Cathy Park Hong has written a raw open look at what it means to be Asian American in today’s society.The author shares with us cultural history from the past to the present,Through her eyes we learn about racism she suffers attitude and behavior she alerts us to and Asian Americans bsuffervfrom.Imlearned so much from her perspective found this book fascinating,#netgalley#randomhouse

A thought provoking essay collection about the author’s experience as an Asian American. Her writing style is quite heavy and, like many collections, some are stronger than others. This one is sure to get buzz in the new year.

Mind-blowing exploration of the background, history and insidiousness of racism pertaining to Asian Americans. So up to the minute current it's meme-able. Cathy Park Hong says stuff I've thought about but could never put so eloquently, yet she also inserts awful images in my head that I can't get out.

I don't like reading poetry or philosophy, but Minor Feelings was like a strange combination of the two that I couldn't get enough of. Park Hong's research, analysis and writing are all amazing; she's solving true crimes, describing Erin and Helen so exquisitely I feel as if I knew them myself, explaining complex terms like identititarianism, going back and breaking down the history of US legislation that first established exclusion in this country, and yet she would not let on as to what happened between her and her own mother. I cannot wait to read more from this writer.

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong is a collection of essays on race not from the binary of black and white, but through the experiences of what she deftly points out is a difficult label - Asian American. The first few essays feature memoir and cultural critique that it personal and a profound look at how white supremacy ensures that no matter how hard someone strives for the power and privilege that whiteness gifts, they will continue to be systematically and institutionally denied - through microagressions, representation on screen, and in pursuit of art. Hong's story of female friendship is one of the best portrayals that I have seen anywhere, and I loved the snippets of conversations that she includes to show how her friendship continues to influence her work even as we read it in this moment. There is a lot to love in this work and much like Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous," this book will lead me to an extensive collection of poetry that I had not previously known about.

There are a few areas where I struggled with this quick read. The first is that Hong uses a lot of quotes throughout her essays, which support her ideas and give voice to the voices before her - but make me feel like I'm getting more of a collated set of references rather than a singular exploration. She also has a running theme of talking about the English language and her relationship to it that is highlighted by a few poetry passages, but it doesn't come through in the writing of the essays themselves. Lastly, I struggled with the chapters that were about art, since I didn't understand many of the references (there is a void in my knowledge when it comes to studio art of almost any kind). That being said, the stories that she tells still have themes that are moving and beg you to dig deeper. This reminded me a lot of "My Time Among the Whites" by Jennine Capo Crucet in it's struggle to better define our racial landscape and the impact that shifting modes of visibility/invisibility have on the experience of people of color depending on the context they are in.