When Half Is Whole: Multiethnic Asian American Identities
Stanford  lecturer Murphy-Shigematsu’s sensitive, revealing inquiry into the  multiethnic experience of Asian-Americans succeeds both as a  comprehensive ethnic studies volume and an enlightening memoir of  pushing back against categorizing humans with singular, rather than  multiple identities. As the son of an Irish-American father and a  Japanese mother, born in Japan during the post-WWII American occupation  when mixed-race children were often seen as a symbol of foreign  domination, he adds a personal dimension with his reflections, which  allows a deeper comprehension and occasional contrast to the  Asian-Americans he profiles. Carefully sequenced interviews and  first-person narratives illuminate the quest for identity against  conflicting pressures rooted in perception, family loyalty, and racism.  Mitzi, half African-American and half Japanese, describes movingly of  demanding her identity as “Blackanese,” out of loyalty to her mother,  while Marshall, a Korean adopted by Jewish parents, tells of searching  for his birth parents. With multiculturalism viewed through the skewed  and skeptical lens of the American melting pot narrative, the value of  Murphy-Shigematsu’s book is in confronting the fact that while single  nationalities and cultures are somewhat fixed, when blended, they create  identities which are fluid—changing through experience, affected by  time, and formed by a melding of destiny and choice. (Oct.)Reviewed on: 08/13/2012--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.