history of African American Studies at the University of Florida. Chapters are based on papers presented at the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the African American Studies Program at the University of Florida. In addition to providing a comprehensive history of African American Studies at the University of Florida, the book also documents the research of Black faculty at UF; examines how students, faculty, and staff involved with African American Studies practice community engagement and service; contains testimonies from community elders; and includes reflections by and about prominent UF alumni such as Judge Stephan Mickle and Dr. David Horne.African American Studies: 50 Years at the University of Florida presents readers with a valuable opportunity to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future of African American Studies, at the University of Florida and beyond.

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Book SynopsisAs a young Foreign Service officer, Frederic Hunter was assigned to the Congo in 1963, three years after independence. He expected to encounter heat, jungle, hardship, violence. Instead he found the Kivu, a kind of paradise, nestled among Rift Valley lakes. The climate was benign, the beauty extraordinary. It was peaceful, the people were splendid and got along. He lived in Bukavu, a town that occupied five peninsulas jutting into Lake Kivu. Furthermore, an African king lived atop the nearby green and often fog-bound mountains.This memoir lets you accompany these Kivu adventures. We get to know Hunter’s Number One Congolese colleague, a womanizing rogue. We meet local politicians who attend a luncheon and discuss strategies for victory in the coming election—seemingly oblivious to the point that they are competing against one another for the post. There are expats: an American academic intoxicated by Africa, a missionary woman who has lost track of time. Hunter’s truck sank in a mud pit at night and he was soon surrounded by a herd of the most dangerous animals in Africa: hippos. Hunter risks more, however, when a local Kivu woman catches his eye and then steals his heart.This memoir is gentle, insightful, and spirited by turns. It offers glimpses of a lost fragment of Africa that has since been overcome by circumstance and conflict. Kivu still lives, but it lives now in memory.

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Book SynopsisThe city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when viewed from the outside, looks just like other small cities in America, so what makes this city so unique when it comes to the arts? Told through the stories of people who bring art and creativity to every aspect of life in Lancaster, this collection of essays gives us a glimpse into what makes this city so special and a template that other communities can use as inspiration to harness the power of the arts closer to home. It’ s a window into the thriving modern art scene of one of America’ s oldest inland cities. We’ ll hear first-hand accounts from a mayor who championed public art programs, teachers using art to bring core curriculum to life, a doctor who sees the role art can play in healing patients, local artists, entrepreneurs, and so many more, that reveal what is possible when the arts are seen as crucial rather than incidental. An aspirational road map for anyone looking to bring more of the arts into their homes, workplaces, schools, and communities. A must read for anyone who believes that art is an integral part of the human experience.

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