Eat a Bowl of Tea

Truly original. There are no "oriental" stereotypes in this important book. It is purely Asian American. I'm sure it will be treasured throughout the years. Eat a Bowl of Tea came out in 1961 and it is the first Chinese American novel set in Chinese America. That alone should motivate you to buy this book. It's a shame that Louis Chu is no longer with us, he could've authored more books -- "Wow, your mother!"

After reading Louis Chu's book, much of recent work by Asian Americans seemed even more lackluster than before. Chu writes about Asian American culture with the emotional depth and dignity that it deserves. I got this book from my brother who also felt dissatisfied with the representations of Asian life a la Amy Tan, Kingston, etc. They don't seem to write with the same respect for Asian romanticism that Chu recognizes with such literary power.If you want to see an intimate, caring portrait of NYC Chinatown, start here...

Eat a Bowl of Tea by Louis Chu was first published in 1961. It's a satire of New York's Chinatown's bachelor society.Characters include the Ben Loy the son of a "bachelor" father. He has been sent to China after WWII to get married. After getting married to his bride Mei Oi, they return to America where he finds himself impotent to love his traditional good wife. Another character Ah Song is a thug and a gambler who seduces Mei Oi. The story continues and basically depics Chinatown and the Chinese Americans of the time. In the novel there are examples of the language with the heavy Chinese accent. The story expresses the theme of the bachelor's society and and the morals of a traditional wife compared to a prositute. Pages 250