The Souls of Yellow Folk: Essays

As other reviewers have pointed out, the title mostly applies to the first third or so of the book. Withall the emphasis on race these days, there are a number of interesting reflections on Asian-Americans,such as Harry Xu's Inconvenient Minority. Yang begins with an intense essay on Cho, the killer fromVirginia Tech in 2007. He then goes into the importance of recognition in this era of identity politics,with its negativity toward whiteness and masculinity. In Yang's description, the dilemma facingAsian-Americans, especially Asian men, is not being fully in the white majority but also not reallybeing viewed as a minority. I somewhat empathized with this, being half-Filipino and not reallyviewing myself as a minority, but being formed by a lot of my mom's intensity and values ofachievement. In recent years, when Pacific Islander is offered as an option, I identify with thatmore than Asian.Yang goes into more personal issues such as sexual frustration, noting that many Asian men viewproblems not as political or ideological but as personal existential problems. With the value ofthe family over the individual, it can be difficult to assert one's unique personality.The next part of the book is less about race and more about the elite culture of New York thathe's lived in. There's more about the sexual behavior of that demographic, and sharp socialcommentary on the influence of the internet and social media on people's behavior andpractices.The last section gets into what we're always talking about, identity politics, and the rapidchange that has taken place since roughly 2014. Obama ran as a liberal in 2007-8, andyet his rhetoric on identity seems mild compared to today's language and norms on race,gender and sexuality. The lingo of elite college campuses has now become mainstreamin education, the media, technology, corporations and other leading institutions. Of course,the presidency of Trump is also discussed at the end.

This book is not at all what I expected fit to be. Instead of the Asian perspective packaged in a similar style to Du Bois’ masterpiece, instead you get something of a wandering journey through ideological thoughts. At the same time, this book is a complex collection of essays that provides uniquely different take on the Asian experience and place in America.Yang covers various parts of the lived experience for Asian Americans including the seemingly invisible identity in crowds even when the accomplishments, infamy, or access should beg the spotlight. That the “bamboo ceiling” exists and blocks the advancement of Asians along with all of the history and struggle tied to the artificial cap. Yang also takes us through the elusiveness of finding comfort in just being in one’s own skin. This lack of place being a constant battle between following a plan to success that doesn’t always bring a feeling of belonging or truly independent identity.Just when you think you are about to dive deeper into the a deeper analysis of a people with a rising power but seemingly no real influence; Yang thrusts us into a series of ideological essays from perspectives that combine to show that the world view is largely defined by white men with their own faults. Initially confusing, I believe the aim was to show that no matter what a minority does, a white male in a far off NYC apartment, can cast a shadow on an entire religion or race.This collection of essays is very thought provoking and well written. Yang’s style is a combination of investigative journalism with sweeping prose and language that sucks you in. But a tight thread from essay to essay is hard to find which leaves you head scratching waiting for the deeper tie-ins that really end up being educated guesses at his intent. I really was expecting to learn even more about a mix of Asian American experiences and identity but even without that it was an interesting read.

This collection of essays is like a "best hits" collection of Yang's cultural criticism spanning the period of the "Great Awokening" in elite liberal culture, and Trumpism in populist culture. In this sense, he does provide a probing and noteworthy exploration of the issues of the Asian-American identity, but he does so with skills of observation and language powerful enough to distill broader, more universal truths from amidst the roiling, social-media-infused cultural warfare that has come to define the Trump and post-Trump era.

Wesley clearly illustrates the problems of today with laser-like precision and without holding anything back. He writes with razor-sharp wit on topics many would not dare speak about. This book is a necessary read in today's climate."...even as it was always the most salient of all facts, the one most readily on display, the thing that was unspeakable precisely because it need never be spoken: that as the bearer of an Asian face in America, you paid some incremental penalty, never absolute but always omnipresent, that meant that you were by default unlovable and unloved; that you were presumptively a nobody, a mute and servile figure, distinguishable above all by your total incapacity to threaten anyone; that you were many laudable things that the world might respect and reward, but that you were fundamentally powerless to affect anyone in a way that would make you either loved or feared."

Cultural and social commentary from the perspective of an Asian American male. Really interesting and looking forward to wesley’s substack

Yang is a talented writer, not just on account of his clarity and diction, but moreso for his unflinching lens, especially when he turns it on himself. You won’t be disappointed.

Wesley Yang's writing style is to the point and cutting. I would have preferred more articles relating to the Asian American experience but out of the ~9 in this book, only 3 are directly related and 1 is about Francis Fukuyama. Still, every essay in this book is amazing.