Charlie Chan Is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction

Jack, just because somebody doesn't happen to agree with your personal perspective doesn't make them "ignorant". Your perspective on the Chan and Moto films isn't the only valid view. The great Keye Luke's perspective was that the Chan films were not racist and many agree with him. That doesn't make Chan supporters "racist" or "ignorant". Their perspective is every bit as valid as yours. Chan is a symbol of justice and wisdom to many people. You should take note of the fact that he is portrayed as being superior to the white characters in HIS movies. The same is true of the Moto films. Individuals who truly love and respect Chan and Moto as cinematic heroes are in no way attempting to be "ignorant" or "racist".

Lol, it's ridiculous, Moto and Charlie Chan are degrading depictions of Asians...pure and simple; it's racist. Anybody who says otherwise is trully ignorant on the subject (i.e. the previous reviewer..no wonder he/she kept him/herself anonymous). Anyway, I liked the book, but I wouldn't say it's the bible for Asian American literature. Why? Well, some of the authors featured here in are not representive of Asian American literature (i.e. Elaine Kim, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Amy Tan). There's only one book that I know that is trully Asian American, and that would be THE BIG AIIIEEEEE! But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't get this book. There are some authors here that aren't sell-outs and this book makes a great summer read!

The previous reviewer of this book said: Chan/Moto movies....''all with bad foreign accents, and goof-ball social ettiquette, spouting out fortune cookie wisdom and acting in some subservient role to another stronger, non-Asian character." Clearly she's never seen the movies. Though Moto and Chan were not played by Asian actors, true, the Asian characters they played NEVER were 'subservient' to non-Asian characters. Their police/secret service colleagues - on their level, always treated them with respect. Lesser policement displayed prejudices - but they were used for comic relief and were always shown up. Chan was always unfailingly polite - which made the ill-mannered non-Asians around him seem like the boors they were, and Moto of course beat up on everybody who deserved it. There is nothing denigrating in the Chan/Moto movies for any Asian/Asian-American who is not obsessed with political correctness. (Treatment of the subservient black characters for comic relief is another matter entirely).

As an Asian American not-yet-published writer myself, I find this to be a incredibly valuable collection of some of the most talented Asian American authors today. As Jessica Hagedorn wrote in her introduction, for too long has America seen Asian Americans with this Charlie Chan/Mr. Moto image in their minds, all with bad foreign accents, and goof-ball social ettiquette, spouting out fortune cookie wisdom and acting in some subservient role to another stronger, non-Asian character. Well, we're not. And it's about time that the Asian community steps up to dispel these stereotypes.This anthology is such a refreshing composite of different writing styles and stories, depicting Asian Americans in as many unique ways as can fit onto 569 pages. I recommend this book to anyone who was ever tired of being trapped in the immigrant image (or locked in any steretype), and is ready to help break the silence.