YELL-Oh Girls! Emerging Voices Explore Culture, Identity, and Growing Up Asian American

Phoebe Eng's intro to the book still makes this anthology stick out in my mind."[B]ig things can never been accomplished by sheer will and talent alone. Instead, it requires the collusion of hundreds of people who also believe in you, who want you to thrive, and will do what is necessary to lift you up to that place where, finally, you will have what you need to fly on your own."

YELL-Oh Girls! is an anthology of writings by and for younger Asian/Pacific American women (mostly youth/teens, with some young adults [early twenties]) -- which is not a bad thing by any means. When I came across the book, it was a refreshing breath of air, (re)affirming, in some ways, my own lived experience as a young Asian American.

Those who come to this show more book a little further along in their journey of discovery and identity formation may not find it quite so engaging as those who are 'younger' may find it. However, it is still a great collection for those looking for a work that speaks to their experience*, and I'd highly recommend it to any young Asian American woman who has ever thought about her identity and what it means to be "Asian."

*Though I really can't remember if transracial adoptees and Desis get a fair shake in this volume -- given the scope of the project, I'd think they would! show less

Poems and short-shorts that speak to the pain of difference, indifference and holding onto pride in Asian-descent young women's growing up experiences in a racially sensitized America. Most of the collection is youthful, angry, sad.