Paula Yoo

Gr 8 Up—Yoo's work of narrative nonfiction chronicles the brutal 1982 murder of Vincent Chin and the ensuing civil
rights trial—the first federal prosecution of a hate crime committed against an Asian American. Readers will be
riveted by the multiple accounts from Chin's family and friends, as well as from the lawyers, defendants, and
eyewitnesses. Well researched and hard to put down, the work demonstrates how this horrible event connects with
today's rise in racism and violence against Asian Americans.… (more)

An account of the 1982 killing of Vincent Chin and its subsequent impact on Asian Americans’ civil rights struggles.

Ronald Ebens, the Detroit auto worker who beat Chin to death with a baseball bat, brought a devastating end to Chin’s short but promising life. Adopted from a Guangdong orphanage by Chinese immigrant parents at age 6, 27-year-old Chin was mourning his father’s recent death but eagerly anticipating his upcoming wedding. Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, were two White men living in a city reeling economically due to competition from Japanese car imports. The question of whether this was merely a drunken fight that got out of hand or a racially motivated hate crime was hotly debated after the two men were sentenced only to probation and a small fine for manslaughter. Despite two federal grand jury trials, neither served any time, but the case marked a turning point for Asian American unity and identity and was critical to progress around documentation of hate crimes and manslaughter sentencing reform in Michigan. This clear and lucid account, based on in-depth research, superlatively conveys the context and significance of the events. The conflicting accounts and explanations are presented evenhandedly, offering readers the opportunity to weigh the evidence and draw their own conclusions. A timely afterword discusses anti-Asian racist rhetoric and violence during the Covid-19 pandemic.

An accessible and compelling account of a tragedy that resonates through the decades. (timeline, notes, sources, picture credits, index) (Nonfiction. 13-18)

-Kirkus Review… (more)