Yell-Oh Girls!: A Section by Section Book Review

Have you ever feel like you're on the outside looking in? Have you ever feel your (American) cultire is different from ancestral culture? Who are your role models? Who can you look up to?

This anthology is written from the prespective of teenage Asian American girls. It is about how they blend into the melting pot that is America.

From the 1st two chapters I read so far, it not easy to go with the flow, so to speak. The first section, Orientation: Finding the Way Home, it is about trying to fit in in this mass of white, male dominant society. I mean, the teachers who taught the girls were mostly male and white. The history textbooks didn't contain not one item about Asian or women. It is unjust! One writer went back to her ancestral land where she learned that women were submissive, obedient.Their feet were bounded. Yes, this was in China. All women back thenwere concubines, servants, mistresses, etc. I've never felt this way cause I've got good Chinese role models from Hong Kong=I watched Chinese movies and sometimes serials. I like many different kinds of Chinese music, mostly from Hong Kong.

Also, wherever Asians go, even if they born here in America or even Canada, they looks are a dead giveaway that they don't belong. Some get called derogatory names. Some feel if they go back to their ancestral land, they feel like they belong. Boy, were they wrong! The way the Asian American girls act, but mostly it's the way they dress and talk in little or no knowledge or their native tongue. So if they don't belong in the States and if they don't belong in their ancestral land, then I guess they're in limbo. Living in San Francisco, there is a wide multicultural ethnicity, so I never ever feel like I don't belong. Maybe people do take advantage of me when I travel to China or Hong Kong? I remember I was pickpocketed once if my brother hadn't been there. As for me, all of best friends from my younger days were Caucasians, so I never felt out of place cause went to a multidiverisity school. A coupl/a of my friends were Asian Americans. Now, I've got nothing to say about this cause I've lost touch w/ them.

The next section, Family Ties, is about how different (American) Caucasian families relate differently to Asian families.All Asian families want is for their kids to succeed and all Caucasian families want their kids is more independence. Speaking from experience, my parents never show affection toward each other or toward us kids. Neither did my grandparents. I just assume it was just the Chinese culture. Whenever they kiss or say 'I love you' I just surprise me. They never see the good points ( like was any); they just point out my flaws.  They just at me.I guess they were looking out for me, but sometimes I feel stifle by their protectiveness.

Dolly Rage: This section is about assimilating into America, but at what cost?
 In elementary school, I always have a crush on the Caucasian boys-they were and still are- best friends. One was a brunette w/ brown eyes (obviously) and the other was blond and had blue eyes. I knew I had no chance w/ them 'cause they were Caucasians. And maybe it was 'cause I shy. Besides, my parents wanted me to settle down w. a nice Chinese boy. As I learned in this book that Chinese, no make that all Asians, are taught to be demure and shy, my parents wanted me to be more outgoing.I do like talking about myself sometimes. My parents wanted me to be more outgoing b/c I was extremely shy. All that aside, when I was younger, I wish I look like my Caucasian friends-tall, willowy, not to mention blond, maybe freckles. I mean, why didn't I get freckles? (Later on, I learned that only Irish or people of Irish descent get freckles.)

Finding My Voice: This section is about identity. Do you feel like you are Asian or American?
Here's my two cents: when I was growing up, my grandparents, esp. my grandmother, would raise us the Asian way along w/ my mother. My grandmother believed in Buddhism. She would burn paper w/ sacred words every Chinese New Year, and not before she blessed everybody in the family: for my parents that they would have a prosperous year for their business and for us kids that we would get goood grades in school. My dad called her superstitious.

Of course, there's also the meals she prepared during Chinese New Year and every special occasion like our birthdays. Make that every nite. Unlike some American meals filled with appetizting food. Chinese dinner usually has a bowl -or more if you're big eaters like my cousins. How boring and mundane. But American meals are fun!

On the other hand, when I go to school, I would have all these American interests. When we were little, my brother and I would like to watch all kinds of American sports, esp. baseball (Go Giants!), foootball (the undefeated Niners!), and of course my mom, who was a basketball star herself in school liked watching basketball (Yeah, Warriors).

I would also immersed myself in teen magazines (I've a subscription to 16) and pop culture since I'm not great a student (That's not saying much!) I would rather read fiction than study/ The only non-fiction I ever read was about the latest up-and-coming stars.

I've had this question from time to time when I was with my Caucasian friends. My parents, grandparents never did understood why I would put the posters of my favorite celebs up on the walls or who they were. I just said I like them. Whenever I talked with my brother in English, my grandparents didn't understand what I was saying since they're only fluent in Chinese Cantonese. I only spoke with my friends and brother in English and spoke to my grandparents and parents in Chinese. Nowadays, I speak to my parents in both Chinese and English. So which culture would you say I am?  I would say a little of both. I never felt like I didn't belong althoug my parents did push me to make more Chinese friends. Maybe 'cause my brother have more Chinese friends?

Girlwind: Emerging Voices for Change: How can one person the world, make a difference? It's even harder if you're a woman or a person of color. I mean, will the majority even listen to you, never mind show respect to you?

Take a stand
Fight for a cause
you believe in
Never stop
Make a difference-
in the lives of someone or the world at large
Make a change
No one's gonna do it for you
You may be the minority of race or sex
But soon,
People will take notice
And you won't be the minority any longeroo-
You will overcome all obstacles
to become the majority!