"Over the Shoulder" by Leonard Chang

By J -
So I seem to have stumbled upon a budding genre within a genre: the Asian American mystery. I've already written before about Ed Lin's books about Chinese American detective Robert Chow. Well I just finished up Leonard Chang's Over the Shoulder, a mystery novel about Allen Choice, a Korean American security specialist (a.k.a. bodyguard) who investigates the murder of his coworker.


"How many mysteries have an Asian American protagonist? Not many. Maybe the racist portrayal of Charlie Chan. So why not? What better way to normalize the Asian American male than to have him deal with everyday life?" -Leonard Chang


There is a way to address both the Asian American communities and a mainstream audience, and that is to write a book for multiple genres.

Bottom line is if you can write a GOOD book in a mainstream genre (like mystery or sci fi) and address AA themes, then you can kill 2 birds with one stone. And that's what Leonard Chang does in this book Over the Shoulder. Like Ed Lin's books the mystery genre provides Chang an opportunity to explore race, family, Korean culture and the Asian American sensibility without overindulging in these issues. Amy Tan he is not.

This is a damn good book. You get a glimpse into the protagonist's head, his memories, his observation, and you feel for him. And yet despite all the punishment he takes in this story, you don't ever feel like he's a wimp. You root for him to find out what the hell happened in this whodunit.

I mentioned before that Don Lee's Yellow was my favorite AA lit book. Well now that I've read Over the Shoulder, I'll have to amend that. Yellow is my favorite short story collection. Leonard Chang's my favorite AA novelist.

Comments

Leonard Chang said…
Hey, thanks very much. Appreciate this....
June 13, 2011 at 12:35 PM
J said…
Wow, Leonard Chang comments on my blog! I'm honored. let us know when you have a reading in the Bay Area.
June 13, 2011 at 5:49 PM
J said…
@BigWoWo

Yeah, I read 17 Syllables in AA lit class in 1991-92. Agree, awesome book.

I have to say though, that my tastes for AA lit have strayed from the classic immigrant, 1st generation, historical stories to more modern 2nd gen stories, like Leonard's Allen Choice trilogy and Don Lee's Yellow. I think that this is the direction that the AA communities are going with their storytelling (whether in indie films, books, etc.) It's been like this for awhile, and it's a natural progression for ethnic groups that becoming more and more acculturated.
June 13, 2011 at 5:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interview with Rick Lee

By J -
Image
Q: I'm an avid follower of your site and had a question, since I believe you are the most recent one to have done an interview /been in contact with Rick Lee. I was wondering: is he still actively keeping up with his website?  Also I was wondering if you ever heard of the podcast DVDASA hosted by David Choe ? I'm sure you know of him or can easily find out who he is, but I wanted to know how I can contact him. I think he'd make a great guest on the show especially, because of his Asian-Man website. I believe he was the first Asian male porn star. David Choe talks about it sometimes, but he mentions Keni Styles as the first, but Rick is.  I'd love for him to be able to get on the show, set the record straight and help continue changing perceptions of Asian males.  Sorry if this is sort of random. Anyways hope to hear from you soon Thanks! -J My Answer: Are you trying to contact David Choe or are you trying to contact Rick Lee or both?  I'm s
Read more

Muscle Building Diet for the Asian Male

By J -
Image
As a strength trainer with an Asian American background, I often get questions and comments from Asian dudes all over the world. A common theme that pops up among Asian lifters is the belief that their Asian genes are limiting their progress in their quest for a muscular physique. I always tell them this: don't let race or ethnicity be a limiting factor in your training goals or any goal. It does not matter if you are Asian or a skinny bastard or a woman. If your goal is to be bigger, faster, stronger, then you still travel the same road that everyone else travels to size and strength. I mean look at Tommy Kono . Here was a Japanese American who grew up in an internment camp, and he became arguably the greatest Olympic weightlifter the US offered to the world.  He was also a successful bodybuilder, winning the Mr. Universe title in 1955 and 1957.  He built a phenomenal physique in an era before steroids. He didn't let race or ethnicity be a limiting factor in his mind or on
Read more

Strength Training for the Asian Lifter, Part II

By J -
Image
Since I keep getting inquiries on my previous article Strength and Bodybuilding for the Asian Lifter , I thought I'd write up a follow-up: I’m a bit of a bodybuilding purist. I normally don’t write my exercise articles from the angle of “develop the muscles that drive her wild in bed!” Men’s Fitness, however, interviewed me one time for an article titled Sculpting Her Five Favorite Body Parts. The interviewer picked my brain on how to develop muscles so that a woman, as she put it, “couldn't keep her hands off you.” When it comes down to it, Asian men want the same thing everybody else wants when they exercise: to look good naked! Women don’t give a crap how much you bench, but they will notice the tone in your arms when you’re wearing a T-shirt. A lot of Asian guys feel that their Asian genes are somehow holding them back when it comes to gaining muscle. But guess what? Whether or not it is true that Asian men have a harder time gaining muscle, most women don’t
Read more