Synopses & Reviews
Witty, original, and authentic. A fresh,
young Chinese-American voice.
--Adeline Yen Mah,
author of Falling Leaves
As the daughter of a Chinese-American mother and a Norwegian father, Paisley Rekdal grew up wondering where she fit in. The essays in this, her shimmering nonfiction debut, tackle thorny issues--race and identity politics, interracial desire, what it means to be a hyphenated American--with a fresh, feisty, and very funny new perspective.
Rekdal's family history is, as she describes it, complicated and vaguely dangerous, and at the center of this strange world is her mother--a smart, stubborn, complex woman who adores her daughter. Rekdal exposes the foibles of family, friends, and lovers, but never spares herself, capturing both global and personal struggles with a critical, compassionate and humorous lens. The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee flows effortlessly from stunning cultural observation to a recollection of an embarrassing travel anecdote. Her destinations vary widely--a classroom in South Korea, a Japanese family's living room, Main Street in Natchez, Mississippi, a Taipei shopping mall, a beach in the Philippines, and even her own bedroom. In each, she explores the vast differences between cultures, the feeling of being an outsider, the constant battle to understand and be understood.
The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee proves that shifting the frames of identity can be tricky, exhilarating--and revelatory.
Review
"She is the sort of observer we should all wish for: disarming, frank, and intelligent. In setting out to explore three realms China, Japan, and Korea she ends up learning much more about another one: herself." Arthur Golden
Review
"The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee is an honest, intelligent book. It makes us feel and see the complicated and violent nature of the issue of race and identity. Paisley Rekdal writes with eloquence, liveliness, and poignancy a truly impressive achievement." Ha Jin
Synopsis
Asian-American and other fusions get a shimmering and insightful voice in this eye-opening, often hilarious blend of memoir, family history, and cultural study by a writer who is half Chinese and half Norwegian.
About the Author
Paisley Rekdal was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She has received Fulbright and Hopwood awards and has published poems and essays in Poetry Northwest and The Sonora Review, among other periodicals. A book of her poetry, A Crash of Rhinos, will be published this year. Rekdal lives in Laramie, Wyoming, and teaches poetry at the University of Wyoming.