Silent on the issue for years, Kingston has spoken out in recent months. Many wish for a debate between the two authors. But Chin avoids events Kingston plans to attend. The literary dispute is more than an academic parlor game. Educators from Stanford to Yale are debating the values of non-white thought.
Literature reflects a culture, defines a people.
In this sense, the struggle between Chin and Kingston is a literary battle for the soul of Asian America. It's sad this has all happened. The children of immigrants, Kingston and Chin both were born 50 years ago in the Year of the Angry Dragon. Both studied literature at UC Berkeley during the Days of Rage and plunged into the politics of the era. Both envied each other's early writings.