Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now
Pub. March 1, 2022 • Roaring Brook Press • Written by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang • NYT Bestseller
RISE is a love letter to and for Asian Americans--a vivid scrapbook of voices, emotions, and memories from an era in which our culture was forged and transformed, and a way to preserve both the headlines and the intimate conversations that have shaped our community into who we are today.
When the Hart-Celler Act passed in 1965, opening up U.S. immigration to non-Europeans, it ushered in a whole new era. But even to the first generation of Asian Americans born in the U.S. after that milestone, it would have been impossible to imagine that:
sushi and boba would one day be beloved by all
a Korean boy band named BTS would be the biggest musical act in the world
one of the most acclaimed and popular movies of 2018 would be Crazy Rich Asians, or
we would have an Asian American Vice President
And that’s not even mentioning the creators, performers, entrepreneurs, execs and influencers who've been making all this happen, behind the scenes and on the screen. Or the activists and representatives fighting for equity, building coalitions and defiantly holding space for our voices and concerns.
And still: Asian America is just getting started.
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Critical Praise
"This book has serious substance... Also, I'm in it."
- Ronny Chieng
Photo by Word Up Community Bookshop
“In the past 30 years, there has been a wave of successful Asian-background artists, writers, actors, bloggers, and entrepreneurs who were born in America or arrived here when young. Until 1965, write Yang, Yu, and Wang, there were limits on the number of (legal) immigrants from Asia; for years after that, most arrivals were fleeing poverty or persecution. They focused mainly on building lives for their families, but the next generation showed an energetic, outward-looking diversity. This book—a collection of essays, interviews, illustrations, and even some comic-book pages—reflects that broad range…
A hip, entertaining book, as imaginative in its presentation and stories as the generation it portrays.”
- Kirkus Starred Review