Cover Image: From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry

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Member Reviews

Overall, this book did a good job of relaying the complexity of the Vincent Chin case from the cultural context, the act itself, the trials, and its legacy, up to and including the racism surrounding the Coronavirus.

That said, this retelling was a slog. If part of the intent was to sympathize with the dragging of the justice system that ultimately failed by being slowly dragged through the process, then it succeeds. I don't see a YA audience going for this.

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ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm glad more people can learn about Vincent Chin and his story. I didn't learn about him until just a few years ago. What happened to him was tragedy that should not have happened and the injustice he and his family went through.

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As I listened to this book I kept thinking to the lyrics from Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." It seems like hatred and violence for the AAPI has always existed in the United States, but the media's focus on it ebbs and wanes like the tides.

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I had never heard of the Vincent Chin case before this book, I regret to say. This was wonderfully written, and definitely an easily consumed way to learn about what happened. I appreciate that the book took on the approach of weaving in true crime with social justice, and I think that this approach will appeal to millennials like myself and gen Z who are interested in nonfiction reads. It’s only a 7 hour audiobook but the information is so well condensed and delivered, it went by incredibly fast and I didn’t feel like it lagged at any point in the process of telling the story, I was always interested in hearing the next part even as it jumped from telling past and present perspectives of people related to the case.

Side note. My heart broke for Chin’s mother. And the fact that the murderer never paid a dime or spent a day in jail is sickening.

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*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Wow im shocked i've never heard of this case before, what a sad one too. Plan on buying this book for my dad too.

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Was given this by netgalley for free for my honest review, How shocking this isn't a better known case, when it should be. very important read, i plan on watching the documentary as well.

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An important book being published at exactly the moment it is needed most. I knew nothing about the murder of Vincent Chin and I learned a lot from this book. However, the style in which the story was told was not very engaging. It is going to be hard to get teens to read or listen to this.

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<i>From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry</i> tells the story of Vincent Chin's murder in 1982 Detroit and the outrage that followed it. Paula Yoo did an excellent job researching the story and presenting all sides. It is fascinating to me how one man's murder brought together Asian Americans of all ethnicities into one cohesive group to look for justice. The book's timing is impeccable to bring Chin's story to a new generation, especially with all the anti-Asian hatred that has been going on due to the pandemic. I did not realize until after I listened to the book that it has been classified as YA, and I am not entirely sure why it has been. Catherine Ho did a fantastic job with the narration. There were times when the story seemed to drag a bit, but overall, this was an heartbreaking and informative book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

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I enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator did a nice job. I really didn't know much about Vincent Chin before I started this book, I really enjoyed learning about him.

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I struggle with the rating for this book because while I really enjoyed learning about Vincent Chin, the book really dragged with reviewing the case. I'm sure the dragging was synonymous with the criminal justice system in the United States but still, there were parts in this book that I could've done without.

This true crime examination of the wrongful murder of Vincent Chin, a young Asian American attempting to live the American dream in Detroit. We follow the events that led up to Vincent Chin's murder to the LONG trajectory his case went through for his family to receive some justice. We follow the case as it moves through multiple barriers - gaining traction in the AAPI community, gaining allies, navigating the criminal justice system, etc - and how Chin's case sparked a social justice movement.

I think this book is very important and a timely read for the current hate crimes that the AAPI community is experiencing. But, I'm not sure if this book is for the YA genre. I think there were maybe two sections in the book where the author attempted to connect present-day family members to Vincent Chin's but I seriously could've done without that; it just felt like an afterthought. Overall this was a quick and easy (at times) read but I'm still torn on who this book is for.
Thank you to Paula Yoo, WW Norton and Co, and Netgalley for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I think in was to young to know about what happened with Vincent Chin (I was born in 1982) so I didn't know this case. What happened here is utterly horrible! I had no idea judges could accept plea bargains like this. With everything that has happened in 2020 this story broke my heart. And is so relevant to today. Anyone who wants to work on becoming an ally should read this.

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Do you know the story of Vincent Chin, the 27-year-old bookish and outgoing Chinese American man who was beaten to death by a baseball bat days on the evening of his bachelor party by two White men? If so, you may remember that the men who murdered him were sentenced to $3,000 each plus probation for their premeditated murder.

And if so, then you may also remember how the judge’s ruling galvanized the multicultural “Asian American movement” in the ‘80s. Black, Latinx, and Jewish groups joined together with Asian groups to demand justice for Vincent Chin through a civil rights trial. And then a second.

This book speaks to Vincent Chin’s humanity; how his life and death impacted his fiancée, friends, mother, coworkers, and future activists. It also explores centuries-old xenophobia and anti-Asian discrimination and violence; how Asian Americans have been scapegoated for the decline of the auto industry then and for the COVID-19 pandemic now.

Paula Yoo analyses court transcripts, news accounts, and interviews; this book is as well-researched as it is heartbreaking.

Vincent Chin’s life mattered.

I cannot help but also think of the victims of the domestic terrorist attack at the Atlanta spa: Soon Chung Park, age 74; Hyun Jung Grant, age 51; Suncha Kim, age 69; Yong Yue, age 63; Delaina Ashley Yaun, age 33; Paul Andre Michels, age 54; Xiaojie Tan, age 49; Daoyou Feng, age 44. Their lives and the countless other victims of racialized violence and hate crimes matter.

May their lives be remembered in the continued fight against White supremacy and injustice. May the family and friends who survived their deaths find peace and healing.

Thank you to RB Media Recorded Books, Paula Yoo, and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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The narrator's pleasant voice and spot-on reading of this audiobook was great and entertaining. While the book's true-crime topic is not itself considered entertaining due to the horrible circumstances that resulted in the writing of the real-life events described in the narrative, the timing of the book is not without merit. This is an important and much-needed addition to the true-crime genre.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this audiobook to listen to. The impressions expressed here are my own honest opinions written voluntarily.

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