This just what I needed as we hear about the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans since COVID19. Sadly, I doubt that people who need to read it, will read it. She's honest and forthright in her essays. This along with _White Fragility_ should be on all our reading lists.

Before Minor Feelings officially came out, I was intrigued by what I read online about it. I knew that this was a book I'd definitely have to read. When I received a copy through NetGalley, I then realized that this was something I'd really want to sink my teeth into, so I waited and bought a copy as soon as the book became available.
While the book is not what I expected, it was still very much a good read. It reads like an academic text, memoir, cultural criticism, diary, and poem, all rolled together. There were incredibly relatable parts, and also points in which I had difficulty following, like when she wrote about the artist Theresa Hay Kyung Cha. The text is rich, and made Hong's inner world incredibly enticing and I think part of that is because it helped reveal some of the same or similar parts within me. Even though I don't particularly enjoy poetry, Hong's magical way of weaving words together evoked so much feeling in me that I couldn't help but be impressed. I wish I had her way with words to adequately describe what reading this book was like for me, but you'll just have to read it yourself to experience it.

An affecting set of essays based on Hong’s experience as an Asian American in America, how it impacted her childhood and later education, and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) racism that is still pervasive against Asians in America. As a white woman who grew up in suburban America, there were several moments throughout the book that gave me pause and asked me to step back and consider if I am complicit in perpetuating stereotypes and racism in America. It’s a must-read to become more aware of how America often looks down on Asians and what we can do to break that.

Absolutely loved this essay/memoir compilation, in particular the discussion of mental health and identity politics of Asian Americans. Beautifully written and intelligent, I would definitely recommend.

Usually with essay collections, you're trying to adjust to the inevitable inconsistency: Some of the stories are page-turners, while others are just begging to be skimmed altogether.

Cathy Park Hong's Minor Feelings is remarkable in that every essay is a must-read. In weaving together her background, historical context, and theoretical texts, Park Hong's work is thought-provoking and impressive. While I was moved by every piece in the entire book, I found her exploration of her time at Oberlin with her friends Erin and Helen and her essay on the rape and murder of novelist and artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha particularly poignant and important.

You bet your ass I'm about to go read all of Cathy Park Hong's poetry collections. She's magic.

This book gives light to all the things I have felt as an Asian woman . Cathy Park Hong beautifully elucidates the nuances of this identity with well done research and lots of history for context. She uncovers hidden and ignored harsh truths with courage and wit. Her essays are original and brutally honest, and I recommend this book to anyone who has felt as thought they take up "apolagetic space".

Cathy Park Hong writes from the point of view of many Asian-Americans. We aren't white enough to be white. We aren't ethnic enough to be a consideration in many global conversations. We feel slighted, we feel overlooked. We are expected to be a certain way, all of the time. This minor feelings that Hong writes about are familiar and I see myself in many of these same issues. I look....like I have something, I'm not necessarily white, but I'm not necessarily Asian. I'm an other.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong is a must read! It was so insightful and descriptive that I felt like she was speaking directly to me! She speaks about her own history and the history of Asia and Asian Americans. Reading this book gave me new knowledge that I did not have before. It was a privilege to read this book!

<i> I was given a free digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. And, after reading the digital copy, I immediately went out and purchased a physical copy. </i>

I know that this will be one of the most important books I read this year. While reading this, I was faced with experiences and emotions that I’ve long forgotten or suppressed. Honestly, I wasn’t ready to relive them. But, I had no choice. In being so honest about her experience, which in turn looked like mine, the author left me feeling so exposed and raw. And a part of me resented her for it.

Like the author, my parents immigrated to the US from Korea in search of a better life. And like her, I grew up in Koreatown in Los Angeles. But, unlike her, I remained there. My parents still live there to this day. And while it is “cool” to live there now after it’s been gentrified, it was a struggle growing up. My family was directly affected by the LA Riots, especially my mom. A woman who spoke better Spanish than English, she worked 6 days a week for 12 hours a day at a small shop inside a swap meet in South Central, LA. She was caught in a crossfire of a shooting and was also held up at gun point, all before her store was burned down during the riots.

This book brought back all the unpleasant memories of my childhood. I was forced to face head-on not only the shame I felt of being different, but the shame I had of my parents. I was embarrassed of where we lived and where my mom worked. When my friends’ parents would ask what she did for a living I would lie. When I would get dropped off by other parents, I would lie and say I lived in one of the nicer places and walk the rest of the way home, ashamed to show them the torn down apartment building I lived in.

I was also embarrassed at how weak my parents seemed. I’ve seen them get ridiculed due to their lack of English and I resented them for not learning fast enough. I thought they were weak because they could not stand up for themselves, which made me believe they could not stand up for me. They could not protect me. So, I learned not stand up for myself either. Because who would be there to help me?

As an adult, I realize how wrong I was at mistaking their language barrier as weakness. I did not realize the strength it takes to move to a country where you don’t know the language and do whatever it takes to provide for your family. Even if that means putting your head down and pretending you don’t see them slant their eyes and saying “ching chong” as you walk by.

To read this book was like looking into a mirror of my past, and instead of rose-colored glasses I am wearing a magnifying glass, forced to relive the details of my shame, resentment and guilt. This made me resent the author because I felt like she was telling my story without my permission. But, it’s not just my story. It is my father’s, my mother’s and my brother’s. It belongs to my friends and my community. And through the authors story, I found strength, validation and pride. And I thank her for it.

Some essays are stronger than others, but overall this is a very powerful book. I loved how the author handled so many delicate topics in a way that showed that she herself didn't have all the answers. It honestly made me think and reflect on so many everyday parts of life, and I found myself sending quotes to friends and at unrelated points in my day reflecting on some of the points the author made.

This is a must-read book of 2020! I'm so happy to have read it. I am so excited for the world to see it. There are not enough words to the book justice and I'd be robbing you of the experience.

Cathy Park Hong offers an introspection into her life. She leaves spaces for each reader to find themselves within the cracks, in this way ensuring that this isn’t the definitive Asian American book but it is a book that many nonwhite readers will find language for their experiences and feelings. The beauty of this book is that we are invited along her reckoning, so we are able to sift through thoughts with her. There are threads throughout the story that feel disjointed until she seamlessly pulls them together in a battle cry for definite change against white supremacy.

Poets writing prose is where my heart finds its happy place. These writers pick up the lyrical language of your soul, translate it into words, and set them free for each to land in the unexplored spaces of your psyche. I find myself a poor guide without the skills to even begin to tell you what this book contains. I just know it’s a must read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong is, as the cover states, an Asian-American reckoning. This essay collection talks about so much more than Cathy Park Hong's experiences in America, and it's phenomenal. Hong's experiences in this story are so powerful, and the other topics and people she discusses in this book are also impactful.

I am always a fan of reading memoirs, especially ones who have experienced so many events in a relatively short amount of time. Cathy Park Hong speaks from her heart and her mind simultaneously and puts forth an incredible retelling of both her life and her family. Her passion for her identity as an Asian American as well as for the historical impact of the United States in and around the Pacific region makes the reader pause and think about how many lives were changed and are still impacted by events and actions brushed over in the past within Western education.

Do you know that feeling of knowing you’re really going to love a book/movie/album before you pick it up? That’s how I felt with this book. It took all my will power to not devour it in one sitting.

Cathy Park Hong describes “minor feelings” as “...the racialized range of emotions that are negative, dyspeptic, and therefore untelegenic, built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one’s perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed. Minor feelings arise, for instance, upon hearing a slight, knowing it’s racial, and being told, Oh that’s all in your head.” Hong writes that these feelings develop into a kind of self-hatred, as Asians have the unique position of being a minority, but lacking the kind of presence to be considered real minorities by, for example, white people. We are constantly “othered,” but because Asians are seen as white adjacent, we occupy this weird in-between space.

This book is a collection of essays that’s partially autobiographical, but also contains literary criticism and discusses historical events. I enjoyed how she referenced more “modern” media and authors in her essays, as I felt like it makes it more accessible: she mentions writers Jhumpa Lahiri and Prageeta Sharma, films like Moonrise Kingdom and Blade Runner 2049, and Richard Pryor’s stand-up. But she also talks about Japanese activist Yuri Kochiyama and the work of Korean artist and poet Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. My favorite part about this book was that Cathy Park Hong tried to discuss how Asians can be both victims and perpetuators of racism and colorism, while also discussing the history of Asian activism alongside other minority groups and how it is often overlooked.

I highly recommend this book. Does it discuss EVERY Asian American group and their struggles? No, and she fully acknowledged that. If anything, it makes me want to write about my own experiences and acknowledge the different connections I have to other artists and media in order to add to the greater conversation.

‘minor feelings: the radicalized range of emotions that are negative, dysphoric, and therefore untelegenic, built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one’s perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed.’

this book blew me away with its perceptiveness and honesty. there was so much in here that i’ve felt my entire life but never had the language to express. but not only that, so much intention and research went into this book. i learned a lot about the history of being asian in america; it’s always a quiet punch to the gut learning about the things that were left out of our history books.

you can tell there were a lot of things Hong (intentionally) left out of this book, like her relationship with her mother, which she touched on briefly. i hope we’ll see more of this author in the non-fiction world if she chooses to share. her words have been so vital.

‘minor feelings are not generated from major change but from lack of change, in particular, structural racial and economic change.’

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I was absolutely blown away and grateful to have the chance to tell others to read it as well.

This is the kind of excellent book that makes a person commit unquestioningly to buying any future books written by the author. It is so *necessary*, so vibrant and so furious that it feels as though Hong is daring you to possibly shut the book. You will not be able to. It feels wrong to call a book that is this unflinching an indictment of white American culture "compulsively readable," but it is. Hong is a tremendous writer and she explores many of racism's different corrosive elements in a mix of storytelling, essay, and memoir. In particular, I have found myself thinking about the essay she did on Theresa Hak Kyung Cha and her friendships in college. Both highlighted the inescapable weight of racism: the decisions, realities, and vulnerabilities it forces upon it's subjects without their consent.

I would read anything Hong writes greedily, but am particularly grateful she decided to write about this. Eye opening.

Okay let's see, I didn't get much into this book but I wanted to make an attempt based on the first couple chapters however I totally forget how the book even started because it just didn't spark my attention enough. I know it deals alot with mental health and counselors so probably when I actually get to finishing the entire book will I do a better and updated review.

Cathy Park Hong is a Korean-American poet who has written a poignant and complicated and messy and nuanced book of essays. I’ve been loving essays by poets lately, and this is no exception. You should read this book.

I was immediately struck by how honest Hong was about where she is coming from, how she is an unreliable narrator influenced by her own past insecurities, the stereotypes put on her, the intergenerational trauma of those who came before her. How she can’t always separate her views towards herself from her views towards Asian American culture, stereotypes, and people. Some of her observations feel inappropriate, uncomfortable.

As her essays continue, she peels back layers of societal expectations and slowly reveals why she hesitated to let her race influence her art, why her open dialogue may initially make readers, especially white readers, feel uncomfortable or nervous. Her wide breadth explores how Asian immigrants have been allowed to portray themselves in American books and movies: promoting the model minority trope, thereby aiming to further capitalism and keep black people down, placing Asian trauma in distant lands and centering white America as the savior.. This fosters the cognitive dissonance which she associates with minor feelings. She herself feels conflicted and uncomfortable about writing about Asian Americans in any overarching terms, explaining that essays allow for “exit routes” and let her “speak nearby” rather than over reach. But she also wants to use the first person plural, to directly confront it, to “dare” herself to contend with it. She is very self-aware and openly self-conscious, including conversations and reactions to the essays in what feels like real time. Hong wants to open up the floor, confess her experiences and thoughts and minor feelings. Far from any narrative claiming to present THE single story about immigrants, or Asians, or Koreans, this book feels like space that Hong has carved out specifically for herself.

The author is a poet and an academic. She admires Richard Pryor for his approach to afflicting the comfortable. These essays explore the author’s experiences as a member of a Korean family, once living in K-Town, then later in a prosperous area of Los Angeles. She describes the unfairness, the meanness, the confusion of being a member of a “model minority” but someone who is an other nevertheless.

My experience with this book was mixed. I am happy to have read through to the halfway point, but, having absorbed her arguments this far, I am ready to set this aside, so a DNF at 50%

A very important, blunt, and provocative read. The Asian American perspective on American culture is finally put in the spotlight in this thought provoking and eye opening book of essays. An important read.