https://archive.org/details/growingupasianin0000unse
Roll over image to zoom in
Read sample
Follow the authors
Vanessa WoodsVanessa Woods
Follow
Alice PungAlice Pung
Follow
Growing Up Asian in Australia Paperback – June 6, 2008
by Alice Pung (Editor)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
3.6 on Goodreads
1,120 ratings
Part of: Growing Up in Australia (6 books)
Asian-Australians have often been written about by outsiders, as outsiders. In this collection, compiled by award-winning author Alice Pung, they tell their own stories with verve, courage and a large dose of humour. These are not predictable tales of food, festivals and traditional dress. The food is here in all its steaming glory - but listen more closely to the dinner-table chatter and you might be surprised by what you hear.
Here are tales of leaving home, falling in love, coming out and finding one's feet.
- A young Cindy Pan vows to win every single category of Nobel Prize.
- Tony Ayres blows a kiss to a skinhead and lives to tell the tale.
- Benjamin Law has a close encounter with some angry Australian fauna, and
- Kylie Kwong makes a moving pilgrimage to her great-grandfather's Chinese village.
Here are well-known authors and exciting new voices, spanning several generations and drawn from all over Australia. In sharing their stories, they show us what it is really like to grow up Asian, and Australian.
Contributors include: Shaun Tan, Jason Yat-Sen Li, John So, Annette Shun Wah, Quan Yeomans, Jenny Kee, Anh Do, Khoa Do, Caroline Tran and many more.
Read less
Report an issue with this product or seller
Part of series
Growing Up in Australia
Print length
364 pages
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Alice Pung is a writer and lawyer whose work has appeared in the Age, Good Weekend, The Monthly and Meanjin. Her first book, Unpolished Gem, has become a national bestseller and has been published under various imprints around the world. It was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, the NSW Premier's Literary Awards and the Age Book of the Year Award, and won the 2007 Newcomer of the Year Award in the Australian Industry Book Awards.
Product details
Publisher : Black Inc.; Original paperback edition (June 6, 2008)
Language : English
Paperback : 364 pages
#2,523 in Asian Literature (Books)
#4,337 in British & Irish Literary Criticism (Books)Customer Reviews:
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
Videos
Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!Upload your video
About the authors
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Follow
Vanessa Woods
Vanessa Woods is the Director of the Duke Puppy Kindergarten and an award winning author and journalist. Her memoir Bonobo Handshake (June 2010), won the Thomas Lowell award for non-fiction, and her children’s book It’s True! Space turns you into spaghetti won the acclaimed book award from The Royal Society in 2007.
Woods has written for various publications including the Wall Street Journal, BBC Wildlife, New Scientist, and the New York Times. In 2003, she won the Australasian Science award for journalism.
Hare and Woods are married and live in North Carolina. Their book The Genius of Dogs, was a New York Times Bestseller. Their upcoming book Survival of the Friendliest will be released summer of 2020.
See more on the author's page
Follow
Alice Pung
Alice Pung is an Australian author whose award-winning books span the genres of memoir, non-fiction, anthology, young adult and children's fiction. Alice's first book Unpolished Gem won the 2007 Australian Book Industry Award for Newcomer of the Year. Her second book, Her Father's Daughter, won the 2011 Western Australia Premier's Literary Award, and her first novel, Laurinda won the 2016 Ethel Turner Prize. Laurinda is published in the United States as Lucy and Linh, and has been a Kirkus-starred book.
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
Belinda Austin
4.0 out of 5 stars Quick and interesting readReviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Great combination of short stories from various authors. Interesting how different yet in some ways how similar the stories of growing up Asian in Australia during 60-90's are.
HelpfulReport
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Multicultural perspectivesReviewed in the United States on April 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
A grand insight to how the other half live or more relevantly see and are seen. Great collection of short stories on life that is Oz as Asian.
HelpfulReport
StriveForExcellence
4.0 out of 5 stars A great book dealing with a sense of identity and belongingReviewed in the United States on August 3, 2013
A deep and meaningful insight into the struggles and hardship that is faced by Asian Australians. Alice Pung puts together a lovely collection of short stories that melt the heart and its raw truth resonates well beyond the end of the book. This book is highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport
See more reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Karen
5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone looking for better understanding of what it is like trying to assimilate.Reviewed in Australia on February 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book helped to give me greater insight. I laughed, I cried, there were 'lightbulb' moments. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to gain better understanding of what it is like for those from different cultural backgrounds trying to find their place.
3 people found this helpfulReport
Anne Whight
4.0 out of 5 stars Rare and privileged glimpses into the experience of growing up Asian in AustraliaReviewed in Australia on April 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
A fascinating collection of the experiences of Asian settlers in Australia. Some were well known identities, others not so, but all offered amazing and very personal insights into their early lives. I thought I might find it all a bit repetitive but each story offers a different take on their experiences at school, at home or socialising. Some are sad, some made me smile, but above all it made me feel very privileged to be able share these glimpses.
2 people found this helpfulReport
Wu the best
3.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic readReviewed in Australia on June 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
Growing Up Asian In Australia depicts the sad story of Asians growing up in Australia which supposedly a peaceful country without war and also multicultural. However it isn't war that bothered these people but white kids growing up here. They would taunt and tease these children because of their country and looks. In this book we learn about what the children all suffered when the first met white people and how they suffered. Many Asian people were called names. This book also has story of their life at home and how they have to work hard to survive on their meagre income.
One person found this helpfulReport
Sydney1981
4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful insightReviewed in Australia on February 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
A wonderful insight into the lives of prominent Asian-Australians. A necessary read, especially for those opposed to multiculturalism and diversity.
2 people found this helpfulReport
Jennifer Dyson
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in Australia on February 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
Bit disappointing.
Report
See more reviews
Verified Purchase
Bit disappointing.
Report
See more reviews
===
Home
My Books
Browse ▾
Community ▾
Jump to ratings and reviews
Growing Up ... in Australia
Growing Up Asian in Australia
Alice Pung
(Editor)
,
Sunil Badami
(Contributor)
,
Amy Choi
(Contributor)
...more
3.63
1,120 ratings82 reviews
Want to read
Buy on Kobo
Rate this book
Edit my activity
Asian-Australians have often been written about by outsiders, as outsiders. In this collection, compiled by award-winning author Alice Pung, they tell their own stories with verve, courage and a large dose of humour. These are not predictable tales of food, festivals and traditional dress. The food is here in all its steaming glory - but listen more closely to the dinner-table chatter and you might be surprised by what you hear.
Here are tales of leaving home, falling in love, coming out and finding one's feet. A young Cindy Pan vows to win every single category of Nobel Prize. Tony Ayres blows a kiss to a skinhead and lives to tell the tale. Benjamin Law has a close encounter with some angry Australian fauna, and Kylie Kwong makes a moving pilgrimage to her great-grandfather's Chinese village.
Here are well-known authors and exciting new voices, spanning several generations and drawn from all over Australia. In sharing their stories, they show us what it is really like to grow up Asian, and Australian.
Contributors include: Shaun Tan, Jason Yat-Sen Li, John So, Annette Shun Wah, Quan Yeomans, Jenny Kee, Anh Do, Khoa Do, Caroline Tran and many more.
Genres
Nonfiction
Australia
Biography
Memoir
Short Stories
Contemporary
Anthologies
...more
351 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
Book details & editions
About the author
Profile Image for Alice Pung.
Alice Pung
38 books340 followers
Alice was born in Footscray, Victoria, a month after her parents Kuan and Kien arrived in Australia. Alice’s father, Kuan - a survivor of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime - named her after Lewis Carroll’s character because after surviving the Killing Fields, he thought Australia was a Wonderland. Alice is the oldest of four - she has a brother, Alexander, and two sisters, Alison and Alina.
Alice grew up in Footscray and Braybrook, and changed high schools five times - almost once every year! These experiences have shaped her as a writer because they taught her how to pay attention to the quiet young adults that others might overlook or miss.
Alice Pung’s first book, Unpolished Gem, is an Australian bestseller which won the Australian Book Industry Newcomer of the Year Award and was shortlisted in the Victorian and NSW Premiers’ Literary awards. It was published in the UK and USA in separate editions and has been translated into several languages including Italian, German and Indonesian.
Alice’s next book, Her Father’s Daughter, won the Western Australia Premier’s Award for Non-Fiction and was shortlisted for the Victorian and NSW Premiers’ Literary awards and the Queensland Literary Awards.
Alice also edited the collection Growing Up Asian in Australia and her writing has appeared in the Monthly, the Age, and The Best Australian Stories and The Best Australian Essays.
Alice is a qualified lawyer and still works as a legal researcher in the area of minimum wages and pay equity. She lives with her husband Nick at Janet Clarke Hall, the University of Melbourne, where she is the Artist in Residence.
Ratings & Reviews
Loading...
Friends & Following
Loading...
Community Reviews
3.63
1,120 ratings82 reviews
5 stars
237 (21%)
4 stars
401 (35%)
3 stars
352 (31%)
2 stars
88 (7%)
1 star
42 (3%)
Search review text
Search review text
Filters
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
Profile Image for claud..
claud.
727 reviews77 followers
May 4, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
The flaws:
Let me start with the biggest one that I found. In the section called "The Folks," the last story is called Are You Different? by someone named Mia Francis, who is a WHITE WOMAN. No, I'm not saying the fact that they let or asked a white woman to contribute to an anthology about ASIAN PEOPLE growing up in Australia is the flaw that I'm referring to (but I'm not saying it's not a flaw either… ahem). How she told the story was the main problem. It's bad enough that she, a white woman, was the one telling HER adopted Filipino son's story, the way she told it was from a white western gaze. OH, and the fact that it was ridden with racial slurs like the N-word! I wanted to SCREAM! "Ricky has lots of good friends at school. They affectionately call each other 'n****r' and 'bro.'" DING DING DING DING! THIS is the warning sign that a white parent is most DEFINITELY racist. WHY would you let your son say racial slurs that are not for him to reclaim? Did you not teach him not to say racial slurs? Did he learn it from YOU? And also, why would you brag about it as if this is a stepping stone for your son in making friends at school? WHY ARE YOU TREATING IT LIKE IT'S A GOOD THING??? AARRRGGHH I was so mad when I read this story!! I don't know HOW or WHY they let a racist white Australian woman with a white saviourism complex contribute to an autobiographical anthology about ASIAN PEOPLE growing up in Australia!! It's not a book about white people adopting Asian kids!! Who is this Mia Francis person and WHAT IS SHE DOING IN A BOOK ABOUT ASIANS??? "Thank you for being our beautiful son" MY ASS. WHY CAN'T I READ ANYTHING WITHOUT A WHITE PERSON RUINING IT AND MAKING IT ABOUT THEM???
*deep breath*
I expected that there would be more stories in this book told by Filipinos. There was only one, and the story wasn't even about the author, who is half-Filipino. Filipinos don't get enough representation ANYWHERE, whether it be movies, TV shows, books. Sigh. It just makes me feel all the more ostracised. :/
Redemption:
I did like the stories, generally. Most of them were the typical "I was bullied in school for being different" "I don't know how to speak my native language" "My parents put too much pressure on me" type of stories, but I did like them, even though they were so similar that they blurred together. There were a good amount that stood out -- from dealing with sexuality to humorous everyday situations that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with them being Asian. Even though I couldn't relate to these stories in a degree of "oh my god, that is exactly what my family is like" "something similar has happened to me before", I still had one big thing in common with these people, and that is we are all Asian immigrants living in Australia. Even though I couldn't relate to their stories on a personal level, I still felt like there was at least some sort of connection between me and these stories, and the people who wrote them who were Asian immigrants like me.
2000-2009-published
anthologies
authors-of-colour
...more
14 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Kiran Bhat.
Kiran Bhat
Author
12 books201 followers
June 6, 2020
An extremely unique compilation of 2nd generation Australian voices. My only concern is that the narratives in the collection tend to harp on a similar theme (eg lack of acceptance in a relatively homogenous society). I think a lot few voices could have been selected, and some of the stories or poems could have been more multi-dimensional. Nevertheless, absolutely worthwhile reading. A lot of the essays are very easy to relate to if you grew up in an immigrant context.
6 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Jen.
Jen
720 reviews60 followers
September 8, 2008
I am a second generation Australian Chinese, born into a typical working class suburb in Melbourne, raised within a strict yet somewhat liberal (in comparison to my other counterparts) Chinese family environment, so it's no surprise at all that I could relate to so many of the stories in this anthology--the bewildering cultural displacement (the typical "banana" analogy): am I more Chinese than I am Australian? Why can I not be both? Then there are the odd moments when you realise that this is what defines you. How many of us are familiar with the breakdown of familial ties or confronting and overcoming discrimination? I was horrified by Tony Ayres' conflict with a skinhead, incredulous and moved by Jacqui Larkin's chance encounter with a childhood bully in the unlikeliest of places and amused by the "Strine" accounts--how often do we stop and remember those brave, hard-working pioneers who paved the way for us younger generations so that we could have a chance at life and to succeed?
It would have been better to read more about other Asian ethnicities, like people from the Middle East, but this is a comprehensive outlook from people from all walks of life. A good read indeed for Australians of all ethnicities.
non-fiction
4 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Joyce.
Joyce
25 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2019
Perhaps due to their brevity (only several pages each), the stories in this book present oversimplified analyses of Asian Australian life (terms like "banana", "east meets west" used). I can see the its significance when it was published in 2008, but eleven years on it feels outdated, with many of the narratives perpetuating antiblack sentiment that's rampant in (particularly east) Asian communities.
4 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Rich Gamble.
Rich Gamble
82 reviews7 followers
September 13, 2018
I’ve never gave an Australian book 5 stars on Goodreads before so I’m not exaggerating when I gush about how much I love this book. This is a bunch of largely non fiction pieces collected together by Alice Pung who I hadn’t read at the time but is now one of my favourite writers. I usually find multi-author collections to lack flow but this is seamless – Alice has done an excellent job as editor and delivers a great introduction to start things off. My favourite story was ‘Wei Lei & Me’ – touching to the point of tears, the pieces by Benjamin Law are laugh out loud funny and the ‘tall poppies’ section of famous Asian-Australians is a great touch. Seriously, there are so many great new voices here competing for attention it’s enough in itself to justify abandoning our government’s embarrassingly inhumane treatment of refugees and migrants for the wealth they have brought to our country. As an ‘Anglo’ Australian I feel I can identify with these stories both as the close-minded kid at school giving grief to those he doesn’t understand for no good reason and as a young Australian finding his feet growing up in a great country.
australian
rich-top-10
3 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Lauren.
Lauren
315 reviews15 followers
Want to read
April 20, 2021
tbr note: Considering that I'm writing my next novel about a biracial Japanese Australian character, I bought this with no questions asked, purely for research purposes. I can see that this was published over ten years ago, though. Because of that, I'm curious to see which pieces of writing, if any, speak to currently-developing topics like BIPOC erasure and multiracial identity. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to reading more about Asian experiences in Australia, as that's something I want to learn more about as a whole.
culture-and-ideas-tbr
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Richa.
Richa
25 reviews
February 7, 2022
3.5 stars.
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for C.X. Blake.
C.X. Blake
Author
2 books4 followers
November 20, 2022
wym i relate to this book . wym i grew up asian in australia. thats cringe. anyways, good parallels with Gattaca bc the essays i wrote on these guys slayed so hard
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Amber.
Amber
517 reviews100 followers
September 13, 2017
I found many of the stories far too brief ! One was only 2 pages .......I didn't feel that the stories were linked in a cohesive way
amber
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Initially NO.
Initially NO
Author
29 books33 followers
October 30, 2016
Most of the life-stories are aimed at Secondary School students, so, it's not a great read if you're looking for something more substantial than teen angst, fart jokes, identity issues, of (for the most part) privileged 1st generation or 2nd generation families that have migrated to Melbourne from overseas.
Some of the short memoirs are well worth reading employing symbolism and maturity that adult readers are looking for (ie The Water Buffalo), and, I'd argue that Secondary School students are looking for as well (helps in that essay). There is also some brilliant cartoon strips. Love them. Actually, a whole book of these cartoon strips would great!
The book comes across as teacher's curriculum style, with attempt to interest 'youth'. Way too many typical school kid issues that are not even unique to migrants, yet it is portrayed as though they are, which makes the authors look ignorant of what is going on in their midst. The interviews section doesn't quite do much more than a bland short biography does. No doubt this book replaces 'The Strength of Tradition' (Holt) that was the 1980s-90s curriculum, which was also somewhat disappointing, because of the editing style that dumbs it down for students.
Time for a new book, as this one is, as a whole, is really, really out-of-date. I'm surprised it has been reprinted so much. But it has a 'market' for curriculum (I'm not in favour of forced markets). I cannot hope the next one will be better, if the market is 'curriculum style.'
There are some cultural insensitivities as well, things that should never be said in Australia, and a sprinkling of psychiatrisms that are horribly discrediting to the authors (and re-traumatising to Australians that have suffered that). Publishers and teachers really need to think about what they condone.
memoir
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}.
Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}
1,010 reviews78 followers
September 29, 2015
I really enjoyed this. SO much that I now have a crick in my neck for leaning sideways just to read the pages (I could have just flattened the book out in front of me and read it, but for some reason, it was easier to read it sideways--so bad for the neck!)
Alice Pung did a wonderful job collecting and editing this anthology of short stories about asians growing up in Australia. It is very insightful, and being one of those asians, I can definitely relate to the majority of the stories contained.
asian
australian-author
autobiography-non-fiction
...more
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Beatrice.
Beatrice
47 reviews
March 18, 2016
Being second generation Australian myself, there's a bit of a disconnect with this book - not as much of the embarrassment, not as much of the isolation - but what it really captured was that feeling of not quite belonging and that lack of connection with my cultural heritage.
If someone asks me where I'm from, do I say Australia, because I am, or do I say Singapore because that's where one generation of my family is from? And does insisting on Australian make me a brave struggler against racism or does it just mean I'm denying my history?
I'm still not sure.
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Sarah Y.
Sarah Y
50 reviews
September 11, 2017
Reading this volume, almost for the first time, I am greeted by a babble, a symphony, a loosely knitted collage of voices, memories, experiences which so closely recall my own. I have never laughed and cried or smiled so much from reading a single collection before, it is like I am reading fragments of my own story - dreams, guilt, shame, excitement, the bizarre sense of being between two worlds and yet belonging to neither. A really wonderful read.
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Rebecca.
Rebecca
Author
47 books730 followers
November 16, 2015
All the feels.
asian-literature
aus-lit
diverse
...more
2 likes
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Calum.
Calum
129 reviews4 followers
August 8, 2017
I had so much fun reading this book.
And i learnt a lot.
I feel like I am more aware of the difficulties experienced when multiple cultures demand your allegiance. I also thought about identity and how it is influenced by culture:
What exactly defines us?
Our actions?
Our heritage?
Or ourselves?
All brilliant questions which this book left me with.
I swear I felt all emotions while reading this.
There were literal laugh out loud moments many times. There were also moments when I shut the book and just had to take time out to process the horror I witnessed.
I look forward to revisiting this book.
A glorious anthology. Nothing less.
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Jessie.
Jessie
44 reviews1 follower
July 21, 2022
Another great anthology from this series. As an Asian who migrated to Australia myself, it feels nice to be seen and heard, and to share the same stories as many others. Some laughs, some tears, and some triggers. Thank you for sharing so generously.
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Tony.
Tony
16 reviews
November 11, 2020
Important stories of intersectionality and for representation. Although some were a bit bland and oversimplistic in peddling a fatalistic pessimism, perhaps as a result of being collated in 2008
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Ruby Soho.
Ruby Soho
3 reviews
October 10, 2017
Great collection of thoughtfully written memoirs. Unputdownable.
1 like
Like
Comment
Amanda
29 reviews26 followers
July 16, 2014
This was one of the books I studied in Year 12 English. Its the only school book I've reread parts of since I finished studying it. Its relatable, and whilst some ideas seem farfetched or hard to believe (harsh expectations, consequences), the reality is that many people in today's society do face those hardships. Its great to see these kinds of experiences are replicated in these short stories, demonstrating not only how these events affected the individuals, but also how they have learnt and grown from them.
This is also one of the very few books (both fiction and non-fiction) where I quite like the prologue. Yes, these stories capture the "model minority" at the core, and the adversity they face as a result. Yes, its a book I'm glad I've read growing up. One that I will pass on to my friends who would also be able to relate to it.
"I hope that these loose themes will help bring to the forefront questions of identity, place and perspective. Because the stories deal so insightfully with the challenges of coming to terms with multiple identities, they move beyond crude labels such as "bananas" and "coconuts". We are not fruit (or power sockets) we are people. These are not sociological essays, but deeply personal stories told with great literary skill. These stories show us not only what it is like to grow up Asian in Australia, but also what it means to be Asian-Australian. And this is exactly the sort of book I wish I had read when I was growing up."
Thanks Alice.
academic
biography
makes-you-think
...more
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Nisma.
Nisma
280 reviews
April 8, 2013
I don't think I can fairly rate this book as a whole. I'll admit, guiltily, that when I first randomly read a few stories out of it a few years ago, I must have have somehow picked out the angsty-est of the angsty-est stories out of the whole lot. This is what gave me negative preconceived notions, so I was kinda against the book from the start.
THAT BEING SAID, I admit now not all the stories are that bad. I mean, none of them are that fantastic, but I think quite a few of them had a certain, relatable charm. Admittedly, with all of them stuck together like this, a lot of them started to blur together - too many kids working in shops, being embarassed of their heritage... blah di blah. That's mean of me, though, 'cause they're only writing from experience and such...
... agh. Okay, on a personal level, I don't think it's fair to judge the stories at all. Entertainment value, a little less. Perhaps if I was reading this over an extended period of time, I could have enjoyed some stories a bit better.
* I swear I hate reading two books at once Dx *
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Andrew.
Andrew
125 reviews12 followers
January 14, 2010
Whilst I absolutely adore Alice's "Unpolished Gem", as an Asian-Australian myself, I suffer a little from what I call the "ethnic cringe", so I was a little worried when this came out. However, Asian-Australian writing seems to be emerging as a distinct voice in recent years, and the publication of this anthology is an important one.
And at the heart of this anthology is the sheer diversity of stories, perhaps indicating that the Asian commonality is perhaps a tenuous one, constructed more by the society that we grow up in, rather than in our own identity and voice.
Of course, as an anthology, there is a wide range of storytelling, and some are stronger than others. But be they funny, sad, political, poignant or hopeful, these are all very real stories, and deserve to be read.
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Oanh.
Oanh
461 reviews22 followers
November 12, 2008
I have a piece of my writing in this collection, so I am not objective.
As with all collections, there are good and less-good, but overall, the collection is great and it's mere existence is A Very Good Thing.
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Merideth Lee.
Merideth Lee
126 reviews2 followers
January 17, 2014
Some of these stories were very amusing, some sad and many were insightful. However this collection couls have done with some severe editing. Sometimes a point is better made with less information.
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Ash ♡.
Ash ♡
129 reviews23 followers
April 19, 2015
worst book ever... read it for school and it has been completely ruined because of that
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Helen.
Helen
449 reviews10 followers
December 31, 2015
Some terrific anecdotes. The themes of growing up Asian are universal. Everyone just wants their parents to be proud of them.
asian-australian-non-fiction
australian-non-fiction
essays
...more
1 like
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Fiona.
Fiona
498 reviews11 followers
July 8, 2018
So many of these stories were relatable on a level I don't usually experience.
Shout out to the very first piece, 'The Relative Advantages of Learning My Language' which was in an English past paper I did some time in high school. I remember being extremely moved and upset by it the first time I read it, and then experiencing that all over again when I was using that past paper to tutor some kids. I was hit by the same feelings reading it this time.
Only recently have I begun to realise how fortunate I've been to grow up in not just Asian majority, but Chinese majority classes and schools since I was 9. Sure I've experienced casual racism but I've never had to be the only minority in a space.
Reading all these explorations of what it's like to have a home culture so different from that of the country you live in reminded me of high school creative writing assignments where rumour had it that capitalising on this fact would help us get better marks cos the white teachers would eat it up. It always seemed like selling out your heritage to me but I know at least one girl who tried it. After reading this book though I can definitely appreciate the importance of sharing these experiences and I'd love to read more like this in the future.
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Gina.
Gina
363 reviews32 followers
April 11, 2020
It is always affirming and validating to read experiences that mirror your own, particularly the pieces by Viet Aussies that are also from Melbourne's inner west. I enjoyed some more than others, but overall I liked the collection. It is so important to elevate the voices of those who aren't usually heard and are subjected to discrimination. Similar editions have come out since this was published, with voices talking about their experiences growing up as a minority in Australia:
Growing up Queer in Australia
Growing up Aboriginal in Australia
Growing up African in Australia
Growing up Muslim in Australia
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Natasha (jouljet).
Natasha (jouljet)
690 reviews29 followers
November 21, 2019
An anthology of Asian-Australian voices recounting what's it's like growing up, coming of age, or figuring out who you are, whilst interacting with a racist White Australia (most of the time).
Stories of displacement and considered migration, of fitting in and standing out, of being too Aussie and not Aussie enough, of being connected to Asian roots or not at all. So many different experiences within this collection of the diaspora, and yet so many similar themes of turmoil also.
These anthologies are a real insight into the stories of multicultural Australia, and many contributors of this early book have gone on to many other writings within diverse and mainstream areas.
lgbti
memoir
poc
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Courtney.
Courtney
778 reviews47 followers
September 30, 2018
It's hard to express how much I enjoyed this book. By my own admission I don't normally do so well with short stories but the way in which these stories are collated and arranged makes for easy and cohesive reading. The breadth of variety in writing styles only adds to the sustained interest and the approach to the themes and subjects is fascinating and riveting.
There's laughter and sadness so wonderfully expressed between the connecting threads of theme. Really fantastic reading.
Like
Comment
Profile Image for Hayden Wong.
Hayden Wong
44 reviews5 followers
March 10, 2020
I absolutely loved this book with all the collections of short stories. As an ABC (Australia born Chinese) I found that there weren’t always a lot of texts based around the experiences of being Asian in Australia, and having a book with such diverse narratives is great. The stories in each category were intriguing, beautiful, harsh and well curated. Really recommend, hopefully a second addition comes out!
all-time-favourites
Like
Comment
No comments:
Post a Comment