Thank you for allowing us to read RISE. Our interview with the authors can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jeff-yang-phil-yu/id1511650673?i=1000559664028

I loved this book! I have been a fan of Phillip Wang's Youtube content for a while, and so was quite excited to dive into this book. I found 'Rise' extremely interesting, comprehensive and important. I am an Asian-Asian/Indian (not Asian-American), but American pop culture has been a huge part of my life since childhood so I could recognise a lot of people and references in the book. The chapters were fun and easy to read and I really liked the artwork. I don't think I could have asked for a better guide to Asian-American history.

This was an awesome, informative read; it's an empowering book that not only celebrates the achievements of Asian Americans in pop culture, but also doesn't skip over the injustices Asian America has experienced over the last three decades. Really loved the interviews with major stars in the entertainment industry, as well as the various articles and cartoons by contributors.

Rise is a historical compilation of Asian American history starting in the 1980's to present day. It was finished during the COVID 19 pandemic, so there is also a several sections that touch upon what is going on present day.

There was so much information presented in this book. Some of which was light-hearted (discussion of boba v.s bubble tea, BTS memes, etc), while some was serious (yellow-face in movies and theater, white saviorism in movies set in Asia, the LA riots and the effects on Korean businesses, etc). This book warrants multiple reads in order to absorb all the information included.

I would most definitely share parts of this book with students, and I would definitely use parts to teach about Asian Americans in the US.

Overall, a great read that I will come back to for reference and for entertainment: 5/5.

This is a very important book, and I wish there were more books that covered all the nuisances of Asian culture like this book does.
Rise focuses on the rise of Asian culture in America, mainly focusing on 1990's to the present. It does have an overview of events, people, and places prior that set the stage for what the culture began in the 1990s. This book is a good mix of essays, interviews, graphics, and lists that makes this both an engaging read as well as meaningful one. It touches on a lot of cultural events and moments that some people are still unaware of. I am also impressed with the amount of different types of people they were able to interview and get first hand accounts from in this book. I am looking forward to recommending this to a wind range of readers.

Read if you: Want a amazing read about Asian American history and pop culture from the 1990s to present day.

This is full of interviews, lists, cartoons, illustrations, and thoughtful explorations of Asian American identity. This is a big read; definitely meant to be browsed through rather than reading in one sitting. It is joyful, heartbreaking, and illuminating.

Librarians/booksellers: A must purchase. Asian American pop culture is worldwide and youthful; your Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z patrons will love this.

Many thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest reivew.

First off, I LOVE the cover, designed by Allison Chi.

I was initially drawn to Rise by its cover and description. The graphics didn’t translate too well to my Kindle in the unfinished version, so I viewed it on Adobe Digital Editions, and the layout is gorgeous.

The book provides an in-depth look at Asian American culture, what it is, where it came from, and how it’s evolved over the past thirty years. I’m a white male, and I felt it was important to learn about the history Asian American culture because I knew nothing about it, and this book teaches it in such a unique and fantastic way.

Referred to as the Asian American syllabus by authors Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, Philip Wang, Rise is absolutely bursting with knowledge. This book outlines everything from the Twelve Court Cases that Shaped Asian America and Stuff Asians Like to Asian Americans on Campus and the Asian Grocery Store.

One part of the book I really liked was ‘Asian Ethnic Enclaves’ which looks at specific places in towns that are a “spiritual tether to the motherland” for Asian Americans. This section looks at both lost towns, and towns of today.

There’s also a section called ‘It’s an Honor Just to Be Sandra’ followed by an interview with Sandra Oh, whom I just adore, so I loved reading that.

I especially enjoyed the brilliant graphics by Julia Kuo throughout, which made this a more fun and engaging read.

Rise is the kind of book that has the potential to live on a bookshelf for many years, being constantly opened and referenced. This book is special in its own right, but the contributors make it really precious.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished copy on shelves everywhere.

I thought this was a really interesting idea and the execution is great as well. The mixture of different formats work really well, and the switch between essay/history/information and interviews and fun facts makes for a great reading experience.

This is an important reference book covering the pop history of Asian -Americans over the last thirty years. As such, it belongs on the shelves of most young Asian-Americans, their parents, and every library. The format is engaging and as an older white woman (albeit the mother of two half-Asian children) I recognized very little in here other than the very well-known (i.e. Fresh Off the Boat, George Takei. and some of the politicians). And that is precisely why this is a necessary book.

We all need to catch up on the history of Asian-Americans and Rise is an easy and fun way to do so. Recommended for just about anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Looking forward to seeing it in its final edition.

This was a unique and important read. There were many moments in this collection of essays, interviews, comics, timelines, etc. that felt very nostalgic for me, and there were also moments that made me, as a white woman, realize that I have a lot of self educating to do on Asian American culture. Parts of the book felt a bit disjointed, but since this was such an early ARC, I am willing to bet that the disjointed feel will disappear as final edits are done (there were lots of notes making it clear that this process is not finished). Definitely worth the read!