This page is referenced by:

• 1 2019-07-03T09:00:02-04:00 Roots: An Asian American Reader (1971) 8 Anthology Published by UCLA Press and the UCLA Asian American Center plain 2019-07-23T10:22:42-04:00 Roots: an Asian American Reader was published by the University of California-Los Angeles Press in 1971; it is described on its title page as "A Project of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center." It may be the first anthology of Asian American writing ever published. As such, it is remarkable for the range of topics and materials covered by authors in the collection -- from the "model minority" myth (which the editors are already challenging), to interracial dating, to media representations of Asians. Though the editors are apparently all of Japanese descent, there is also a notable attempt here to articulate a pan-ethnic, Asian American identity, with inclusion of materials by Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, Filipino Americans, and Native Hawaiians. 
  
  Roots was edited by Amy Tachiki, Eddie Wong, Franklin Odo, and Buck Wong. The introduction is by Amy Tachiki.
  
  The volume contains a mix of academic essays, poetry, interviews conducted by the editors, journalistic accounts of current issues, and personal essays. Many of the texts included in the anthology are reprinted from other journals, including various issues of Gidra, Rodan, Amerasia Journal, Asian American Political Alliance Newspaper, Hawaii Free Press, and Kalayaan International.
  
  Finally, the volume contains a list of "Movement Journals," including those listed above as well as Asian Women's Journal (published at UC Berkeley), Aion, Getting Together, and Hawaii Pono Journal. 
  
  Poems in the collection include: 
  
  "Roots" by Ron Tanaka (Gidra 1.8)
  "From a Lotus Blossom Cunt" by Tomi Tanaka
  "Revolution Point Zero: 1967 (or whatever)" by Mary Uyematsu
  "Rapping With One Million Carabaos in the Dark" by Al Robles
  "The Trouble With Losing Face is, you become invisible" by Marie Chung
  "Stormy Weather" by Shin'ya Ono
  "Asian Brother, Asian Sister" by Lawson Inada
  "I hate my wife for her flat yellow face" by Ron Tanaka (from Gidra 1.6)
  
  Essays of note include: 
  
  "Response and Change for the Asian in America: A Survey of Asian American Literature" by Bruce Iwasaki
  "White Male Qualities" by Anonymous
  "The Intolerance of Success" by Daniel Okimoto
  "The Emergence of Yellow Power in America" by Amy Uyematsu (from Gidra 1.7)
  "Am Curious (Yellow?)" by Violet Rabaya (from Gidra 1.7)
  "The Failure of Democracy in a Time of Crisis" by Isao Fujimoto (from Gidra 1.6)
  "Autobiography of a Sansei Female" by Anonymous
  "A Brief Biographical Sketch of a Newly Found Asian Male" by Ron Low
  "New York Chinatown Today: Community in Crisis" by Rocky Chin (from Amerasia Journal 1.1)
  "Koreans in America, 1903-1945" by Linda Shin (from Amerasia Journal 1.3)
  Book Review of Nisei: The Quiet Americans. by Yuji Ichioka (from Gidra 2.1)
  GIs and Asian Women by Evelyn Yoshimura. (from Asian Women [1971])
  
  Full Table of Contents:
  
  

  Introduction, Amy Tachiki

  Success Story of One Minority Group in America, U.S. News and World Report

  The Emergence of Yellow Power in America, Amy Uyematsu

  The Intolerance of Success, Daniel Okimoto

  An Interview with S.I. Hayakawa, Editorial Board

  The Nature of G.I. Racism, Norman Nakamura

  G.I.’s and Asian Women, Evelyn Yoshimura

  That Oriental Feeling, Irvin Paik

  Selective Acculturation and the Dating Process: the Patterning of Chinese – Caucasian Interracial Dating by Melford Weiss

  White Male Qualities

  ‘I hate my wife for her flat yellow face,’ Ron Tanaka

  Generation and Character: the Case of the Japanese Americans, Stanford Lyman

  Chinese – American Personality and Mental Health, Stanley Sue and Derald W. Sue

  An Interview with Harry Kitano, Editorial Board

  Response and Change for the Asian in America: a Survey of Asian American Literature, Bruce Iwasaki

  Roots, Ron Tanaka

  A Brief Biographical Sketch of a Newly Found Asian Male, Ron Low

  From a lotus blossom cunt, Tomi Tanaka

  Am Curious (Yellow?), Violet Rabaya

  Revolution point zero: 1967 (or whenever), Mary Uyematsu

  Autobiography of a Sansei Female

  Rapping with One Million Carabaos in the Dark, Al Robles

  The trouble with losing face is, you become invisible Marie Chung

  Stormy Weather, Shin’ya Ono

  Asian Brother, Asian Sister, Lawson Inada

  History

  Introduction, Buck Wong

  Causes of Chinese Emigration, Pyau Ling

  One Hundred Years of Japanese Labor in the USA, Karl Yoneda

  Strangers in the City; the Chinese in the Urban Frontier, Stanford Lyman

  Filipino Immigration: the Creation of a New Social Problem, Violet Rabaya

  Koreans in America, 1903 – 1945, Linda Shin

  The Failure of Democracy in a Time of Crisis, Isao Fujimoto

  The Cherishing of Liberty: the American Nisei, Bill Hosokawa

  Book Review of Nisei: The Quiet Americans, Yuji Ichioka

  The U.S. in Asia and Asians in the U.S., Franklin Odo with Mary Uyematsu, Ken Hanada, Peggy Li, Marie Chung

  Community

  Introduction, Eddie Wong

  AAPA Perspectives

  Understanding AAPA

  An Interview with Pat Sumi, Editorial Board

  Concept of Asian American Studies

  Need for Awareness: an Essay on Chinatown San Francisco, Buck Wong

  Asian Community Center

  An Interview with L. Ling-Chi Wang, Editorial Board

  New York Chinatown Today: Community in Crisis, Rocky Chin

  I Wor Kuen: twelve-point program

  Asian Women as Leaders

  The Asian American Experience in Sacramento River Delta, Ken Suyama

  Sour Grapes: Symbol of Oppression, Phillip Vera Cruz

  An Interview with Phillip Vera Cruz, Editorial Board

  International Hotel

  Filipinos: a Fast Growing U.S. Minority – Philippines Revolution, KALAYAAN Editorial Collective

  Save Kalama Valley – Hawaii

  This Land is Mine

  Raising the Fist

  Tourism: Decline of Aloha, Roy Tsumoto

  Hawaiian Homestead Struggle, Laura Alancastre and Gloria Burbage

  Little Tokyo: Searching the Psat and Analyzing the Future, Jim H. Matsuoka

  An Interview with Warren Furutani, Editorial Board

  J.U.S.T. Platform

  List of Movement Journals