Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now

by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, & Philip Wang
@originalspin | @angryasianman | @philipwang

“Hip, entertaining…imaginative.”—Kirkus, starred review *“Essential.” —Min Jin Lee * “A Herculean effort.”—Lisa Ling * “A must-read.”—Ijeoma Oluo * “Get two copies.”—Shea Serrano * “A book we’ve needed for ages.” —Celeste Ng * “Accessible, informative, and fun.” —Cathy Park Hong * “This book has serious substance…Also, I’m in it.”—Ronny Chieng
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 US immigration to non-Europeans, it ushered in a whole new era. But even to the first generation of Asian Americans born in the US after that milestone, it would have been impossible to imagine that sushi and boba would one day be beloved by all, that a Korean boy band named BTS would be the biggest musical act in the world, that one of the most acclaimed and popular movies of 2018 would be Crazy Rich Asians, or that 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 continuing to fight for equity, building coalitions and defiantly holding space for our voices and concerns. And still: Asian America is just getting started.

The timing could not be better for this intimate, eye-opening, and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and beyond. Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang chronicle how we’ve arrived at today’s unprecedented diversity of Asian American cultural representation through engaging, interactive infographics (including a step-by-step guide to a night out in K-Town, an atlas that unearths historic Asian American landmarks, a handy “Appreciation or Appropriation?” flowchart, and visual celebrations of both our “founding fathers and mothers” and the nostalgia-inducing personalities of each decade), plus illustrations and graphic essays from major AAPI artists, exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons, and more, anchored by extended insider narratives of each decade by the three co-authors. Rise is an informative, lively, and inclusive celebration of both shared experiences and singular moments, and all the different ways in which we have chosen to come together.

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Interview with the Authors

Poured Over
Jeff Yang, Phil Yu & Philip Wang on RISE: A POP HISTORY OF ASIAN AMERICA FROM THE 90s TO NOW
3/3/22 50 min

Commonwealth Club of California
Jeff Yang, Phil Yu and Philip Wang: Rise—A Pop History of Asian America
3/22/22 73 min

Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
190. Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now
3/31/22 63 min