American Knees

This novel presents a point of view that is new to me, the viewpoint of an Asian American male dealing with the culture of growing older in an increasingly complex society within a society. Raymond is Chinese American, but has never been to China, divorced from a Chinese woman who took him for everything he had and not sure where to go with the rest of his life. The first line of the book is intriguing and I fear many reviewers missed its import. Is it possible through a divorce to lose not just material possessions but your ethnic identity as well? The rest of the book is Raymond's exploration of this question. Professionally involved in ethnic politics, the topic dogs him in all his relationships with women, including his half-Japanese, half-Irish girl friend Aurora, his Vietnamese immigrant girl friend Betty and Aurora's friend Brenda, who is all-Japanese and all suspicious of Raymond. As the novel progresses, it becomes more evident that the real Raymond is defined by his relationship with his widower father Wood (short for Woodrow, like his brothers named for a US President). For me, the seminal moment in the book was Raymond's discovery that his father's personality was as much derived from his engineering background as his Chinese ancestry, a discovery that liberated him from whatever ghosts had haunted him from his failed marriage to Darlene and his mother's early death, and which allowed him to become the person Aurora could love and trust. The book is well-written but it requires the reader to fill in some blanks and do more work than the typical novel. It is not for everyone, but it is a book that actually teaches while it entertains.

This is an amazing book, overflowing with so many contemporary issues many Asian Americans find themselves facing. While the personalities of the characters are exaggerated (I don't think anyone can be as controversial as Brenda), the interactions they have are right on target. I have had similar conversations about interracial dating and Asian stereotypes with my own friends. Wong has the daring to write about issues that others have never dared to voice. The frequent sex scenes can be a bit overwhelming, but in between them lie scenes that Asian Americans can really relate to. Call it the Portnoy of Asian Americn literature.

I love this book. I bought it on a whim and devoured it. It's funny and endearing. I loaned to my sister who also read it and liked it. We need more books like this by Shawn Wong or more writers willing to be bold enough to write like him.

This is the best Asian American novel I have ever read. It took all the stereotypes of Chinese Americans and made them a lot light hearted than many Asian American novel. Wong has done an amazing job in making identity issues not so hard to take. He tackles all the issues in a humorous way. Love the "Chinese Samsonite" statement. Finally, An Asian American writer protrays sex as a good thing. I truly enjoyed this book. An Amazing novel, American Knees, has won a place in my literary heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed "American Knees." This book takes a refreshing look at relationships from an Asian American perspective. Shawn Wong captures the pulse of Asian America -- with an observant eye and ear. Every character in his book rings true. Wong does an excellent job of getting inside the heads of his many characters in describing their feelings and motivations. And thankfully, Wong smashes stereotypes of Asian Americans along the way in his book -- his characters are sexy, funny, fresh, honest and real.