Big Little Man: In Search of My Asian Self
This hybrid memoir-history, written compellingly by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and professor Tizon, moves back and forth and all around in the history of yellow men and women—the author (a Filipino), in particular,  and all those who have come to be lumped into the politically correct category of Asian. Why are Asian women hot and Asian men not? How to make a white world understand the concept of wen wu (“the containment rather than the use of power”), which Westerners view as wimpiness and servitude? Growing up with U.S. culture portraying dim and unassertive yellow men on TV (e.g., on Bonanza) and in films (where the Asian guy never gets the girl), Tizon launches on a personal and historical exploration. From the yellow peril (WWII) to “Yellow Fever” (e.g., blogs about Asian women’s sexiness) to the yellow tornado (contemporary Asian sports and business stars), impressions are changing. And here, along with eye-opening information about such forgotten figures as the much-loved Chinese warrior-thinker Zheng He (a mid-1400s explorer), Tizon portrays his color-tinged youth, young adulthood, and life now in deeply felt, extensively researched, and question-filled prose. --Eloise Kinney